I grew up in a non-denominational church. Then at the age when I was just beginning to form some idea of “Baptist” “Methodist” “Presbyterian,” my family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, a state where I was lucky to just meet a fellow Protestant, let alone a majority group from a denomination. However, my denominational ignorance was soon shattered when I moved to Springfield, Missouri and attended Evangel University, an Assemblies of God school in the heart of AG mecca. As I reached the ordination process following my Bachelor’s degree, I realized the AG was a denomination I did not want to be affiliated with. And so, my husband and I became denomination-less and we were okay with that.
But lately I’ve been wondering why affiliating with a denomination is important, and whether Justin and I should seek out a denomination for ourselves. So as a denomination newb, I asked twitter “Why Should One Affiliate with a Denomination?”
Some responded with a healthy level of snark:
- “To make a statement about how being right means more to you than The Church itself?” ~Ryan Stauffer @glassblowerscat
- “So you can make fun of the other ones.” ~ChurchSnobTEC @ChurchSnobTEC
- “Because where else can you endlessly fight about gays/women/politics with co-religionists?” ~Michael J. Altman @MichaelJAltman
- “The obvious answer is that labels abbreviate lengthy theological discussions.” ~Ron Offringa @ronoffringa
There were those uncomfortable with the notion of affiliation:
- “I never understood why. It seems arbitrary.” ~Bo Eberle @BoEberle
- “One shouldn’t because it can keep “our way of thinking” blinders on and prevent us from seeing outside that box.” ~roboPA @roboPA
- “IDK. As I consider denominations & ecclesiology in general I begin to see the imperial influence on how church is done.” ~Paul DeBaufer @Persecuted23
Some had practical responses:
- “As an ordained person, it gives me more protection/options/greater community/accountability/tradition/roots.” ~Jes Kast-Keat @JesKastKeat
- “Easier to answer as a clergy-person – pension and health coverage. And if you’re lucky, helpful colleagues.” ~Doug H @robosnake
- “Denominations help pool the desires and resources of the individual and stretch them beyond what the most powerful may desire.” ~A Williams @KeepSetting
- “The more we work together, the more we can get done. Denominations at their best can structure that work.” ~Ryan Robinson @Ryan_LR
- “Maybe because its nice to believe there’s life outside my own small-mindedness?” ~Mark Wreford @markwreford
And some were personally supportive of affiliation:
- “Provides a common framework for theology and practice. ” ~Chris Jones @ChrisJonesUW
- “As an individual,a denomination can be a brand that makes it easier to find a new church with values similar to yours.” ~Bob @BobsJBlog
- “Because that is how the Church exists in many places today, and we cannot participate in it apart from its instantiations.” ~Bryce Walker @BryceWalker11
- “Faith should never be worked out in isolation. We all need to be guided and led. The NT calls us to submit to Elders.” ~Graham Ware @deo_favente1
- “Because part of identifying our personal relationship with God also means examining our relation towards the unified Church.” ~Aaron Michael Wilson @TheAaronWilson
- “Because it’s not good to be alone. Denominations connect you to more than just yourself & your holy huddle. #NoOneIsAnIsland” ~Jim Kast-Keat @jimkastkeat
For myself, I can answer with snark and skepticism, easily pointing out the flaws in denominational hierarchy. But Matthew Shedden (@sheddenm) articulated so beautifully my yearning to try the denominational project: ”In one sense to participate in a stream or tradition larger than oneself. To place roots in a place to grow as well as fight.”
Similarly, I relate to what Brett Hendrickson (@BBHendrickson) replied, “Because doing what your parents did is culture and ethnicity. Leaving that behind is personally & socially impoverishing.” I’ve already felt the loneliness of leaving the “denominational” norms of my family. It seems that now, more than ever before, I long for a community of similarly-minded people, not to enclose myself with one statement of doctrines in ignorance of all others, but because I seek the cultural community that has been absent for me. I long for the ability to grow roots, partake in shared traditions, and walk this road feeling the support of a community. And perhaps, finding a denomination can help with that.
I will probably always approach denominations with one eye open because I have seen first hand the damaging effects of group-centric worship. And I would never say someone “should” affiliate with a denomination (as my question asked). But for myself, I think I’m ready to find a stream to plant my religious roots, to engage in a tradition imperfect yet beautiful, to “grow as well as fight.” I’m ready to find those “traditions of the faith” as Aaron Armstrong (@voluntaryaaron) answered, “that help to reveal the beauty of mystery of God to and in us.”
What do you think? Is a Denomination helpful for you? Why or Why Not?
Check out all of the responses here: “Why Should One Affiliate With a Denomination?”
