Jesus said, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one” (John 17:20-21. NIV). As the head of the church, Jesus wanted all Christians to unify in their belief that He died for their sins. Nevertheless, people have always had various interpretations of the Bible and needed different ways to worship which led to the formation of denominations. Forming denominations has allowed like-minded people to gather together to worship God. Also, churches have benefited from belonging to an association because it gives them added support and programs. In fact, having different denominations gives people a choice of churches and provides organization; however, it keeps God’s church from uniting as one.
First, having numerous denominations gives people choices. Because of the diversity, people can always find a church that fits their beliefs. For example, my family believes that communion is symbolic and a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice for us while the Catholic Church believes that the elements actually become Jesus’s body and blood. My family enjoys joining together with like-minded Christians to commune and worship on Sundays. In addition, church denominations have various opinions on baptism. Some denominations sprinkle and others immerse providing a
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Whenever problems arise in a particular church, its denomination can help find the solution. For instance, because some churches are not part of a denomination, they have no help from an association on hiring a new minister. Meanwhile, some denominations such as the Methodist rotate their preachers through their churches. Also, churches of a denomination have similar Sunday services. A member of a certain denomination can visit other churches of the same denomination and expect to be familiar with the practices and doctrine. Undeniably, denominations standardize and assist their
Parishioners often ask me if there is really any difference between United Methodist and the Baptists down the road. The answer, “quite a lot,” generally surprises them. When they ask me to explain, I often point them in the direction of our polity and the theology it reflects.
“The size of individual congregations varies. Catholic congregations, on average, have 2,400 members; Jewish congregations, 1,500; Baptist congregations, 580; Methodist congregations, 300; and fundamentalist Christian congregations, 180. About 50,000 congregations have 1,000 or more members, including about 25,000 Catholic congregations. Congregations are usually limited in size because of the practical necessity of meeting for religious services. Geographical proximity and the physical size of a church building are limiting factors, as is the desire of members to be personally known to clergy. Many congregations can co-exist in the same geographical area because of the diversity of religious beliefs in most US communities.” (Hoover’s 2008)
The church has more than one definition. The local church, which is a body of believers that have a specific place that they gather to worship and study the Word of God. The other definition is the Body of Christ, which includes every person that has accepted Christ as personal Lord and Savior. Both of these “organisms” preach and nurture Christians, which is missions.” God birthed the church, and when the church puts God at the center of the church, the focus of the church will change from being a church centered mission to a mission centered church and God will begin to use the church as His instrument for missions. Jesus after He was raised from the dead told all of His followers to proclaim that salvation was complete through His death burial and resurrection and it was/is free to those who will receive it. (Luke 24:44-48) The church has been divinely appointed by God to get the Gospel out into the world. The work of the church and God’s message of salvation will be for nothing if the church is not obedient and follow through with the instructions that God has tasked it with. (Acts 10:36) When the church is in line with God’s intention and is Spirit led, God the Father will be preparing hearts, Christ the Son will invite “whosoever will” and the Holy Spirit will convict and draw sinners to respond. (Rev.
Originally, the Baptist had the same beliefs as the Protestant church had, with the exception of baptism. For Baptists, only true believers could be baptized. Furthermore, when baptized, Baptists are completely immersed in water, rather than following the Protestant method of having a few drops of water sprinkled on the forehead. Baptists do not acknowledge man-made authority within the church and therefore do not select humans as leaders of the church. The Presbyterian Church was developed with the influence of John Calvin. He believed that the church was led only by Jesus, and all of its members we equal under the authority of Christ. Anglicans have a devout admiration for Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ. The communities of the Anglican include a spiritual life of prayer and worship. They also emphasize a life of giving of oneself. For example, Anglicans traveled with Florence Nightengale on her trip to Crimea and worked as nurses (www.encyclopedia.com). The Methodist church developed with the help of John Wesley was was an evangelist. The message of the church is to create the life of God within men. The Lutheran church originated from the philosophical views of Martin Luther. The Lutherans are considered one of the three major branches ...
It is apparent that the issues are similar at Willow Creek and New Hope, as both have experienced great growth. They are addressing these issues by adding additional services and by assignment of small groups or small ministries to meet their congregation's needs. They have been successful in addressing the issue based on each church's individual needs. Willow Creek has added services to accommodate the service seekers or the un-churched. New Hope attempts to match congregation member's needs through joining auxiliaries or other ministries of the church.
All of us have encountered someone in our lifetime – a family member, a co-worker, a neighbor, or an acquaintance – who asked us WHY? Why do we pour all of our talents, all of our gifts, and all of our service into church?
This is because as a community, they are able to express their beliefs as well as listen to the words of the Lord. As Jesus said at his last meal with his disciples before his execution, “Do this in memory of me”. This quote is reflected in the Mass in the stage of ‘being fed’ when an adherent receives both the body and blood of Christ, called Transubstantiation. In this way, Christian adherents are able to unite in a diverse environment following the ways that our Lord has taught us.
The AME Zion Church uses the three modes of baptism but the most commonly used is that of pouring or sprinkling. In the great commission Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit ( Matt. 28:19 NIV
Some religions still practice infant baptism, which will continue to be addressed later in this essay, but most views hold to the idea of just older children and adult baptism, after said individual has made a conscious decision to believe in God. Different churches do, however, have different means of baptism. Although most use a baptismal pit located in the church, some churches, such as mine back home, will use a place such as a lake. I, personally, do not think that it is necessarily about the location of where a person is baptized, but rather the decision in their heart that they have
In order to become a Minister in the Baptist church you must go through meetings with the Pastor.
By being baptized as an adult they are publicly showing that they love God, have repented for their sins and understand what being a Christian means. They are allowing grace. of God to enter their lives which means that they are prepared to give. up everything and put religion and God first.
The ideal of unity seems to be of great importance in the religious world, but rarely is it ever achieved among professed Christians. However, it is vitally important to comprehend unity in its Biblical light. Jesus prayed in John 17:21, “That they all may be one, as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” By definition, unity is the state of being one. In order to have a unified church every member must be one one with the Father and the Son. Subsequently, to achieve such an oneness, each member must be perfectly holy, because God is holy. Unfortunately, this is where a clear contrast is made between the saints and mere religious professors.
As a young child, I spent Sundays in the pews of various churches. My extended family had a wide variety of different denominations of Christianity. Some churches had loud music with singing and dancing, others lots of sitting and standing. But the
Baptism as a rite of initiation welcomes the individual into the Christian tradition and links the individual, community and divine. However, not all Christians identify with the physical nature of the rite. Quakers believe that the whole of life is sacramental. To be a member of Christ 's body involves no outward rite, it requires instead an inward transformation of one 's whole life. While other denominations have differences involving the rituals used and the age of the initiate.
... the same or else the church could not claim itself to be the body of Christ. And as the body of Christ, the church should be an inclusive community of Christian faith, or else it again is in conflict with the mission of Jesus Christ.