What is a Denomination?
If you’re new to Christianity, or if you haven’t delved too deeply into your faith, you may be confused by the sheer variety of names attached to churches. In my neighborhood alone, you can drive around and see St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church, Peace Methodist church, Grace Baptist Church, and a variety of others, all with their own unique classifications and names. It may be confusing to some. After all, didn’t Jesus and the Apostles found “The Church?” If that’s the case, then why are there so many varieties of churches?
The answer to this question is both simple and complex at the same time, depending on how deeply you want to delve into the issues at hand. Some of the differences have to do with history, and many of the differences revolve around theological interpretations. We will start with history. Broadly speaking, we have three major classifications of churches: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant.
Catholic and Orthodox churches are the oldest, with their hierarchies and histories often stretching back to the time of the Apostles. The Catholic and Orthodox churches split in 1054 during what was known as the “Great Schism.” Those churches that held allegiance to the Pope in Rome became what we know as Catholic, and the churches that felt the Pope had overstepped his boundaries became the Orthodox.
Protestant is an umbrella term, referring to thousands of various denominations that either emerged out of the Reformation of the 16th century, or were formed later in history and cannot be classified as Catholic or Orthodox. Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, and Non-Denominational churches all fall beneath the Protestant banner.
These factors make up the reason behind the big three umbrella terms and are largely focused on the history of the church. However, more often than not, differing denominations form out of a disagreement in theology.
Theology is important. You should want to have the correct theology and believe the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles as they intended them. Unfortunately, the church is divided on how best to interpret Scripture and Apostolic tradition. You may be thinking, “Are theological questions really that big a deal? Can’t we form one single church and have different opinions?” It’s a nice thought, but a foolish one. Let’s look at one theological opinion and see how it can cause splinters to emerge in the church.
The first sacrament a Christian receives is that of baptism. We have to ask the question, who should be baptized and how? Baptists come from a tradition that says it is a symbol, an outward sign of an inward faith, and that it is done to adult believers who have accepted Christ. Lutherans say baptism is a means of grace, a sign of the covenant that brings the Holy Spirit and inaugurates you into God’s family, and so it should be done to everyone, regardless of age, as it is effective for all. Baptists argue and say baptism should be done by immersion, as that is the example we have in the Bible and that immersion makes sense with the symbolic nature of death and rebirth. Lutherans say sprinkling or pouring is enough, as the Bible doesn’t say one must be immersed, and we have evidence from early church history showing that pouring water was done commonly for the last 2,000 years.
As you can see, even with this single example, it would be impossible to have one unified church. We couldn’t even agree on how to welcome in new members, let alone govern ourselves. Some more questions arise that separate denominations, such as: How many Sacraments are there? Should women be pastors? Is Jesus present in the Eucharist? Is the Pope the head of the Church? What is the correct way to worship? What holidays should the church have?
All of these differing questions are why we have so many different denominations. People have come to differing conclusions on these issues and have split into different churches over them. In addition to all that, some churches split over matters of governance. Maybe one denomination had a bad president, so some of the churches split off and formed a new group. Some churches of the same denomination wanted to come together, while others didn’t, leading to a split. The reasons behind why we have so many denominations is as varied as the denominations themselves are. If you want to know why your particular church is the way it is, I would recommend looking into its history and seeing how it got to where it is today.
If you have never looked into other denominations other than your own, I highly recommend it. Reading about the beliefs, theology, and practice of other Christian communities is a building and growing experience. Visit other churches, participate in other forms of worship, see how much variety has emerged in the body of believers. If you’ve only ever been to a non-denominational church, visit your local Eastern Orthodox church, it’s a remarkable experience. If you’ve only ever been to a Catholic Mass, visit a Protestant service and see how the worship differs from your own. It is sad we have split into so many denominations, but it is also beautiful to see the sheer variety of forms of worship within the church. While we may disagree on finer theological points, we are all one body, worshipping one Lord, and will be worshipping Him together forever.