1. Introduction
A question that comes up when discussing the Gospel and the Lord's church is, "what denomination are you?" When I respond that the Lord's church isn't a denomination that often creates some confusion. In most peoples minds there are two divisions in what is recognized as "Christian" churches. Catholicism and Protestant denominations or denominationalism. Organizations that refer to themselves as non-denominational are frequently viewed with distrust. The idea of a denomination infers a structure and organization that's been well known and long established in Western culture. Independent groups are met with skepticism and may be seen as cult-like or a front for taking advantage of people. Unfortunately that does happen in the world but the idea of being non-denominational isn't always a cover for more questionable ideas and activities.
To understand why the Lord's church isn't a denomination we'll define what a denomination is and review the history of the Christian church to identify their origins. Finally we'll compare the Lord's church with existing denominations to answer this question.
2. What is a denomination (definition)
Webster's 9th Collegiate Dictionary defines a denomination as a "religious organization uniting in a single legal and administrative body. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition adds another element to this definition stating that a denomination is "united under a common faith and name usually organized under a single administrative and legal hierarchy". To further define these organizations we also see that they are non-Catholic churches. Denominations individually have differences between the various bodies but there are a number of similarities they all share including some form of centralized governing body that determines doctrinal positions, requirements for membership and the practices of the denomination. Their core beliefs are generally based on the Bible and scriptural principles but their individual "faith" reflects the convictions and interpretations of scripture of their founders. Among these organizations we also see varying degrees of liberalism or conservatism. More liberal groups are characterized as more progressive and willing to adopt changes to their doctrine and practice more readily in response to social issues and trends. Conservative attitudes in these groups are more resistant to change and seek to hold to more traditional beliefs. The traditions in this case many times refers to the preservation of ideas that have prevailed in the group since their founding.