Being An Undenominational Church
A few years ago, our sign was taken down for a couple of months to be repainted. When I attended the meeting of local pastors during that interval some were surprised to see me. They assumed that the congregation had disbanded. The change at that repainting was from “Church of Christ, Undenominational” to “Storrs Road Church of Christ.” Suppose we had taken it down again and repainted it “Church of God in Storrs” only shortly later to repaint it as “Church of God in Christ in Mansfield Center.” Finally, we just put up the sign, “Assembly of Firstborn Ones.” What, do you suppose would be the reaction at that meeting of area preachers?
More importantly, what questions would I be asked at the monthly meeting of ministers and elders of Churches of Christ? I imagine someone asking, “Have you become an unfaithful church that is no longer the true Church of Christ?” To which I would respond with scriptures which show that each “name” above is a biblical term. Someone responds, what about our Romans 16:16-18, “All the churches of Christ salute you”? To which I would say, “Paul gave that salute while ministering with the ‘church of God in Corinth’.” Finally, someone says, “you are trying to make your point with a lot of confusion.” Guilty as charged.
The many names of churches in the Christian world is confusing and a hindrance to believing. Several years ago, a Chinese gentleman asked me why he observed over a half dozen names on his bus journey from Foster Village to University of Connecticut. For him it invalided the truth claims of Christianity.
How can we work toward being undenominational? First, we should recognize that those NT terms above are not names to denominate various churches. They describe relationships. “Church of God” means an assembly of people who belong to God; “Churches of Christ” are assemblies of people who belong to Christ Jesus the Lord. The English word “church” goes back to the Greek word “kyriakos” meaning “of the Lord”.
Being undenominational recognizes that God adds together believing persons who repent and are baptized. They are the church. Being undenominational means actions which shape us into a community of God in Christ (Acts 2:41-42). God gathers people. The church is an assembly. To be an assembly we must assemble. To be a church we must church.
Driving south on Rt. 32 last week I saw an old New England term, Meetinghouse Road. Our last sign change near our entrance reads, A church of Christ meets here,” May we live up to it
—Tom Yoakum