Is 'non-denominational' a denomination?

[Claire_from_DE]

Do churches that label themselves non-denominational have the same beliefs? Or does each individual pastor decide what that church will believe?

I’m reading about some of the early fathers of the church (people who were taught by the apostles). It seems like it was very important to them that all the churches of their time were totally in agreement in their beliefs as well as how they lived.

 

[eucharisteo]

Ther are different. Some are OSAS…baptist heritage…others are Methodist…like my moms…others are like the Disciples of Christ/Church of Christ/Christian Church that are from Presbyterian heritage but deny being a denomination…at leat the Church of Christ teach they are the original Church founded by Christ even though there is no footprint of their existence to the very beginning. I’m sure there are many more with varioius slants…like Pentacostal non-denominations.

 

[cathopologist]

Do churches that label themselves non-denominational have the same beliefs? Or does each individual pastor decide what that church will believe?

I’m reading about some of the early fathers of the church (people who were taught by the apostles). It seems like it was very important to them that all the churches of their time were totally in agreement in their beliefs as well as how they lived.

If your church has a name, structure (under a leadership, pastors, etc, or a ‘council’, etc), and professes in Christian doctrines, then it is a denomination despite what they insist.

A true, “non-denominational” church will be anarchic, as there is no body to “govern” the church. That means no pastors, no choir groups, organists, preachers, etc.

Even the Bible is organized. So in my opinion, people who call themselves “non-denominationalists” don’t really understand their own cult.

 

[tGette]

Let us first define the word denomination:

From TheFreeDictionary
(Please go to the site to see how it can be defined)

de·nom·i·na·tion play_w2(“D0133000”) (dhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/ibreve.gif-nhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/obreve.gifmhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/lprime.gifhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/schwa.gif-nhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/amacr.gifhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/prime.gifshhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/schwa.gifn)*n.***1. ** A large group of religious congregations united under a common faith and name and organized under a single administrative and legal hierarchy.
**2. ** One of a series of kinds, values, or sizes, as in a system of currency or weights: Cash registers have compartments for bills of different denominations. The stamps come in 25¢ and 45¢ denominations.
**3. ** A name or designation, especially for a class or group.

So…to say NON-DENOMINATION would mean:

They are NOT any of those three things.

Basically…I think non-denomination is such a silly term.

They are “not naming themselves” with a name!

They did not like all the names of the different Protestant denominations so they said we will be a “not name”. We will not name ourselves by naming ourselves with a name that says we do not name ourselves. OR something…

 

[SyCarl]

Let us first define the word denomination:

From TheFreeDictionary
(Please go to the site to see how it can be defined)

de·nom·i·na·tion play_w2(“D0133000”) (dhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/ibreve.gif-nhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/obreve.gifmhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/lprime.gifhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/schwa.gif-nhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/amacr.gifhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/prime.gifshhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/schwa.gifn)*n.***1. ** A large group of religious congregations united under a common faith and name and organized under a single administrative and legal hierarchy.
**2. ** One of a series of kinds, values, or sizes, as in a system of currency or weights: Cash registers have compartments for bills of different denominations. The stamps come in 25¢ and 45¢ denominations.
**3. ** A name or designation, especially for a class or group.

So…to say NON-DENOMINATION would mean:

They are NOT any of those three things.

Basically…I think non-denomination is such a silly term.

They are “not naming themselves” with a name!

They did not like all the names of the different Protestant denominations so they said we will be a “not name”. We will not name ourselves by naming ourselves with a name that says we do not name ourselves. OR something…

Most of these churches have a name that they call themselves. However they consider that early Christianity was made up of a bunch of independent local churches. Therefore they set themselves up as independent of any other body in imitation of how they view the early church.

 

[RobHom]

I have two friends who live out in Oklahoma, one who is a Pentecostal (self avowed “holy-roller”…he calls himself that, not I), and the other who says he is “Christian”, though he admits most of his upbringing was Methodist…

I asked both about that…non-denominational tag. They both expressed the notion that these churches using that tag are “Baptist”. The “Christian” attended one of them…and had some issues with them…the Pentecostal has a brother who goes to one, who was previously a Baptist… They seem to feel that its the Baptists trying to hide the fact that they are “Baptists”…while at the same time attract members that they would not attract if they called themselves Baptists.

Their words, not mine.

 

[Tonks40]

I have two friends who live out in Oklahoma, one who is a Pentecostal (self avowed “holy-roller”…he calls himself that, not I), and the other who says he is “Christian”, though he admits most of his upbringing was Methodist…

I asked both about that…non-denominational tag. They both expressed the notion that these churches using that tag are “Baptist”. The “Christian” attended one of them…and had some issues with them…the Pentecostal has a brother who goes to one, who was previously a Baptist… They seem to feel that its the Baptists trying to hide the fact that they are “Baptists”…while at the same time attract members that they would not attract if they called themselves Baptists.

Their words, not mine.

I’ve heard this same thing from someone I knew who went to a “non-denominational” Christian church - she one day said to me, “Did you know that (name-of-church) is actually Baptist??”

Caught me by surprise!

 

[tGette]

I’ve heard this same thing from someone I knew who went to a “non-denominational” Christian church - she one day said to me, “Did you know that (name-of-church) is actually Baptist??”

Caught me by surprise!

Does this mean they are committing the sin of lying?

 

[eucharisteo]

… They seem to feel that its the Baptists trying to hide the fact that they are “Baptists”…while at the same time attract members that they would not attract if they called themselves Baptists.

You mean Catholics…in reality… I’ve read and heard that about 20 to 60 percent of the members of these “non-denomination”…mega churches are actually fallen away/non-practicing Catholics.

The Church of Christ uses a biblical term and refers to themselfs as a true non-denominational church because they are immulating the early church model of independent churches. Ironically, they don’t realize that those independent “churches” are actually Catholics and Orhtodox from the same roots…direct decendants of the original Apostles with a series of Bishops …hierchical… How many don’t realize that Timothy and Paul were actually Bishops?

 

[RobHom]

Does this mean they are committing the sin of lying?

Good question. My friend seemed to kind of “imply” that… He was actually very disappointed because he and his wife were looking for a Church that was real and didn’t have alot of biases.

He is probably one of the least biased Christians who are no Catholic that I know…along side the Pentecostal… Believe it or not, both say they would be Catholic if not for a few differences of thought. We’re stilling working those out though…

 

[tGette]

Good question. My friend seemed to kind of “imply” that… He was actually very disappointed because he and his wife were looking for a Church that was real and didn’t have alot of biases.

He is probably one of the least biased Christians who are no Catholic that I know…along side the Pentecostal… Believe it or not, both say they would be Catholic if not for a few differences of thought. We’re stilling working those out though…

May the Holy Spirit lead them to the Truth! The fullness of revealed Truth!
So they can realize that they can be part of the only Church that is truly non-denominational…The Catholic Church…because we all know…She is the only Church that is not a denomination!