Jeff “The Hoff” Vanderhoff reflects meaningfully on his family’s ecumenical life in this blog post.
His reflections inspired me to contemplate a question that I suppose all of us who are connected to a particular denomination must contemplate from time to time: What is the status of contemporary ecumenism? Or, to put it in a more straightforward way, are our current denominational configurations a sign of hope or a sign of the continued division of the Body of Christ?
This very question came up in a class that I was teaching recently. The participant articulated the question in this fashion: “If we are supposed to be united as Christians, then aren’t denominations a negative thing?”
They certainly can be, especially if they become a source of bitterness, rancor, and negativity–or if they become the governing portion of our spiritual identity. But, given the fact that denominations are not going away anytime soon, I suppose that we have no choice but to make peace with them and see them as part of the reality of the contemporary church.
I have been encouraged in recent years by the cooperative and ecumenical spirit that I have encountered in the church’s ministry. Even in my own township, I have seen Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, United Methodist, and non-denominational churches coming together frequently for ministry and worship. Just last week, I met for prayer with area pastors of all denominations. This leads me to believe that denominations, if they are seen in their proper perspective, do not automatically have to be divisive or prohibitive to shared ministry. In fact, if we look upon our particular denomination as a sibling in the family of God, we can appreciate the differences and eccentricities that exist among the other siblings, while at the same time affirming that we are still part of one family.
I have always been a United Methodist. I went to a United Methodist Sunday School when I was a kid. I attended a United Methodist youth fellowship when I was in junior and senior high. I was confirmed into a United Methodist congregation. And I came to know Jesus among United Methodist believers. Therefore, I happen to be a United Methodist (just like I happen to be an American). Far more significant than my denominational and national identity, however, is my identity as a Christ-follower. That is the identity that brings me into unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ of all denominations and all nationalities. Since United Methodism is the denominational context in which my discipleship has been nurtured throughout my life, I feel no need to find another way to be Christian. As an adult, I have come to appreciate United Methodism’s theological integrity, especially its emphasis upon Scripture and its acknowledgment of the place of tradition, reason, and experience in the discernment of truth.
Sometimes I wonder what other denomination I would choose to be if I had to. I could go with a non-denominational church. Quite frankly, however, I am not certain that there is such a thing as a non-denominational church, since even non-denominational churches have to start acting like a denomination at some point (and most of them start acting like Baptist churches). I could be a Roman Catholic, but I have real theological problems with some of that church’s teachings (while still affirming the important place that Roman Catholicism occupies in the body of Christ). I could become a Presbyterian, but I disagree with the doctrine of predestination that is so much a part of that tradition’s history. I could become a Pentecostal, but I am not always in agreement with the way in which Pentecostals define “baptism in the Holy Spirit.”
I guess that I will simply remain a United Methodist believer while at the same time keeping my heart and mind open to what the other denominations bring to the body of Christ. I will also commit myself to the task of building bridges between the denominations instead of walls. It is true, after all, that, when we stand upon the common ground of Jesus Christ, all of our other differences, while not insignificant, are nevertheless secondary.