by Recently I was filling out a form that needed me to say which church denomination I identify with. I hovered over the line then left the space blank. Identifying as Christian is enough for me. I am first and of most importance, a follower of Christ wherever I go. Second, I realised I really do not have loyalties to a particular denomination. Yes, the church I attend is affiliated to a certain denomination but is that my denomination? If I moved into a different city or country wouldn’t I pick a Bible-believing church and feel right at home as long as we are the body of Christ? If I collected my current beliefs on God and faith, would they perfectly fit in my denomination?
Daniel Silliman writing in Christianity Today noted that if the number of people who identify as nondenominational were a denomination, they’d probably be the largest Protestant one. Are you denomination-faithful?
Have you ever wondered we why we have so many divisions and can’t seem to agree on some major and minor things on our faith? You just need to check on the theobros on X to find all manner of bickering on all sorts of issues – mega church vs small church vs house church vs multisite church, what is and is not the gospel, elders vs pastors vs the pope, social justice vs the gospel, wine vs juice, women on pulpits, infant baptisms, to have or not have miracles in the service, dipping vs sprinkling, weekly communion vs yearly, open vs closed table, universal salvation vs election, premillenialism vs post vs amillenialism, hymns vs choruses … there is so much to split hairs on for a people called to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, a people called to one body and one hope and one heaven.
What would the watching world say when it saw churches and denominations that collaborate and love one another and pray for one another, growing together in our knowledge of our saviour?
On X, aka Twitter, someone recently asked why churches insist on planting their own branches in areas where other churches exist instead of partnering to strengthen already existing congregations, may be through training, resourcing or sending volunteers.
I remember being in a service where a pastor prayed for members of his denomination alone. I eagerly awaited that he may include other believer’s gathered all over the world under whatever church banner but gathered in the name of the Lord, but naught! What happened to one body, one Spirit, one Father?
One thing is for sure — we are not in competition. It is never us vs them, whatever the divides. Instead Jesus’ ambition in John 10:16 is one flock and one shepherd. In John 17 he prays for his disciples that they may be one “so that the world will believe that you sent me.”
Scripture sets out a goal of ecclesial unity, where we are bound as one body serving one Lord, called to one kingdom and belonging to one family. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:9 and Ephesians 2:20 says the church is one building, that God himself is building, with Christ as the cornerstone, with the apostles and prophets as the foundation, each of us a block on that building. In Ephesians again, there is a goal of eventual unity in faith and knowledge of Christ. The redeemed saints in revelation stand as one numberless multitude from every nation, tribe, language and people. There is no us and them, although this truth is far from our reality.
In Ephesians 4 from verse 3, we are called to expend diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. For by one spirit we are all baptised into one body (all of us) and we have been made to drink of one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). For there is one body and one spirit, just as we were called to one hope, one body, one Lord, one baptism and one Father of all, over all and in all.
I love how the Swahili translation puts it:
“Muwe wepesi wa kutaka kudumisha umoja wa Roho kwa sababu ya amani inayowafunga pamoja. Kuna mwili mmoja na Roho mmoja, kama mlivyoitwa mpokee tumaini moja. Tena kuna Bwana mmoja, imani moja, ubatizo mmoja; na Mungu mmoja ambaye ni Baba wa wote, aliye juu ya wote, anayefanya kazi katika yote na aliye ndani ya yote. “ Ephesians 4:36
David Attebury in an article on Christoverall.com puts it this way: “If the faith once-for-all delivered to the saints is the orthodox foundation, then the institutions we build are the different neighborhoods and city quarters of the Kingdom of God here on earth. We might imagine the Baptist quarter, the Lutheran quarter, and so on. We stay within our own areas, but we try to be good neighbors to each other.”
Theologian and pastor Jonathan Leeman In his book, Don’t Fire Your Church Members, notes that churches, though self governing, all belong to the same government — the Kingdom of Christ. “Christians and churches share the same Lord (1 Corinthians 1:2). In addition to being members of one household, they are also fellow citizens.”
Leeman notes that the New Testament churches had:
– Shared love and greetings. Rom 6:16, 1 cor 16:19; Ephesians 4:22
– Shared preachers and missionaries. 2 cor 8:18
– Supported one another financially. Rom 15:25-26: 2 Cor 9:12; 2 Cor 8:1-2
– Imitated one another in Christian living. 1 Thes 1:7; 2:14
– Prayed for one another. Eph 6:18
The churches were also instructed:
– To greet one another- to care for one another financially
– Were cautioned about whom to receive as teachers.
– Were exhorted to pray for one another
– Were exhorted to imitate one another in steadfastness and faith.
