Why denominations? And specifically, why the PCA?
This past Sunday we hosted the second of three informational meetings for Providence Presbyterian Church.
In this second meeting, we discussed denominations and specifically why we are a part of the Presbyterian Church in America. Below are Jake’s notes from the meeting.
If you are interested in joining us for our third informational meeting on February 27th from 4:00-5:30pm, please reach out to Jake and he will send you more details. We would love to have you join us!
Why denominations?
Being a denominational man puts me in a minority within broader American Christianity. Most Christians today seem to be anti-denominations.
However, I believe denominations provide Biblical and theological clarity, accountability, and allow us to be more kingdom-minded.
But first, what exactly is a denomination? Miriam-Webster defines a denomination as, “a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices.” I think that’s a good definition. The distinguishing characteristic of a denomination is its beliefs, creeds, or confessions. Its codified beliefs are primarily what makes a denomination, a denomination.
Whenever you’re a part of a denomination, you have the privilege of being looked at skeptically from time to time by other well-intentioned believers. Because denominations are synonymous with division. After all, why can’t we all just get along? Why are there so many denominations? Why can’t the universal church be unified?
A piece of me is sympathetic to the question. I do believe denominations are the result of the fall. Sin affects everything including the Lord’s Church. I don’t think it was supposed to be this way. Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16 that he would, “build his church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” He didn’t say, “I’m going to build my Methodist church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.”
But at the same time, denominations didn’t come out of thin air, creating division for no apparent reason. They were born out of a real historical context and over legitimate issues. When Martin Luther kicked off the Protestant Reformation, initially, he was looking to reform the Catholic Church. And from there, the Protestant Church splintered in different ways, among all sorts of lines.
So there is a real historical component to denominationalism. But then you mix in our natural American anti-institutional skepticism and you have the makings for a lot of distrust over denominationalism.
And so, as a result of distrust for denominations in America, there has been a movement toward radical church autonomy. Churches are so afraid of being categorized that they’re nondenominational. How many “nondenominational” churches are there? There are so many nondenominational churches now that it’s pretty much it’s own denomination. Uncategorized now has a category.
But even nondenominational churches have to make decisions regarding what the Bible teaches. Every church has to decide what Jesus accomplished on the cross, or what they believe about the nature of sin, or how the church should be governed, or who are the proper recipients of baptism.
The second you begin to make these decisions is the second you begin to align yourself with a particular denomination.
Many churches try so hard to not let anyone box them in, but the inevitable theological decisions that churches must make inherently box them in. It’s unavoidable.
And out of fear of being boxed in, many churches have adopted generic, simplistic statements of faith in an attempt to remain flexible and autonomous.
That’s how you end up with statements like, “no creed but the Bible,” which sounds great in theory, but is impossible in practice. A church has to make theological decisions.
Denominational confessions and creeds promote clarity. Ambiguous statements of faith create confusion.
Denominations Promote Clarity
Which leads me to my first point in favor of denominations: Denominations that are creedal or confessional, (I’m using creedal and confessional as words that describe extensive, explicit statements of faith) promote clarity. Being a part of a denomination should help people know where a pastor or church stands on a variety of issues. An extensive statement of faith isn’t about alienating people or distinguishing yourself from others - rather it’s more about providing clarity to the people in your church!
Conversely, autonomous churches with generic statements of faith foster confusion. If you’ve ever gone to a church like this, you will often leave wondering, “What does the pastor think about topic X?” or “Where does my church stand on interpreting this difficult passage of Scripture?” And if you’ve asked those questions in those churches, sometimes you don’t get straightforward answers. You’ll often get ambiguous answers.
When you have a generic, broad, ambiguous statement of faith, don’t be surprised when the people in the pew don’t know what God’s Word teaches. If the pastor isn’t clear as to what God’s Word teaches, how can he possibly communicate it?
The great Protestant Reformer Martin Luther said it well when he said, “What is more miserable than uncertainty?… Take away assertions and you take away Christianity.”
The beauty of God’s Word is that anyone can pick it up and figure out what it teaches. Anyone can pick it up and figure out the meaning of a passage. Sure, some passages are difficult to understand, but those are the exceptions. By and large, God’s Word is extremely accessible. The theological term for that is perspicuity. It’s a fancy word that simply means, “clarity.”
If the Bible is clear, detailed, and specific, our statements of faith should be clear, specific, and detailed.
But on the flipside, generalities, ambiguity, and uncertainty promote confusion, which is the breeding ground for false teaching. Churches that stand for nothing are, by definition, required to allow everything. This is the pathway that leads to destruction.
This is why Paul exhorts Timothy to “preach the Word!” He doesn't exhort Timothy to preach about a topic, or around God’s Word - he explicitly says, “preach the word!” Preach from the text. Expound God’s word, because these are the words of life.
