The New Testament church can be identified in the scriptures.  One should be able to open up the New Testament and find the church which Christ built therein.  Furthermore, all who claim allegiance to Christ should be able to compare the church to which they belong with the one in the Bible and see a match.  The problem is that most religious people who think that they are following Christ, not only cannot find their church in the Bible, but it never occurs to them that they should even try.

There are literally thousands of churches today, most of which are denominational.  The question is, “Was the church that Christ built denominational?”  If the answer is no, you should not want to be a part of a religious denomination yourself.  Fortunately, you can be saved and go to heaven without being a member of any denomination.  It is possible to be a non-denominational Christian.  The only question is, “Do you have the courage, and enough desire to please God, to separate yourself from denominationalism?”

What Is a Denomination?

The best place to start is defining what a denomination is.  According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, a denomination is “a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices.”   This is a pretty good definition of a denomination.  A denomination is an organization of congregations.  I like to call them a church of churches.  They are united together, not only by beliefs and practices but also, by laws set forth by men in positions of authority.

Over every denomination is a man, or group of men, who decide what the rules and regulations that govern that denomination are going to be.  So then, every local church in each denomination is under the control of men who have been placed into positions of authority.  They all answer to the earthly head of their church, which is either one man or a counsel of men who have the rule over that denomination.  This is why every denomination has an earthly headquarters and creed books that set forth their bylaws.

This is also why we hear of different denominations voting on things such as accepting homosexuality, or the right of women to be preachers and pastors, etc.  Men on earth make these decisions because they are in control of these various denominations.  However, I want you to see that this organizational structure that consists of a church of churches is unscriptural.

The church you read about in the Bible can be seen in one of two forms: the universal church, made up of all the saved everywhere, or a local church, made up of a group of Christians working together in a specific geographical area, usually under the oversight of elders (Acts 20:28).

Where would you place a denomination in that regard?  Do denominations claim to be the universal church?  No, most denominations do not claim to be made up of all the saved.  Would a denomination fall into the category of a local church?  No, denominations are made up of hundreds of local churches.  Denominations are too small to be the universal church and too large to be a local church.  Where does that leave them?  It leaves them outside of scripture.  There is nothing in the New Testament that comes close to resembling a denomination.

The New Testament Church

The church we read about in the Bible is made up of people, not churches.  Who are the people who make up the New Testament church?  They are those who obey the gospel of Christ.  How does one obey the gospel?  It is simple.  One must follow the instructions found in the New Testament.  That involves hearing the Word (John 6:44-45), believing in Christ (John 8:24), repenting of sin (Acts 3:19), confessing Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (Acts 2:38).   That will add you, not to a man-made denomination, composed of man-made rules, but to the Lord’s church.

Acts 2:47 (ESV)
⁴⁷ Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 

After you become a member of the universal church of Christ, you then must find a local church of Christ, preferably one made up of elders, deacons, and saints (Philippians 1:1).  In the New Testament, local churches were overseen by elders who only oversaw the flock which is among them.

1 Peter 5:1–2 (ESV)
¹ So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly. 

There was no church of churches in the New Testament.  There was only the universal church and local churches.  Each local church was completely independent.  This must still be the case today.  It is up to you to choose between the Lord’s church that you read about in the Bible or a denominational church that you can’t find in the Bible.  Choose this day!