Christian Denominations - Teaching
A denomination is a smaller part of something that is the same - there are different denominations of money ($1 bill, $5, $10, etc.) and different denominations of the Christian church. Some of these denominations include Lutheran, Catholic, Reformed, Methodist, Episcopal, etc. These different denominations can be thought of kind of like brothers and sisters in a family, or as cousins in a larger, extended family. All of these are based on the same basic belief and therefore are of the same "family," but each is different and unique. There are positive and negative aspects about having many denominations.
One downside to having many different denominations is that sometimes the "family" feels split apart by the differences in interpretations or beliefs. Sometimes the churches argue about things that aren't important, or pass judgment on each other, and God does not want that.
One positive to the different denominations is that each denomination emphasizes different parts of the Christian life. For example, Pentecostals emphasize prayer and the Holy Spirit; Lutherans emphasize God's grace through the Son; Roman Catholics emphasize Jesus giving of his Body and Blood in Communion. While most denominations practice each of these things in one way or another, the different focus on each makes the denominations unique.
Just like no one person is perfect, there is no "perfect" denomination either - each one has strengths and weaknesses, and it's important to be honest about this, without passing judgment over one another.
One reason there are many Christian denominations is because people are free to believe as they wish. Especially today, when people can travel quickly over long distances, people can choose which kind of church they would like to attend and can try out different churches easily - sometimes people choose to drive a long way to go to church.
The bottom line is that every Christian denomination IS a Christian church and is part of the family of God in Jesus Christ.
