The hidden demon of denominationalism

[DENOMINATIONS] We all understand that the existence of our denominations has a history. There were reasons for the divisions that created some. There were failures within church movements which precipitated ‘break aways’. These new movements were maybe necessary in view of the apostacy and failure of existing church structures in their time. We all get it.

[DENOMINATIONS – NOT ENTIRELY GOD’S INTENT] Concurrently, we likely all perceive that denominations were never God’s intent. They were, however, possibly inevitable due to the weakness of our humanity. Movements would become corrupted. Power structures would be established. Breakaways, to follow God’s Word in a truer way would result. In the Bible we see this where early Christians were already becoming divided, some following Paul – while others Apollos.

 

[FROM GOD’S WORD]

Consider this passage from 1 Corinthians 3:2 -9

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

It would be fair to summarise that our human distinctions, divisions and denominations don’t really matter. God doesn’t see them. He instead sees only his people – which is all of us together, and he sees all of those who are not yet his people!

Of particular challenge in this picture, Paul suggested that those who make too much of these distinctions, taking pride in their ‘identity’ as distinct from other genuine Christians, are spiritually immature.

[GIVEN WE HAVE DENOMINATIONS, WHAT IS THEIR PURPOSE?] At the most basic level a denomination brings (i) accountability, (ii) training and (iii) support to its own sprawling network of individual church’s leaders. While this is highly inefficient, there is nothing inherently wrong with bringing accountability, training and support to Christian leaders and the churches they oversee. These things are in fact good! If this is their purpose, there is nothing inherently wrong with a denomination.

[DEFINING DENOMINATION VS DENOMINATIONALISM] To bring a vocabulary to the conversation – there is therefore nothing wrong with denomination; the problem is with denominationalism. The ‘ism’ is the issue. Denominationalism is where person’s allegiance is more to their own denomination than to the wider Church of which they are a part in their city or town. It is about misalignment priorities, and a deficient vision results.

This is of particular relevance to one specific  area of Church life and calling. While denominations can bring (i) accountability, (ii) training and (iii) support, they can never lead in (iv) mission. This is because mission, by its very definition, is geographically identified.  It isn’t the the prerogative of the Presbyterian churches of Tauranga to reach Tauranga for Jesus. Instead this is prerogative of all the churches together in Tauranga. Mission is geographically defined. The Church – with a capital C – is also geographically defined – and a functionally united Church is needed for its wider mission in every geography of the planet!

Unfortunately there is much of denominationalism – with church leaders giving a greater allegiance to their own organisations and brands than to the unity and mission of God’s Church where they are placed.

There is a balance here to be rediscovered.

[HOW UNITY BECOMES FUNCTIONAL / USEFUL] To further our vocabulary, local churches in a place therefore unite to achieve together what they could not achieve apart. This is the purpose of pursuing wider reaching connectedness. Regarding boundaries, there is therefore much churches can achieve apart – and doing most things apart is good. Independence isn’t wrong. However, teamwork is sometimes needed. The importance of church unity rests in the fact that there are things that we cannot achieve apart – and (for a different category) also things we will not achieve unless united.

This is where we come to consideration of what might be the ‘hidden demon of denominationalism’ – which is our topic.

[THE HIDDEN DEMON OF DENOMINATIONALISM] If the demon of denominationalism is allegiance to human structures more than to God’s Church where we live, the hidden demon is an extension of that – and rarely discussed. Beyond pride and the self-seeking attitude, the hidden demon of it all is small mindedness!

This great weakness and result is almost never discussed within denominations – or yet even within unity gatherings. Small-mindedness results from giving allegiance to a denomination in our thinking, undermining our ability to perceive who we are as the Church, what we are called to, or what we are capable of.

This has huge detrimental implications for God’s Church and its mission.

