I recently attended a class at Ambrose in Calgary and during the class on the History of the Christian and Missionary Alliance a comment was mentioned that I feel I need to expound upon. The comment was something to this extent: Denominations are changing. Loyalty to denominations are changing and so their identity must change as well.
These comments were made to sound like the idea of denominations are dying. Of course denominations are not a biblical idea, but I can see how they can model the idea of community. I have never been a denomination guy and have desired for the church to be one as God is one, but since being at Briercrest and joining the Christian and Missionary Alliance, my mind has changed.
At Briercrest I found the value of rich Christian community. Before, I was scared of the idea of a hanging around a bunch of guys all the time. I was always intimidated. Being in Eliason Manor (My dorm) showed me that guys can live in a rich community environment surrounded around Christ.
Denominations may be failing with their current model. Many denominations are shrinking. But, what if denominations reshaped their thinking and models to be more of a Christian community. This could look more like a fraternal union. But now I am starting to sound like AB Simpson. Of course it will look different than the beginnings of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, but have similar values.
Denominations look more like they surround around a central model or business smothered with doctrinal beliefs and practices. The denominational head determines laws, doctrine, programs, etc. Denominations being a community of believers looks different. It is a means of support in Christ. It looks like a place to go for prayer and healing rather than looked at as a boundary and chains within which we are slaves to. It can be modeled as an encouragement and discernment centre for local churches and to ignite passions that start ministries. Getting into the denomination will look less like something to “achieve” and more like something to desire to be apart of. A denomination as a community becomes a movement for Christ rather than business to produce Christians. A denomination as a community ignites passions to spread the Kingdom of God so that people can do nothing but want to be a part of Christ.
Of course community can be developed in many ways and should be locally within each local church and its respective community, but there is something to say about being intimately connected to a larger body. It is impossible to be a part of every body of believers in this world, so denominations can become a community in which you thrive in Christ and other denominations are other Christ communities working for the Kingdom.
If denominations in their current model or paradigm are dying then it may be time for a paradigm shift. Denomination as community for Christ sounds great to me. Thoughts?
For His Kingdom 