Menu
Menu
Menu
As the world evolves in the beauty of its diversity, so has the body of Christ taken a shift in the mode of its operation in order to meet up with societal needs and set principles that are built on the word of God using the bible as its standard. One of this shift is the emergence of the non-denominational church, a belief system distinct from the conventional belief system of setting up a Christian church.
This article therefore, explores the meaning of non denominational church, its origin, doctrines and how it contributes to the growth of the modern day Christian, as well as pointing out religious organizations that are practical example of what a non-denominational church is, within Houston Texas.
A non-denominational church is an off-shoot of conventional denominations such as the Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist and Lutheran churches. It’s a unit of Christian church that has no strings with the denominational churches whose doctrines are quite dogmatic in nature.
This Christian church is overseen by individual pastors, elders or communities who see the need to breakout from the traditional denomination as a result of their rigid nature and doctrinal principles that are mostly considered not to have biblical backings. By setting up some modus operandi that will provide a more conducive atmosphere for worship, people of the society are given the opportunity to know God for themselves through teachings and practices that reflects who Jesus is, using the bible as a standard.
Basically, in a non-denominational church, there are no set rules or principles as members of the church have a direct impact in the decision making process of the church unlike conventional denominations where this process is delegated to only but a selected few. A non-denominational church is flexible in nature and can easily adapt to societal conditions as long as it does not drift away from biblical principles most importantly the teachings of Christ. Also, people in a non-denominational church are not restricted to a particular method of worship.
How It All Began: in the 18th century the need to reform the church in the United States of America began to arise through a Christian movement formally known as the Restoration Movement. This movement was forged out of the desire to unite the body of Christ on the basis of the patterns visible in the New Testament. It is a belief that propagates that Jesus Christ is the son of God and for one’s salvation to be complete, an adult must observe baptism by immersion.
In the second half of the 19th century, non-denominational churches began to grow and gain widespread particularly in the United States of America, one of such churches was the Churches of Christ. While in other regions like in Asia the non-denominational churches started gaining momentum in the 1990s.
The non-denominational churches gaining widespread within Houston are Lakewood church, Grace community Church, Omega Fire Ministries, New Hope Church among so many others.
A non-denominational Christian is one who is distinct from the conventional Christian. A believer who has been severed from the traditional way of being a Christian through the transformation of the mind reflecting in character, personal relationship with God and interaction with other believers including those outside the body of Christ. In a nutshell, a non-denominational Christian is a modern day Christian, one who is not religious in nature, who no longer see doctrinal practices as the only model that can contribute to their spiritual growth.
Pros: as mentioned at the beginning of this article, the world is evolving in its diversity and as this evolution takes place, the non-denominational church can easily adapt in whichever society there tend to be a church planting. The values and believes of such geographical setting is not jeopardized as the church tries to create an atmosphere conducive and comfortable enough for people to worship.
Cons: one of the major challenges faced by the non-denominational church is its inability to thrive financially unlike the denominational churches that are known for its wider audience.
Secondly, in a situation where there is a misunderstanding in the body, there is likely to be a faction of groups. This is because of its autonomous nature and inability to respond to a higher authority, making it more tedious to settle disputes.
Other than the conventional way of going to church on selected days of worship, the non-denominational church creates an avenue to interact with people especially those with special needs and concerns by creating room for counselling days. Grooming the younger generation by setting up youth meetings, creating social media platforms to meet with variety of people, organizing house fellowships in line with every other church organized event.
The non-denominational church activities are intertwined in such a way that everyone is carried along. There’s this general sense of feeling that it’s not just about the convener but a family business and one thing that strengthens this bond is the love of Christ shed abroad in everyone’s heart.
Are you looking for a non-denominational church near you? Try worshipping at Omega Fire Ministries Houston and someone if not everyone will be ready to welcome you into a new family of Christ. Omega Fire Ministries Houston is a family church and cuts across every cultural barrier. Regardless of your race, background or age you will definitely feel at home in Omega Fire Ministries Houston.
Omega Fire Ministries Houston is not distant from you, contact for services times and to enquire more about the church.