Why Are There So Many Different Churches?

Pastor Jim French

St. Luke's Cambridge

pastor.jim.137@gmail.com

One of the most frequent objections to the Christian faith is the seeming lack of unity. Why are there so many different “flavors” of Christianity? Why can't Christians who preach peace and love seem to get along?

These are all very valid questions, and admittedly the history of the Christian Church is a tarnished one. People professing to represent Jesus Christ have committed some unspeakable acts. Historically the Church has rarely (if ever) met the standards Jesus expects of his Church and unfortunately today's Church is no different.

Christians in all walks of life have a responsibility to be an example to the world. Jesus says that we are to be the light of the world and we are to represent him to a broken and hurting humanity. Jesus was/is perfect and without sin, but the same cannot be said of his Church. His Church is made up of imperfect people who make mistakes (who sin) and fall short of his standard. Because Christians are imperfect humans we sin and sometimes do the very things Jesus has told us not to!

There have been many (too many) church splits in the past 5 centuries. But the wonderful thing I see is that God is bringing his people together – uniting them as one people (John 17:21) as we put aside the less important issues that have divided us for centuries. Although we may disagree on our preferred worship or music styles and other minor issues, most importantly we are united under the headship of Jesus Christ. There is much more that unites us than divides us because we agree on the basic tenets of faith: The Trinity; The Inerrant Word of God (The Bible); The virgin birth of Jesus Christ; his sinless life; his sacrificial death on the cross for our redemption; his resurrection from the dead; and Jesus as the only means of salvation. These truths are the truths that bind us together as Christians.

The Church is filled with sinners who know they need a Savior. We are not perfect, just forgiven. For those of you who have at some time in your life been hurt by the Church I ask your forgiveness. We are flawed people who sin and make mistakes. Please do not blame or turn away from Jesus because of the imperfections of his people. If you want to see the perfect Christian life don't look to me or any other Christian – look only to Jesus Christ. He is the only one who ever lived the perfect Christian life.

Pastor Dick Brookes

Coila Church: Cambridge, New York

dickbrookesusmc@gmail.com

We live in a world of multiple choices. Think about food: Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Indian… Or how about

music: classical, country, jazz, rap…Or a favorite football team: Jets, Giants, Patriots, Broncos… Living in a free society allows us to pick what we like and not deal with what we don’t like. And all of us have our preferences. It stands to reason that the same would apply to churches.

For most people the questions usually asked are:

1. What’s the pastor like? Is he/she interesting to listen to? How long are the sermons?
2. What’s the music like? Is it contemporary or traditional? Is it too loud? Is it any good?
3. What are the people like? Are they friendly/accepting/judgmental?
4. What do they have for children and teens?
5. And perhaps most important – what do they believe? In particular what do they believe about _________ (you fill in the blank).

If you study the history of any or any denomination, you will find the reasons why it was founded. In the protestant tradition, churches/denominations were often founded because there was a need for “spiritual renewal.” In other cases, people found a particular issue – like Baptism, or the “right” form of church government – that became an issue. In many of these instances the question revolved around a particular interpretation of the Bible – or particular passages in the Bible.

In my 40 plus years of ministry I have watched churches “split” over issues of doctrine, practice, or particular issues; and in many instances a pastor has left one church and taken with him a group of people to form another “better” church.

For those who observe all of this, the question is often raised, “Why can’t these Christians get along with each other? I thought they were supposed to love each other and be united in what they believe?”

I believe there are some legitimate reasons for a “new” or “different” church to be started.

1. There are times when a specific doctrinal understanding in the Bible becomes so important to a group of Christians, that they cannot remain in a church that does not affirm that doctrine. An example might be the issue of Baptism. Should people be sprinkled or immersed? Should infants be baptized or dedicated?

2. There are matters of practice. This usually has to do with the interpretation and application of Biblical truth. For example: should a divorced person serve in a position of church leadership? Can women be ordained to ministry as a senior pastor?

3. There are matters of ministry. Should a church be built for believers or to attract non-believers? Does preaching Biblical Doctrine build a church or does a more “seeker-sensitive” approach reach more people? Should a church grow by planting churches, or should it simply keep getting physically larger so that it can become a “full-service church?”

Then there are some illegitimate reasons for starting new churches.

1. The Personality Trap

When a pastor becomes popular, he often gains a following who believe he can do no wrong. If he gets too much opposition in one setting, he can take the “faithful” with him and start another church. This is never healthy!

2. The Angry Response

I know of churches that started because a conflict got so heated that one side decided to leave and start a “new work.” Rather than seek to reconcile, or even part ways after trying to resolve the conflict, this type of situation is motivated by anger, resentment, and often outright hatred.

3. Immaturity

Similar to number one above, there are young, charismatic pastors who have a great popular appeal, but have neither the knowledge nor the experience to justify the large following they have. When this type of pastor starts a church, it is usually very superficial and will in time develop monumental internal problems.

Jesus said, “I will build my church…” and one of the marvels of that promise is that He chose to use fallible human beings to do so. In the final analysis, local churches come and go – you can’t go back to the Mediterranean Basin and find any of the churches Paul planted; but you can go virtually anywhere in the world and find God’s people meeting together as “the church.” Sometimes it is in large mega-churches and sometimes it is in secret cells or small groups, but God continues to use US to do His work in His church.

As the saying goes, “If you are looking for the perfect church and find it – don’t join it – you might ruin it!!” The fact is, there are no perfect churches and since there ARE a lot of them; find the one that best suits you and become a part of it – who knows; perhaps you’ll make it better!!

All of us struggle at one time or another with the questions of life. Who am I? Why am I here? Where is God when it hurts? In the monthly series “Pastor's Forum” your local Cambridge pastors answer some of life's most challenging questions from a Christian perspective. You can read earlier Pastor's Forum articles at http://pastorsforumcambridge.blogspot.com/.