I had a thought this morning over breakfast that I've been mulling over through the course of the day. As this is the place where I like to flesh out new ideas I thought I'd share it here first.
I've long held the belief that denominations in the Church are a provision from God for her protection. In as much as denominations divide the church, they provide a covering of authority, accountability, a framework for cashflow and a system to ensure faithful stewardship of the Lord's resources. But there has to be more... and it is this desire for a deeper understanding that led me to my “thought” this morning.
I mentioned earlier that denominations “divide” the church. But what if that is <strong>exactly</strong> what they're supposed to do? Let me take you on a detour for a moment and you'll hopefully see what I mean when we come out the other end.
Carrier ships are massive structures with huge cargo hulls. I once, as a child, got to see the engine room of one of the BC Ferries ships; a memory I will always cherish. To get there we had to walk through several large structural walls that partitioned the hull (known as “bulkheads”). It turns out that the hull of a large ship endures massive amounts of pressure and stress from all sides and must remain rigid if it is going to keep the ship afloat. It is these partitions that provide this rigidity along with other features like hull plating (sometimes called a “double hull”) and longitudinal stiffeners (prevent the ship from “bending”). By adding these features the hull is able to withstand not only the weight of its payload but also the stress of rough seas, but the partitions serve another purpose.
In the event of a hull breach modern ships will automatically seal off the affected partitions effectively containing the leak in such a way that the ship will remain afloat long enough to sail to safety. I've even seen demos of ships that can handle as much as half of their hull completely filled with water and still make it home. Earlier versions of this innovation used partitions to slow the rate at which a ship fills with water, allowing more time for passengers to escape in life rafts.
For further reading visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_of_ships
Anyway, you can probably guess where I'm headed with this. In the same way that bulkheads partition and protect a ship from external pressures and complete failure in the event of a hull breach, so denominations in the church serve to protect the church as a whole... to keep the “ship” from “sinking” if you will.
When an issue hits the church hard (anything from issues like gay marriage or Harry Potter to false teaching or emergent church trends) and takes a denomination with it, it is the inherent “division” between that denomination and another that keeps the latter safe. So long as other denominational leaders remain true, stay the course and prepare, they will weather the storm long enough to make it through.
But there is a balance to be had. And in the same way that too many partitions in a ship cause it to be needlessly heavy, expensive to move and slow, too many divisions in the church have a similar effect on her ability to fulfill the Great Commission. The answer lay NOT in the removal of all division. For you see, the opposite is also true. Where there are too few divisions the effect of a catastrophic event might be more difficult to mitigate or even impossible to stop. And, where too few divisions would fail to properly resist the massive pressures exerted by her payload (read: mission), a church with too few denominations lacks the support of her “neighboring” “bulkheads” when localized pressures reach critical highs.
Those of you paying attention will notice I'm making a couple assumptions and even committing denominational leaders to certain things here. First, I'm assuming that denominations have a Church Universal perspective and choose not only to see, but to act within the context of a greater body. This means that a denomination has to have a relatively healthy self-image and takes into consideration her special role in the Body at large.
Secondly I'm assuming that, and committing denominational leaders to, supporting one another. Everything rises and falls on leadership and if our denominations are filling with water due to fighting... well, I'll let you figure that one out. I'll say this: change starts with leaders who themselves commit to changing on the inside first.
Third. I expect obedience to godly leadership on all levels within a denomination. Without influence and followers, there is no denomination.
Anyway, I've gone on long enough and really should head to bed. This is a major thought for me and I'll be thinking about it and testing it for a long time. That said it, to me at least, has all the hallmarks of one of those “ah ha” moments that only perspective from the Holy Spirit can provide. But again, please be gentle in your criticisms as this idea is only less than 24 hours old. :)
.:. Sven .:.
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