I was asked to write a post about "getting along with your denomination", and this is what came out. I'm presenting it in three parts, because it's too long for one post. This is part one.
I've often joked that the only reason I'm a part of a denomination is because God pulled an evil joke on me.
Most of my ministry experience was in the context of non-denominational churches. Most of my spiritual growth, development as a pastor and a leader, and maturity into adulthood happened at non-denominational churches. Yet in 2010, God saw fit to bring me into the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) denomination and help plant a church.
I lead with that intro only to make my perspective clear: I am somewhat of a denominational outsider. I'd like to say that, before coming to Restore, I was functionally indifferent towards the idea of denominations. That's probably not true.
Joining a denomination from the outside meant that I brought along with me some preconceived ideas of what it meant to be a part of a denomination, and most of those ideas were negative. Even though I had grown up in a CRCNA church and spent some time ministering in a PCA church immediately after college, I never imagined that it would be part of my long-term ministry. And inasmuch as those experiences certainly shaped my perspective and those ideas I had about denominationalism, the reality was that at root of my negative perceptions was a pride issue: in the end, I thought I knew how to do church better than they did. My church didn't need a denomination to be healthy.
Since then, God has done some work on my heart. Thankfully the Gospel message is more than a once-and-you're-done affair; It's also a daily reminder that despite my best efforts, I need Jesus today more than yesterday (and tomorrow more than today).
I'm still not in love with denominationalism (if God wants that, he has a lot more work to do!) but I have come to see the value of working with a denomination and the depth of faith and accountability and goodness that it offers. It has provided a sense of community and connectedness that I didn't experience in the same way being in the non-denominational context; it's also provided a lot more frustration! Yet, the good has outweighed the bad, and it's in that spirit that I share what I've learned.
Connected to the Cloud
Being connected to the cloud means something different in the 21st century than it did for the writer of Hebrews. There is something powerful about our connectedness to the "great cloud of witnesses" who have come before us, defending and living out the same Christian faith we profess in cultures and centuries very different from ours.
To be fair, all Christians are connected to the same cloud, regardless of denominational affiliation. But there is something about a denominational connection that ties you in to a very specific historical stream of the Christian faith.
Denominational history gives us a historical framework for understanding how, exactly, the Gospel was passed down, and furthermore, it moves the needle from the generic "we" to the much more personal "me". In other words, this is how the Gospel was handed down to me from a particular cloud of witnesses.
I'm reminded when I read the Belgic Confession that it's author, Guido De Bres, was willing to undergo intense persecution and ultimately martyrdom to fight for the truth and clarity of the Gospel. The Reformed church was being persecuted by the Roman Catholic State/Church system; the Reformed church desired to articulate that what they believed was nothing more than historical, biblical Christianity. The Confession was put together with that end in mind, and it gave a solidarity to the reformed church in the face of their ongoing suffering.
Being a part of a denomination with it's historical roots reminds me that I have a close and special connection to Guido De Bres. In the historical scope of Christianity, De Bres and I stand together. We are not just believers in common, we are reformed believers in common, standing in the same stream together.
The different catechisms and confessions that every denomination holds each tell a story about our forebears and what they had to endure to make sure that the Scripture and the Gospel were handed down from generation to generation with clarity. I am reminded that I stand in line with those faithful saints, handing down the same Gospel to a new flock in a new era, so that it can be preserved with clarity for our children's children, and beyond.
Stay tuned. Part two to come tomorrow.