Not “Nones” But “Nons”: The Non-denominational Movement

Not “Nones” But “Nons”: The Non-denominational Movement July 28, 2017

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Different Protestant theologies have manifested themselves in different Protestant denominations:  Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal, etc.

But now an increasing number of Christians are attending non-denominational churches.  Today one out of six Americans are non-denominational.  Only 30% of Americans belong to a Protestant denomination, down from 50% before 2000.

Non-denominal congregations are not tied to a specific hierarchy or church organization.  Many are started as entrepreneurial ventures by new pastors straight out of seminary or Bible college, without the hoops of a church planting bureaucracy.  Also without doctrinal supervision or any other ecclesiastical governance.

Nevertheless, non-denominational congregations are often part of specific networks of related ministers and churches.  Which is pretty much what a denomination is.

And, although non-denominational churches say they are not bound by a specific theology–other than, perhaps, a general statement of faith–in practice they do.  You can ask their pastors, do you baptize infants?  What do you believe about Communion?  How does a person come to faith?  Do you encourage speaking in tongues?  It will soon be clear what their theology is and where it fits in with the larger Protestant tradition.

 Most are generic evangelicals with Baptist practices, with some being Pentecostal.  Some, I know, are Calvinist.  I have even heard of one that claims a Lutheran theology.  For some reason, I haven’t heard of any liberal non-denominational congregations, despite liberal theology’s embrace of ecumenism.  (Does anyone know of any?)

We confessional Lutherans, of course, are committed to a specific theology and ecclesiastical identity.  This is seen by many to be anachronistic.  I know of some Lutheran congregations that purposefully play down their denominational affiliation, removing “Lutheran” from their name so as to appear non-denominational.  And yet, having a definite theology seems more important now than ever.

I’m sure many of you readers are “nons.”  Do you consider that to be a specific theological identity, or just what your local church fellowship happens to be?  Is there a lot of theological diversity in your congregation?  Is that part of what it means to be “non,” a place where people are entitled to their own theological opinions and practices?  Or is there a de facto theological identity after all?

After the jump, an article giving data about the non-denominational phenomenon.

From Kate Shellnutt, The Rise of the Nons: Protestants Keep Ditching Denominations | News & Reporting | Christianity Today:

Ask an American Christian what type of church they belong to, and you’re more likely than ever to hear the label nondenominational.

The proportion of Protestants in the United States who don’t identify with a specific denomination doubled between 2000 and 2016, according to a Gallup poll released this week. Now, about 1 in 6 Americans are nondenominational Christians.

The growing popularity of nondenominational identity is the result of two trends: the decline in the number of Protestants overall, as more Americans eschew any religious affiliation (becoming “the nones”), and shrinking denominations themselves. . . .

Prior to 2000, half of all Americans belonged to a specific Protestant denomination. Now, just 30 percent do, Gallup reported.

“Churches that adhere to specific and historical denominational affiliations appear to face the biggest challenge in American Protestantism today,” the pollster wrote. “Increasingly, Christian Americans … prefer to either identify themselves simply as Christians or attend the increasing number of nondenominational churches that have no formal allegiance to a broader religious structure.”

[Keep reading. . .]

 

Photo of Lakewood Church, Houston, TX:  The original uploader was ToBeDaniel at Italian Wikipedia (Transferred from it.wikipedia to Commons.) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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