The Reverse Flow of Missions – Denominationalism

Yesterday I began a series of posts in response to Jaeson Ma’s article The Reverse Flow of Missions, which you can read in the current issue of Relevant Magazine (pg. 60). In his article, Ma keeps it pretty short by simply stating there isn’t much of a denominational presence amongst the churches in East Asia, which of course is a direct contrast to Western churches. He states,

Most churches are no more than 15-30 people, but you might see a house church network with a million members who see themselves as truly one.

Carlos Whittaker wrote a blog post last year titled You’re Growing? Well, She’s Dying in which he used a very powerful quote from Perry Noble:

Perry Noble said something at Unleash in reference to denominations shrinking. Something akin to if it were their money that was shrinking, there would be a strategy in place to fix it yesterday.
That is some truth spittin’ double slap right there.

I couldn’t have said it better. Are there churches in America that are experiencing unprecedented growth? Sure – I’ve referenced many on this blog in the past. And, coincidentally (or maybe not), those churches are non-denominational. But the fact is, megachurches are the exception – not the norm. According to The Barna Group the average church congregation in the United States is 75 people. My intention here is not to argue what the perfect church size is, because that is subjective. Smaller churches can do things larger ones can’t and vice/versa. But a question I’ve had for awhile is, has the purpose of denominations ended?

I GET the purpose of denominations – connection. If you’re a pastor and want to talk with another pastor who has similar beliefs, you go to the nearest pastor of the same denomination. If you’ve just moved to a new area, instead of visiting church after church, just find the nearest denominational church you’ve been associated with. But what makes denominations unique in the twenty-first century? Churches are no longer relying on denominational publishers to provide them with music. Leaders aren’t coming exclusively from denominationally based colleges and seminaries. It’s not unusual to hear a “Pentecostal” song in a Baptist worship service. It’s not uncommon to see someone who graduated from a Methodist seminary serving in a Assembly of God church. On top of that, what happens when the denomination you’ve clung to your whole life begins doing things you have been taught for years are against scripture? The Episcopalian church is one example; by ordaining gay and lesbian bishops, regardless of what your beliefs are concerning homosexuality, you have to admit that decision by the denomination put many life-long followers out in the cold by forcing them to either accept something they had, up until recently, been taught differently on, or find a new church. So the name on the sign is no longer indicative of the style, or even the teachings, of a particular church.

I believe Mark Driscoll sums it up best in the video below.

As far as networks go, Mars Hill started the Acts 29 Network, which exists to start churches that will plant other churches. No denominational lines, no particular methodology to adhere to – as long as your theology is Biblical and you desire to be a church that starts other churches then you’re welcome to apply for your church to be part of the Acts 29 Network. North Point has a program called Strategic Partnership where they send people out to start churches all across the world and provide those churches with resources and curriculums. There’s also the Association of Related Churches (ARC) which is similar to Acts 29 in that they are cross-denominational and exist to start churches that will start other churches. And you don’t have to be in Acts 29 or ARC or have a Strategic Partnership with North Point to benefit from them. All three organizations offer their resources, hold conferences and more – some even for free.

So, while the majority of American churches are still clinging to the same model that’s been used for the past few hundred years, there are highly influential churches out there that are evolving and trying to push others along as well.