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What Is A “Denomination?”

What Is A “Denomination?”

Last updated on: November 21, 2025 at 10:43 am by Roger E. Olson

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What Is A “Denomination?” 2025-11-21T10:43:09-05:00 Roger E. Olson

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Many people, probably most, misunderstand the word “denomination” as it applies to religion. With what authority do I say this (and explain the true meaning)? I have studied the concept of “denomination” and individual ones for many years. I hold a PhD in Religious Studies from a major American research university. I have a lifelong obsession with American Christian denominations of all kinds. I was honored to be invited to serve as the editor/author of Abingdon Press’s 14th edition of The Handbook of Denominations in the United States. I wrote an introductory essay about the word and the concept “denomination” based on extensive research.

Here, of course, I am not writing about the word “denomination” as it applies to money. A ten dollar bill belongs to the denomination “ten dollar bills.” The late, great copper penny belongs to that denomination. Here I am writing only about religious and specifically Christian denominations. I’m not sure whether non-Christian religions speak of their distinct branches as denominations.

I am writing this to correct misunderstandings of “denomination.” I know about the misunderstandings from my students (I taught theology in three Christian universities over forty years) and church people and non-church people. There is, without doubt, a growing aversion even among Christians to “denominations.” Why? I believe partly because of some common misunderstandings of the word.

Most religion scholars recognize any group of churches with “connective tissue” as a denomination. They may call themselves something else such as “fellowship,” “network,” “movement,” but religion scholars use the word denomination for them.

For example, the Churches of Christ (no instrumental) has no headquarters or official hierarchy but scholars who study American religion have always considered them a distinct denomination.

I suspect, am sure, that most Americans think “denomination” only designates a hierarchical group of churches with bishops or something like bishops who hold authority over everyone in it. For example, the Catholic Church or even the Episcopal Church USA. (Although in neither of those cases do their bishops actually control every member. But they do have authority over priests.)

That is a misconception even if a pervasive one. It sends many people preferring a “nondenominational” church. Many allegedly nondenominational churches, however, do actually belong to a denomination but they don’t consider it a “denomination” in the popular misconception sense which is why they call their church “nondenominational.”

Some churches truly do not have any connective tissue with any other churches so can legitimately claim to be nondenominational. However, in most such cases the church has a doctrinal statement and practices (of the ordinances or sacraments, for example) that make it belong to a historical-theological-spiritual category of churches such as “Baptist” or “baptistic.”

I have explained here recently why I am not favorable to nondenominational churches even though I gladly admit that many of them do good work for the gospel. I just think they could do better work for the gospel by belonging to a denomination.

What irritates me most is when a congregation claims to have no denominational affiliation by calling itself “non denominational” but actually does have a denominational affiliation. I have examined many “nondenominational” churches’ web sites and found a denominational connection that they hide from the public. Most people examining the web site would not find it. I know how to look for it.

I admit to being a “stickler” about words. Proper use of words is important to good communication. I recently joined a Home Owners Association where the board and the manager used one word—“assessment”—for both the monthly HOA fee and for the special assessment designated for unexpected expenses. This use of one word for both caused confusion. I asked the board and the manager to distinguish between the two very different charges by calling one the “fee” and the other one the “assessment.” Some of them treated my request as superfluous, but there’s a problem with that. It has to do with real estate agents and potential buyers wanting to know as much as possible about the true cost of a house or condominium.

Words matter. They use us as much as we use them. We should not be overly casual about their use.

*Note: If you choose to comment, make sure your comment is relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*

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