Non-denominational Christians often have an inclination to regard the Bible itself as their authority rather than the customs of a different church. As contemporary fellowship has moved away from traditions, many people preferred the Christian teachings of the Bible to the edicts or directives of the authorities of large churches. I'm a little curious to know what “nondenominational theology” looks like. This was a great gathering of Christian music fans from all walks of denominational life. At least, a statement such as “nondenominational theology” points to the organization's desire to accept the promises of Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and any other group that is willing to swipe a credit card.
However, an intelligent marketing pitch during a sales campaign for a church planting ministry goes beyond trying to get another donation. This money goes to the real work of planting a church, a church that will presumably preach the Word, perform the sacraments, and guide its flock in the things of God. These things will be influenced in part by the way this organization trains church leaders. However, this representative was implying, or I suppose you could say speaking bluntly, that their churches would act and minister based on non-denominational theology, so that no denomination would be specifically represented and no denomination would be excluded.
In other words, as we grow and become more faithful to Christ, we must take more and more seriously what He takes seriously. That means making interpretations that put us at odds with other people on certain points. That's not “bad”.In fact, it can be healthy. Many nondenominational churches claim to be theologically neutral and claim that their teachings do not support any major denomination.
But this name is likely to be inappropriate, since regardless of whether or not they use a specific denomination in their title, they continue to operate under a specific set of doctrines that, in most cases, align with a main denomination. In other words, just because they say they are not confessional doesn't necessarily mean that they are. In fact, you'll find many non-denominational churches that align with a specific denomination in terms of their beliefs, doctrines, or practices. The need for nondenominational churches grew out of the desire for church independence and the hope of returning to a certain set of theological values.
However, nondenominational churches are not subject to the same level of structure and process as other churches. While the concept of a nondenominational church is often associated with a more progressive form of Christianity, many nondenominational churches today identify themselves as evangelical and, in fact, they are quite conservative. Therefore, you may learn more or less about how the church uses its money, depending on the candor of church leaders or the need for privacy when it comes to benevolent donations. These North American church groups are part of the World Convention, which includes Stone-Campbell churches in more than 100 countries.
The worst outcome for a nondenominational community is that people, if not entire churches, will implicitly begin to accept the first heresies without knowing that they have done so. Non-denominational churches are often an attractive alternative for members of traditional churches, who disagree with the church's stance on specific issues, and for younger generations, who struggle against the formality of mainstream denominations and their rigidity doctrine and customs. As a 19-year-old non-denominational Christian who has since converted to Catholicism, I have always felt that nondenominalism has failed to provide an intellectually sustainable model for theological thinking. Because nondenominational churches are not part of an church structure or hierarchy, they can avoid some tense denominational conflicts.
Before long, these campaigns merged in the early 19th century and gave rise to Protestant-free churches called Stone-Campbell-Scott churches. Instead of relying on the codified beliefs of a denomination, each nondenominational church will turn to its laity or elders to interpret the Scriptures on behalf of the church, guided by the Holy Spirit. A nondenominational church is a Christian church that is not affiliated with any established denomination or conventional church, such as Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, or Methodist. The notion of a nondenominational church structure dates back to the early 19th century and to what is now known as the Stone-Campbell-Scott Movement, which was part of the Restoration Movement, the Return, or Reestablishment of the New Testament church.