So denominations should provide theological clarity. Teaching God’s Word and having theological convictions protects the Bride of Christ from being led astray.
Denominations Provide Accountability
A group of churches that subscribe to a certain statement of faith – what we might call a denomination – should hold one another accountable to their statement of faith. In other words, a denomination should provide an accountability structure.
I am not on an island by myself.
A pastor and church should have ruling elders, deacons, and authoritative bodies outside of their church. There are structures that hold me accountable. I’m accountable to our region of churches (what we call a presbytery) which is in turn accountable to our national body (what we call the General Assembly).
An authoritative, accountability structure isn’t bad; it’s good.
I recently heard about a church where the pastor had a moral failing and refused to leave the church. He just said, “I don’t see the big deal. I’m not leaving.” There was no authoritative structure or systems in place to force him out. Eventually, his dad and brother, both of whom happen to be pastors, convinced him to resign from the church.
I tell you that not to gossip, but rather to illustrate my point that an accountability structure is good. A pastor that has no accountability to anyone is a cause for concern.
Furthermore, the Bible teaches a particular type of accountability (more on that shortly).
Denominations Encourage Convictional Honesty
A certain level of honesty comes with being a part of a denomination. I call it “faithfulness in advertising.”
Every Christian is on the same journey, which is to be as Biblical as possible. I believe that Presbyterianism is the most Biblical expression of Christianity. I say that with all humility.
I hope that’s true for every pastor committed to a particular denomination. I hope the Southern Baptist pastor is as Southern Baptist as they get. I hope the Anglican pastor is as Anglican as they get.
After all, Christians should know what they’re getting themselves into. The denomination should, at least, be consistent with the pastor and the congregation’s stated beliefs.
When I was in South Carolina, I had a conversation with a pastor at a nondenominational church who told me that he was a “closet Anglican.”
I didn’t understand that statement then and I don’t understand it now. If you’re convictionally Anglican, go be an Anglican! Isn’t it dishonest to teach and preach at a church that doesn’t represent your convictions? Why are you pretending to be something that you’re not? Be honest with people.
Before I run everyone off that isn’t sure if they’re Presbyterian let me say this: If you don’t agree with every jot and tittle of the PCA, that’s perfectly fine! I’m glad you’re here and I want you here. And yes, you can still join the church!
My point is that, I believe it’s my personal responsibility as, Lord willing, the pastor at Providence Presbyterian Church, for you to know exactly where I’m coming from. Again, “faithfulness in advertising!”
And if you don’t agree with me on everything, that’s fine! My prayer is that just as I was persuaded into this camp through men faithfully teaching me God’s Word, I pray that I’ll have that same privilege with you.
I don’t want to beat you into conformity. Rather, I want to persuade you from the Scriptures! My only request is that if you’re new to this world, that you’d be like the Bereans: Be open-minded, but test everything according to Scripture.
Let me make another caveat: I don’t think Presbyterians have the market cornered on Christianity. I do think it’s the most faithful expression of Christianity, but there are plenty of Baptists, Methodists, and Anglicans who are better Christians than me.
My point is that there is a certain level of convictional honesty that should come with being a part of a denomination. If a church is nondenominational, what are their convictions?
And I also think that it’s healthy for the church to know that I’m Presbyterian and happy to be here!
Denominations Aid in Being Kingdom-Minded
Ultimately, being in a denomination doesn’t make you divisive. Rather, I think it allows you to be more kingdom-minded.
My analogy for this point is this: “The more self-aware you are, the better friend you will be.” The more you understand your tendencies, your bad habits, your good habits and your own personality, the more effectively you can help others. And you know exactly how you can help them.
When you know where you stand theologically, it becomes clearer which partnerships are appropriate and good. When you’re theologically unclear, it’s really hard to discern why you shouldn’t partner with someone.
However, Not All Denominations are Created Equal
I’m pretty much done defending denominations. My goal was to persuade you that denominations are not necessarily bad. But before I move on to discussing the Presbyterian Church in America with you, I want to first say, and I think this is an obvious statement, but not all denominations are created equal.
Just because a church is a part of a denomination doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a good church or a good denomination. We all must be discerning. Wise as serpents, innocent as doves.
There are certain qualities that you should look for in a church. Do they preach and teach the Bible? Is their theology derived from God’s Word? Is their worship biblical? Maybe the most basic question should be: Can they defend their church practices from God’s Word? As Christians, everything we know about Jesus Christ comes from the Scriptures. Therefore we should be guided by the Scriptures.
Why the Presbyterian Church in America?
This is why I ended up in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). I wanted to be a part of a denomination that best reflects my convictions.
