There is a future for denominationalism but Christians should not assume that denominations are necessary for the mission of God, says Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research in the US and member of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Speaking at a conference at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee on Tuesday, he said it would be a mistake to assume “denominations are necessary or even an integral part of the mission of God".
"This is not to say that they are not, but, lacking a clear biblical commandment, we cannot assume that they should be," he said.
Speaking ahead of his talk, he said a lot of people were asking questions about the viability and the efficacy of denominations.
"People have been swinging away at denominations like a low-hanging piñata on Cinco de Mayo."
The criticisms and questions are probably appropriate, Stetzer acknowledged. In fact, there are some who are too inwardly focused and consumed with the "denominational machine" which can distract them from the mission for the church.
But denominations are inevitable, he said.
"Like-minded people will always find ways to associate with one another," he pointed out. "The positive side – missional cooperation."
"Denominations have been networking and partnering for decades, even centuries ... for the sake of the Gospel. Denominations tend to be the tools used by local churches to get the global work done."
He added, "Independent churches can learn much about kingdom-minded cooperation from the denominations that they frequently criticise."
But denominationalism is unavoidable in the negative sense as well, he lamented. "Sometimes denominationalism leads to a perpetuation of a tribal, insular identity."
A second reason Stetzer sees a future for denominations is the hunger he's finding among younger evangelicals. They are looking for "a sense of rootedness in a fragmented society", he said.
"In a rapidly morphing age, the sense of historical solidarity and theological and ecclesial stability offered by a denominational heritage are a great value," he said.
