What is a denomination?
For those that don’t understand the difference between a denominational church and a non-denominational church; The American Heritage Dictionary gives a good definition of what a denomination is: “A large group of religious congregations united under a common faith and name and organized under a single administrative and legal hierarchy.”
What are the benefits of attending a denominational church?
Though churches under any specific denomination can vary greatly in style from one congregation to another, their core beliefs are typically the same. A denominational church is held accountable to a head of the denomination so should they stray from their core beliefs, there will likely be some sort of reprimand. The benefit for a person to attend a specific denomination that they agree with is, should they relocate or want to visit elsewhere, by attending a church under the same denomination, they are less likely to be thrown off by wayward teaching. In addition, the political structure of the church should be pretty much the same and finding recourses from within should be similar as well.
Why are some churches non-denominational?
Some church leaders feel that choosing a denomination may restrict activities they want to do in the church. There are churches too that don’t really fall under any specific denomination, rather they kind of have their own political structure, but may still be very much in line with the word. As well, there are churches that frankly don’t want to be affiliated with a denomination for other reasons. Be careful when attending a non-denominational church to know what they believe. If they have a website, comb it through first and find out where they stand on issues of spiritual and biblical importance.
So what now?
There are many wonderful non-denominational churches out there reaching others in the community and impacting lives for Christ. Unfortunately, there are some mismanaged churches too in both denominational and non-denominational. Please, check out the main website for a specific denomination or church you wish to attend.