The PCA is a Biblical Church
First and foremost, The PCA is committed to God’s Word. This is of utmost importance. Many Christians might gloss over this, but this is a big deal.
Everything we know about God comes from the Scriptures. Our posture toward Scripture should not be superficial.
One of the greatest tragedies is that many evangelical churches would agree with what I’m saying, and then they rarely read God’s Word in a worship service. Or they preach a sermon and only use Scripture to support what they’re saying. Their sermons aren’t derived from God’s Word. They are not expounding on it. They share their opinion with you and use Scripture to support it.
PCA churches should preach through whole books of God’s Word. They should commit to reading it in worship services. Everything is and should be centered around God’s Word.
The PCA’s Theology is Derived from God’s Word
Furthermore, the PCA’s theology is derived from God’s Word. Theology is the fancy word for the study of God. Every church has and does theology, whether it’s codified or not.
Presbyterians are known for their commitment to “reformed theology.” There are several ways to define “reformed theology.” I believe it is helpful to recognize that it’s simply short for “reformational theology.” In other words, the theology that was born out of the Protestant Reformation is the theology that the PCA is committed to.
But there are other helpful ways to think about reformed theology.
The Five Solas of the Reformation
Sola Gratia - saved by grace alone
Sola Fide - through faith alone
Solus Christus - in Christ alone
Sola Scriptura - according to the Scriptures alone
Soli Deo Gloria - for the glory of God alone
The Five Points of Calvinism - TULIP
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints
Reformed theology is also expressed in a document called the Westminster Confession of Faith. As a denomination, the PCA believes that the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with its larger and shorter catechisms, are faithful summaries of the Scriptures.
We are quickly going through all of this information for the sake of time and if you’re not familiar with reformed theology, that’s okay. I would love to get together and go over it in more detail (and I’ve also provided resources at the bottom of this post).
But the point that I really want to make here is that reformed theology is Biblical. All of those points, I believe, are easily defended from God’s Word. I say all of this to reinforce that our theology is derived from God’s Word.
The PCA’s Worship is Centered on God’s Word
God not only cares that He is worshiped, but He also cares about the manner in which He is worshiped.
In Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire to God and were struck down for it. What makes the passage so interesting is that the fire was offered to God; not a false god. The point being, the manner of our worship matters, too.
How the actual worship service is conducted matters. The actual worship service itself should be centered on God’s Word.
This is something else that we should all look for in a church. Does the actual worship service consistently refer to God’s Word? Or are there just occasional passing references?
That includes everything from the lyrics we sing to the sermons we hear. A Christian worship service should be saturated in God’s Word.
The PCA Provides Accountability
Something else that attracted me to the PCA was it’s church government and structure. The PCA had developed a system to hold itself accountable, a system that is derived from Scripture.
The best and most succinct way to describe the PCA’s church government is to compare it to our country’s government (it isn’t a perfect one-to-one comparison, but it’s helpful).
We have the local government, which is the local church.
We have a state government, which is similar to a presbytery (a region of churches).
And then we have the federal government, which is similar to our national gathering (called the General Assembly).
The local church is governed by elders. Paul instructs the church to be ruled by elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
Exodus 18 and Acts 15 provide biblical support for presbyteries and the General Assembly.
In Exodus 18, Jethro encourages Moses to set up courts to rule the people of Israel. Small local courts, larger courts, and then the supreme court if you will.
And in Acts 15, the early churches come together to discuss the business of the day: how to respond to the issue of circumcision. So they came together as a large body in order to decide how to handle it.
Again, church government isn’t an optional part of church. There is biblical support for all of this and it’s the church’s responsibility to faithfully carry it out. I believe the PCA does this well.
I came to the PCA out of conviction and I agree with the PCA’s stated theology and polity (church government). All of these things were appealing to me because there is a clear Biblical rationale for all of it.
With all of that said, the PCA is not a perfect denomination. We have our issues. We have our struggles. A lot of the cultural hot button issues are issues within our denomination – critical race theory, feminism, LGBTQ issues. Many of the issues that are plaguing the PCA are plaguing the American church. But I’m still sad that I have to deal with it in a denomination that I really do love.
The PCA has its issues, but it is a good denomination that expresses its commitment to God’s Word. And that is the most important thing.
Resources
What is Reformed Theology? by R.C. Sproul
Book - www.ligonier.org/store/what-is-reformed-theology-paperback
Teaching series - www.ligonier.org/learn/series/what-is-reformed-theology
The Westminster Confession of Faith
Document - www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/westminster-confession-faith
Teaching series - www.ligonier.org/learn/series/westminster-confession-of-faith
The Presbyterian Church in America
Who We Are - www.pcanet.org/about-the-pca
What We Believe - www.pcanet.org/about-the-pca-2-2-2
