Living In The 3rd Culture: Sorting through the Denominational Maze.

One of biggest challenges that seminarians face is finding a church to serve once they have graduated. Even when you have a denomination home the process of finding an open position that fits you is tough. However there are many students who are not only looking to secure a call, but are also trying to determine where they belong theologically. Trust me, this is no small task!

It is extremely difficult to determine the number of denominations in the United States. A good guess is at least 200, and you can add to that a plethora of independent or nondenominational churches. A 2010 study showed that by grouping nondenominational churches as one, they would be the second largest Protestant group in the country with over 35,000 independent or nondenominational churches representing more than 12,200,000 adherents. These nondenominational churches are present in every state and in 2,663 out of the total of 3,033 counties in the country, or 88% of the total.[i]

As the nondenominational movement grows, we continue to see significant decreases in membership and attendance in mainline denominations such as the United Methodist church, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Church of Christ and even the Southern Baptism Convention.

When you mix a distrust of denominations, the growth and freedom of nondenominationalism, and the difficulty of finding a theological fit, it is easy to see why joining the nondenominational movement is so popular. Interestingly, even though nondenominational churches continue to thrive, within the church planting community there is keen awareness for the need to affiliate with other like minded churches and church plants. This partly because Ed Stetzer reports that, “Every group surveyed indicated that having well-designed support systems for the planter have improved their survivability. Some groups report that their survival rate has doubled since implementing important systems such as assessment, training, and coaching.” The study also found that the “Odds of survivability increase by 135% when the church planter meets with a group of church planting peers.[ii]”

I have been a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) denomination for over two decades. It is not a perfect match, and trust me we have our issues! As I write this, we are debating the legitimacy of intinction (the practice of dipping the bread into the wine when celebrating the Lord’s Supper). And for a guy who loves diversity and has committed himslef to raising up minority leaders, we still have those in our midst who embrace the confederacy and justify slavery. And there is more!

So why am I a member of the PCA? Beyond the fact that I am convinced that Presbyterian form of church government is Biblical, the short answer is because we need each other.

1. Community – Most of my best friends are other pastors who serve in the PCA. These are the guys who pray for me and with whom I seek advice. They are guys who are really there for me and would be by my side if I needed them. In turn, they call me when they have a ministry, Biblical or Theological question, and ask me to pray for them when they are facing a challenge. We don’t see everything eye-to-eye, but they are my brothers!

2. Accountability – My ordination is held at the presbytery level. That is to say, I am answerable to my brothers in the Central Florida Presbytery. These guys hold me accountable to be a faithful minister of the Gospel. That means if I start teaching heresy, or get in moral trouble, they are the ones to whom I will answer. Of course as an employee of Reformed Theological Seminary I would be fired first. Nevertheless, when I served as a pastor, my congregation had the security of knowing they could go to presbytery if my message and my life did not glorify God.

As you try to determine your denominational or affiliational home, here are some things to remember.

1. Cover it in Prayer – I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to cover this in prayer asking for God’s leading and for wisdom.

2. Know Thyself – Because each denomination or affiliation has different styles of governance, be sure to consider how you fit in that context. For some, too much theological latitude will not work for you. Others, my find some denominations too restrictive.

3. Know Thy Theological Paradigms – You can eliminate many groups by simply comparing them to your basic theological convictions. I am confessional and adhere to the Westminster Standards and therefore they serve as my paradigm.

4. Be Aware of the “in” factor - Be very careful that you don’t simply chase after the latest trend. Just because a group is new and popular doesn’t mean it is where God wants you.

5. Realize there is no perfect fit – Just like there is no perfect spouse, or perfect church, there is no perfect denomination or affiliation. That means you will not find a group that lines up perfectly with your convictions and values.

6. Determine what is non-negotiable – This is a matter of conscience. If they hold to a Biblical or Theological view that is wrong to you, those are your non-negotiables.

7. How can you serve that group – Remember being part of a denomination or affiliation is not all about you! An important thing to consider is how you can serve that group.

[i] The Hartford Institute for Religion Research (http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html#denom)

[ii] http://www.leadnet.org/churchplanting

Third Culture Defined

The term “Third Culture” has been used in various ways. One “Third Culture” group “consists of those scientists and other thinkers in the empirical world who, through their work and expository writing, are taking the place of the traditional intellectuals in rendering visible the deeper meanings of our lives, redefining who and what we are.”Another common use of “Third Culture” in fact describes my personal experience. The term was first coined by sociologist Ruth Hill Useem, professor emeritus of sociology and education at Michigan State University. She used the term to describe children growing up outside their citizenship countries because of a parent’s work abroad. A “TCK or Third Culture Kid has since been defined as, “someone who as a child has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture" Though I am a TCK, it is my desire to use the term in referring to the people who make up the true Christian Church (Theologically defined as the “Invisible Church”). In other words, the Church is a Third Culture. Scripture teaches us that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law and the punishment of Hell, and through faith in Him we become citizens of His Kingdom, receiving not only the full benefits of citizenship in His Kingdom, but indeed the right to become sons and daughters of God. The moment, we step into this Kingdome we experience a new and different culture. We are no longer in the kingdom of darkness, but now live in the kingdom of light and that changes everything! At the same time we never went anywhere physically as we continue to work, live, and play with the same people as before, we see the world differently, we no longer truly fit – we are “in the world, but not of it” -- we have a new culture. For most of us this life changing experience occurs within our birth culture and our Christian experience is saturated by those influences. For those who grew up in non-Hispanic White North America, Christianity is uniquely different than those who grew up in an African American context. Our birth culture effects how we live out our faith in the Kingdom of Christ. Yet the Kingdom of Christ requires one more cultural shift and that is away from birth culture and into a culture made up of people of every ethnic and cultural group that has ever existed on the face of the earth. This Kingdom is no more North American than it is Tanzanian or Tibetan. It is a unique or shall we say a “Third Culture” that integrates elements of all cultures into one new and better one, where there is no Jew or Greek, slave nor free, male nor female“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:26-298). In fact Revelation 7:9-10 gives us a description what this will look like one day:“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." A Third Culture Perspective is one that understands and appreciates that God gathers people from every ethnic and cultural group and brings them into the new culture of His Son Jesus Christ. It is a perspective where birth cultures are appreciated and respected as coming from God, but none are superior. It seeks to have a deeper understanding of the Gospel, pays attention to culture, our own as well as others, and then attempts to bring them together. It is a perspective that “seeks first His Kingdom and His Righteousness” and lovingly and passionately enjoys and glorifies God in all we do. It is a perspective that welcomes immigrants….

Sorting through the Denominational Maze.

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