Shared lives
Leeman, therefore, encourages a unity of shared lives, loves and labours among churches regardless of denominational affiliation. Church is likened to a marriage where to become one without losing their individuality, hence we can achieve unity without aiming for uniformity. Jesus has made the church diverse in its giftings and flavour. But because we serve the same Lord, who is one, we can aim and work to keep the unity of the body, one in heart and mind. The blood that broke the divide between Jew and gentile, slave and free, man and woman can break our current dividing walls.
None of us have perfect theology. We are all growing in our knowledge of our saviour Jesus and we reach perfection in heaven. Therefore, we can disagree on our eschatology and baptism and women ordination and still respect and love one another as brothers, partakers of one covenant.
The commentators on John 17:11 in the Reformed Bible note: “There is a unity of purpose and essence in the invisible church, the body of Christ. The perfect unity, to be manifested on the day of Christ, already forms and shapes God’s people and should be observable in the visible church as well, so “that the world may believe and know that the Father has sent Jesus the Son. Organisational unity is no substitute for spiritual unity, although organisational divisions and separations among Christians undoubtedly bear a negative witness to Christ in the world (1 Cor1:10-13;12:25;Gal 5:20).
“How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It’s like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, Flowing down Aaron’s beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes. It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion. Yes, that’s where GOD commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.” Psalm 133:13
What are some practical implications for our churches?
- Leemans writes that because the names and reputations of all Christians in all churches are bound together even when they belong to different denominations. When one Christian church presents a poor witness in a city, then every Christian church in that city suffers. Churches, therefore, share an interest in one another’s spiritual welfare.
2. Since churches share an interest in one another’s spiritual welfare, they should pray for one another, encourage one another, financially support one another as opportunity allows and generally do what they can to support one another’s ministries. There should be openness to informal relationship among churches, particularly between church leaders. Having knowledgeable relationships facilitates specific prayer, encouragement and aid. Such interaction and prayer build mature congregations and avoids turf wars. Andy Johnson, a pastor in Washington DC, challenges pastors to ask themselves whether when are praying for revival, they can rejoice if revival comes to a church down the street?
3. Christians should care how other churches are structured since polity makes this political unity visible. Polity is how Christians are made accountable to our common Lord.
4. Leeman notes that different levels of cooperation are possible based on different levels of doctrinal and ecclesial unity. For example two Baptist churches can work together to share the gospel and plant churches because they share the same gospel and church governance structures. A Baptist church and a Presbyterian church can work together to share the gospel but not plant churches. A Baptist church and a gospel-denying “church” can work together to care for the poor (because they share a common concern for the poor, though not the same gospel).
5. Churches should partner in learning from one another and teaching one another. The earliest churches did this in sharing preachers and missionaries. Today this can be done through attending and hosting conferences, supporting seminaries and the education of aspiring pastors, subsidising healthy Christian publishers and starting local ministry associations.
6. Learn from churches in other eras. Jesus is Lord over time. The great creeds have so much to teach and so do various controversies of the past . Pastor’s too can learn from practices and patterns of pastors In the past.
7. Churches should imitate one another in holiness. This points to the value of multichurch conferences, books and ministerial associations. But it particularly highlights the need for pastors to build relationships with one another beyond their own churches, as they seek to grow in pastoral wisdom.
8. Churches should work to supply capable pastors or teachers to struggling churches who lack them.
9. Churches should help one another with membership and discipline, especially In the transfer of members.
10. Churches should work together in missions and evangelism locally, nationally and globally.
11. Churches should partner in mercy ministry work. Churches today do well to look for ways to support sister churches with fewer resources at their disposal.
Practical pointers for pastors from pastor Mark Dever of 9Marks.org:
– Pray privately for other local pastors and congregations
– Set an example for our churches by publicly praying for God’s blessing on other churches in your area.
– Encourage ministers of other evangelical denominations to preach from pulpit from time to time.
– Invite a fellow pastor to your church’s prayer meeting and let him speak about his work and pray for him and his church.
– Discipline yourself to speak well of other churches. Warn with great care.
– Be willing to encourage members who live a distance from your church to join like-minded congregations closer to home.
A biblically faithful church understands both it’s independence and interdependence with other churches. Because they are interdependent they pray for, encourage, challenge and support one another since they know that the success of one is the success of all, and then defeat of one is the sorrow of all. 1 Corinthians 12:26
“Churches should work together to fulfill the great commission because they call upon the same Lord and share common apostolic confession and commission. Don’t go it alone; cooperate with other local churches in evangelism, missions, discipline, counseling or prayer.”
Above all, as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one, may we too as the church be one in unity and purpose, serving one Lord, awaiting one Saviour, joined together by one Spirit… till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.
