"Oh, we are Non-Denomination" or "We are a Non-Denominational church"
How many times have I heard this? Too many to count. Without being sarcastic though, when I hear this I want to laugh. I want to laugh because the people who join or attend a non-denominational church often do so because they want to avoid the stigma or label of a denomination. In doing so, they join a denomination of sorts by going to a non-denominational church. Non-denomination has become a denomination of its own. Maybe it is made of churches and/or individuals who are disgruntled with the status quo. It appears that the "mainline" (as I have heard) churches just don't cut it. So they opt for a church that does not have an affiliation. But just because it does not have a formal affiliation does not mean that it does not line up with a certain denomination.
In my years as a pastor and ministry in general, I have attended a good many ND (Non-Denominational) churches. In my opinion near 100% of them were a little Baptist in doctrine and a good bit more Charismatic in their worship style.
As I have stated in earlier posts, ND is actually a denomination in itself because there is a strong similiarity to certain churches styles and doctrines. Denominations do define us.
I will comment later on this.
Starting Monday, the 24th, my family and I will be at Beeson Divinity's Pastor's School in Birmingham, AL. I will be posting from there and giving you comments as to how it is going.
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