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Edward Fudge Ministries

Joyously drawing water from the springs of salvation Isaiah 12:2-3

You are here: Home / GracEmail / one true church / Christian denominations / IS ‘CHURCH OF CHRIST’ A DENOMINATION?

IS ‘CHURCH OF CHRIST’ A DENOMINATION?

A correspondent asks, “What is a denomination?” and “Is the church of Christ one?”

* * *

It all depends on what you mean by “church of Christ.” Are you talking about the world-wide body of all Christ’s people — or a local congregation somewhere — or something smaller than the first but larger than the second?

The body of Christ. The universal “church of Christ” or “church of God” is equal in scope to the “body of Christ,” and it includes every person who knows Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Its exact constituency is known fully to God alone, and it likely includes people in all Christian denominations and nondenominations, as well as some individuals who for unusual reasons serve God in isolation. This church of Christ is not a denomination — it is bigger than any denomination or all denominations put together. It exists in spite of denominations, not because of them. Sadly, one may be a member or even a leader in a denomination and not belong to this “church of Christ” at all.

Independent local assembly. It is also possible for a local assembly of Christians to call itself a “church of Christ” without being either denominational or sectarian — given the right attitude about themselves and others. If these folks confess that they are not the only Christians, then they are nonsectarian. If they do not think of themselves as part of any definable group which is larger than one local church but smaller than the worldwide body of Christ, they are truly undenominational.

Something in between. Any group of Christians larger than a local assembly but smaller than the universal body of Christ, which takes a name that sets it apart from other Christians who are not part of it, is a “denomination” by my definition. This definition, it seems to me, usually fits the “Church of Christ” which descended from the Stone-Campbell restoration movement. Spelling the name with capital or small-case letters does not change the character. The determining factor is how a group views itself in relation to God and to other Christians outside that group.

Filed Under: Christian denominations, Churches of Christ, GracEmail, one true church

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