 

A story to illustrate 

For a story – which was shared more eloquently in chapter 14 of ‘In One Spirit’ (a book I wrote about Church unity in pursuit of establishing potential common vocabulary so as to enable a wider conversation, free online at https://alltogether.co.nz/ebooks), I’ve worked in outreach ministry for all but 9 of the 30+ years I’ve been in full-time Christian service. I’ve only taken a full salary for 9 of these years – which were the years spent as a pastor. For the first 7 years of ministry I earned less even than the unemployment benefit – while there were 16 full time equivalent salaries across the local churches in a rural town I served. Our outreach work, representing the churches to the community, grew to have connection to the Council and Mayor, some Iwi, social workers, all school Principals (only 8 schools), access to all schools, and relationship with many teachers – primary, intermediate and high school – and of course connection of some kind to all the local churches and youth groups. It was during this time that I began to sense something was wrong with the systems I ministered within. I began to suspect that many of the church leaders couldn’t actually ‘see’ the community. The reach of their outreach was very limited and they didn’t seem overly bothered. Their community ministries didn’t actually reach very far into the community – but the issue was that it was as if they didn’t perceive it. This was reflected maybe in the lack of priority given to or vision that existed for wider mission, or for relationships which could open wider doors. It was as if there was no burning vision for the mission Jesus had given them, compelling a wider vision or effort. They really were ‘local church pastors’.

The consequence was that there seemed to be a limited perception of our systemic (repeating) failures as God’s Church in that community. We were failing to reach out to the majority of the populace by any means at all. There was no vision or sight of this ‘lost multitude’ in front of us sufficient to move us from our slumber – maybe then realising we might need to review the situation we were in, that we might then consider the mission Jesus had given us.

We would also make what I could consider cataclysmic strategic errors. Consider a church community ministry that sees a secular parallel – doing the same work. It generously partners with the secular work – then surrendering its own identity, and with it the Christian origins and DNA of the work. This good work is now owned ‘equally’ across the community – but not really equally, because there is now no Christian ‘charter’ to it, no visible presence of God’s people, no awareness that the generosity comes significantly from people in churches, and no platform or opportunity for a Christian to ever speak. The care continued, but the opportunity for the Church was gone. Selflessly closing a ministry lacked foresight – because Christian ministry isn’t just about acts of love, it is also about the message of love, and these two things always need to go together. (To do otherwise would be unloving!)

‘Local church pastors’ therefore served individual churches connected to denominations. Each recognised they were there to ‘reach the lost’. However in their actions, they weren’t living that out – as if they believed the wider mission God had called us all to was actually possible. They (and we, all together) were victims of a system.

The hidden demon of denominationalism is this: The small-mindedness that results from the denominational way of thinking.

Even a big church can still be small minded – doing bigger things than most others – while this is nothing in contrast to what God’s Church could achieve, if united in service to its mission! 

I recall a council meeting around a social problem. I asked if anyone present had maybe talked to a pastor about the matter. None knew the name of a pastor. I became aware of the extent of the disconnect.

Then they thought about outreach – but it wasn’t about the community hearing of Jesus. It was about reaching some people through just their own church’s programmes, who they might also hope would come to their own church afterward if they responded also. Both the vehicle and goal of their work related to their own church – instead of relating to the public, and to God’s people.  

As a result, there was almost no vision for outreach to the community as a whole.

There was no taking of responsibility for the mission Jesus gave his people in and to the community. The lens of ‘denomination’ and ‘church’ (congregation) obscured any possibility of considering how we might best serve the mission given us as God’s Church (united).

We had become trapped in our small mindedness!

The vast majority in the community were essentially damned and would stay so – because we had no vision or will to lift a finger to change that. Even if ideas were suggested that could remedy the situation, we wouldn’t support them, because we couldn’t perceive them. Our thinking excluded this possibility.

Toward an application

>> The point made here is profoundly important. <<

There is today, across God’s Church, a limited ability to perceive the merits or possibility of a range of ideas that are otherwise before us.  

A simple solution to an identifiable problem facing the Church as a whole could be shared – and our eyes might glaze over. We can’t really ‘see’ what is being suggested because our frame of reference is still in the  ‘ism’ of denominationalism.

Our own work and advocacy is for gospel efforts to be initiated or undertaken to get the gospel to every person who doesn’t know Christ – again and again. I have heard comments like the following, dozens, if not hundreds of times in our work.

• ‘That’s not my responsibility.’
• ‘That’s not how we work.’
• ‘We have our own things.’
• ‘We do our own things.’
• ‘It’s not what we are there for.’
• ‘This effort isn’t needed here.’
• ‘I’m already doing my bit.’
• ‘We’re too busy.’

Sometimes these reasons are valid. It is never ours to judge.

