The name “denomination,” as referring to a family of churches, has had a rough time of it over the last 40 years, but I think its stock may be rising. I met with a church-planting leadership team recently, and I said, “Denominations are very valuable because they are ‘trans-generational’ and ‘trans-geographical.’” “Trans-generational” is valuable because we get older. No person/group stays in power forever. Denominations handle transitions well. “Trans-geographical” is valuable because it covers our mobility. The denomination can cover east to west and north to south, and it can cover new initiatives most anywhere.
I also said that denominations provide clarity and safety regarding authority and legal matters.
The BIC denomination, like the banks of a river, provides the channel in which the river of life, the work of the Spirit, flows. “So where the river flows everything will live” (Ezekiel 47:9). What a splendid idea – the denomination!
God bless you, my friend,
Bishop Lynn