NONDENOMINATIONALISM

In its most limited sense, the term ”nondenominationalism” refers to any church that operates independently of denominational affiliation, signifying an independent body of believers in Jesus Christ. A church may hold to a specific set of theological convictions (baptist, presbyterian, methodist) just as strongly as any denomination does, but by virtue of non-affiliation, is considered a nondenominational church.

At Community Church, nondenominationalism is so much more than mere non-affiliation with any given denomination; It is central to our identity. It is an intentional commitment to building unity among Christians of differing theological traditions within a single body of believers. We affirm that the central tenets of historic, orthodox Christian faith are clear and non-negotiable as they are presented in the Bible. This includes such aspects of faith as the authority of Scripture, the full deity and humanity of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, the sinfulness of humanity, the substitutionary atonement of Jesus through his death on the cross, and eternal life with our God inaugurated by Jesus’ resurrection and consummated at His return.

We also recognize that there are some issues in the Scriptures where Bible-believing churches can and do disagree. Consider: baptism (believer’s baptism vs. infant baptism); the Lord’s Supper (transubstantiation, consubstantiation, memorialism); the mechanics of creation (literal, literary, day/age), the employment of charismatic spiritual gifts in the church (prophecy, tongues); gender and headship in the church (hierarchism, complementarianism, egalitarianism). Across Christian history, these issues have divided the church and served as the very basis for denominational differentiation, and sadly have too often caused hurt and division among God’s people. (This discussion is continued below the downloadable documents on this page).

Here are some documents that will hopefully help you understand what we mean when we used the term nondenominationalism, and some example position papers on some of the biblical issues where bible-believing Christians disagree.

Foundations of
Nondenom-
inationalism

A longer document tracing our governing structure and the origins of our nondenominationalism back to our unity with the global and historical church, and how we hope to live out a John 17 kind of unity in the midst of the theological diversity held by those who hold to the Bible as the final authority for faith and practice.

Origins of Nondenominationalism
(282 kB)

Nondenom-
inationalism
Chart

An overview chart differentiating three terms: Biblical Convictions, Biblical Persuasions, and Biblical Opinions to explain and provide examples of how nondenominationalism actually works at Community Church.

Nondenominationalism Chart
(214 kB)

What Is
A Pastor?

A exegetical look at three important words in the New Testament: elder, overseer, and pastor, how they’re related to one another, and what that means for the role of “pastor” in the church today with respect to gender and governing authority.

What Is A Pastor?
(176 kB)

Baptism &
Communion

Position paper explaining our practices of “Believer’s Baptism” when it comes to baptism, and “Memorialism” when it comes to celebrating the Lord’s Supper. This particular document focuses also on the role of parents in deciding for their own kids when these ordinances are appropriate based on their own children’s development level and faith.

Position on Baptism & Communion
(238 kB)

Headship, Gender & Leadership

Position paper addressing Community Church’s position on biblical headship and gender as it pertains to women leading, teaching, and using their gifts in the church. This document is written as we made a significant shift back in 2012 to encourage and equip women to use their gifts in both leadership and teaching in the church while honoring the more transcultural biblical texts on the issue of headship.

Position on Headship, Women & Leadership
(328 kB)

The Gift
of Tongues

While it appears to be rare that the gift of tongues manifests itself at Community Church, we aspire to adhere to a biblical framework for understanding this gift and for its employment among the body for the edification of the church.

On the Gift of Tongues
(100 kB)

Non-Denominationalism

An Unbelieving World

Slides from Differences & Dignity Series

(continued from above)

At Community Church, we are committed to studying the Scriptures and teaching what we believe is the best interpretation of these various texts in order to live out a specific position on these potentially controversial issues. However, we also intentionally make room for those with varying convictions on non-central doctrines so long as those convictions are based on a responsible, good-faith study of the Bible in its grammatical, literary, historical, and cultural context. In this way, we intentionally encourage the study of Scripture and multiple viewpoints on its interpretation in these areas — not for the purpose of making everyone come to the same conclusion, but to encourage understanding and grace towards those with whom we might disagree. We believe that the unity of the church and our witness in an unbelieving world depends on grace and thoughtful dialogue within the church if we ever hope to be salt and light to those beyond our faith community.

You can find out more about where our church lands on various theological issues by reading the position papers above. But pay special attention to the “tone” of these position statements. While we do land and teach a specific interpretation on each issue, we do not require uniformity to embody unity. We make room for a diversity of convictions on secondary, non-salvific issues as a tangible way to demonstrate grace with one another, to cultivate humility within our body, and to practice listening to and understanding people with whom we disagree.