But are they always valid?

 

I cannot escape the possibility that our hearts and rationality might have become constrained by this small mindedness. We look and think through the lens of one church and one denomination, rather than as God’s people call, empowered and able to reach the city.

Simple things then become complicated.

The scope of resources we think with becomes small – in contrast to the reality.

Our thinking patterns ‘crimp’ our vision. We cease to dream of  wider possibilities. They are too far beyond us.

When someone proposes a Kingdom dream larger than the resources that sit within our limited lens, we glaze over.

It is a costly deception.

[ABOUT CHURCH MEMBERS]  These limited ways of seeing and thinking are not only among church leaders. This same ‘demon of denominationalism’ causes some church members to want their own safe little church. They want their pastor serving their pastoral needs – not going out into the city to build relationships, opening God-intended doors. They complain if they aren’t visited by the pastor. The pastor is therefore shackled to his or her church. ‘All those other things aren’t our responsibility as a church. Your job is to be diligent within these four wall, serving us!’

As a result, when a solution is proposed to a challenge our churches face in society, sometimes few can perceive its possibility.

There is little to no actual excitement. I’ve experienced this many times.

There is nothing compelling within us sufficient to cause to see – to arise – to perceive – to rejoice.

The scope of our faith is constrained.

The scope of our actions is constrained.

Being neither seeing nor perceiving (even while believing we are seeing and perceiving), we don’t therefore expect. We don’t attempt. We don’t support others who might attempt. The plausibility of the wider mission we are called to as God’s Church in our cities, towns and nation is undermined by the way we think.

So, what is the solution?

Firstly, we must talk about this. This is the true path. I suggest this might be the only path.

Certainly the Holy Spirit can help us in this. However, I’ve seen a few things in our work over the years. Mindsets are hard to break. The most godly of leaders can have blindspots – and these gaps in thinking and practice can endure across decades. Mindsets can be deeply rooted.

Change isn’t going to come about by accident – or even necessarily by a divine hand.

Process is needed. Truth and revelation are needed. Faith and works go together. Believing prayer – acts.

The demon of denominationalism is a demon of darkness, like all others. If we bring these things to the light by discussing them, the darkness will be expelled!

If we talk about this, our thinking will change, and our vision and believing will then change. Small mindedness – which struggles to ‘see’ the city or the possibilities before us as God’s Church, will then be replaced with a new capacity for dreams and hopes based on the resources of God, and his whole Church, which is our Church.

We will also begin to see our church members differently – perceiving more of what they are capable of in service to God in the city, and nation. Some of our leadership practices might then change. The DNA within our leadership will certainly change – because our own faith and vision will have been increased. We will speak differently and carry ourselves differently because we no longer serve a local church or denomination; we serve all of God’s Church in its mission to our city and nation.

The resources I understand myself to have are not therefore constrained to just ‘my church’ with its 200 (or however many) members; I instead see the 20,000+ of us in the churches of Tauranga – with an enormous capacity together – therefore capable of changing a few things if a (i) simple and (ii) sensible vision could be proposed!

Because we now see a greater need, and believe more is possible, we attempt greater things.

We cast greater vision.

We release people to attempt greater things where we previously couldn’t see their potential.

As they then take initiative. God’s people then become more united in their various spheres of involvement, interest and influence. They also then begin to do this beyond our suggestion, oversight and control. (They take Kingdom initiative.)

In all this, what we are doing is unlocking the resources of the body of Christ.

As a process, our ‘unity’ is shifting from something church leaders do, to a manner of thinking and behaviour our church members engage in.

The entire body of Christ is at all of our disposal as a potential team – to partner with – with more resources than any one church, pastor or person could dream of – …if a truly (i) simple and (ii) sensible vision can be proposed!

Our members therefore begin a new practice:  They being to instinctively unite with others in their own arenas of involvement and influence, to pray together about what they might do. God then inspires them – and they then attempt things that we would never have imagined!

In summary

As we are changed the city is changed. This is what I believe God wants to do in his Church in these ‘last days’.

To be clear, our denominations are fine if we understand their place.

However, they cannot lead us in the greatest areas of our vision and work – because that is about mission. For that, we need the to understand that our team is the entire scope of the body of Christ that we live amongst – because God’s actual Church is a Church without walls!