Conference lauds denominationalism
16th Believers Church Conference held June 11-14 in Winnipeg, Manitoba
by Laura KalmarPrint Article Email to a Friend
Differences between denominations can be helpful, and when it comes to discussing these differences, the Believers Church tradition has a lot to offer the wider Christian community.
This was the prevalent message at the 16th Believers Church Conference, June 11-14 at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Sponsored by CMU’s Institute for Theology and the Church, the conference attracted participants from across North America and even Europe. Some 24 scholars presented papers, and three keynote speakers shared their perspectives on the theme, “Congregationalism, Denominationalism and the Body of Christ.”
Conference organizers were acutely aware that denominationalism had acquired a somewhat negative reputation over the past century, built by scholars such as H. Richard Niebuhr who described the church’s split into denominations as “the moral failure of Christianity.”
But this wasn’t the view of presenter Sheila Klassen-Wiebe, assistant professor of New Testament at CMU, who opened the conference with a study of the book of John. “John’s ‘the one and the many’ is a fitting symbol for our conference,” she said. “The church encompasses unity and diversity. It’s united in a common work—bringing God’s abundant life to a hostile world. The unity isn’t just about potlucks and care groups. There is a missional purpose—‘that the world might believe.’ But unity doesn’t eliminate individuality.”
For example, she said, John 21 depicts Simon Peter and John, the beloved disciple, as having different callings and different roles in the story.
“It doesn’t matter how the two compare, it just matters that they both are faithful to Jesus,” she said. “There should be no comparing or competing in the Body of Christ.”
The idea of a denominational principle was first articulated in the middle of the 17th century by English Puritans, said Bruce Guenther, associate professor of church history and Mennonite studies at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, Langley, B.C.
“I don’t believe denominationalism is the cause of the church’s disunity,” said Guenther. “It began as a tool to exercise influence over the nation.”
Denominations have had problems, Guenther said, but also have introduced many benefits. “They’ve been useful for mobilizing Christians to various kinds of action.”
Citing the work of Jeremiah Burroughs, a 17th-century apologist, Guenther explained how differences among Christians can be used by God to bring forth more light on biblical truth.
For example, “as the demographic center of gravity for Christianity has shifted southward, North American Christians are gradually becoming more aware and appreciative for the contribution that global theologies have for expanding our understanding of the kingdom of God.
“Denominationalism is not equal to schism,” Guenther concluded. “Real schism has more to do with how people leave a congregation and how they characterize other Christians.”
Conference keynote speaker, Fernando Enns, would agree.
Enns, founding director of the chair of Mennonite theology at Hamburg University, is a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. His passion is to help the Mennonite church share its insights and also learn from the ecumenical context.
“Our ecclesiological contributions become visible in this [ecumenical] setting,” Enns said. “We can share our commitment to visible discipleship and our understanding of the priesthood of all believers,” as we converse with people from other traditions.
Interdenominational dialogue forces us “to articulate ourselves,” Enns said. “We have to talk about what we stand for, not just what we disagree with. Our dialogue will not leave us unchanged. It will strengthen us from within so that the world may believe. This is the goal of all ecumenical dialogue.”
Enns said that conversations with other denominations should be rooted in a Trinitarian framework—giving equal emphasis to all people of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
“A Trinitarian approach would seem appropriate if we want to hold together the various metaphors of the church and take into account the richness of the biblical witness,” Enns said.
However, this approach doesn’t come naturally for many in the Believers Church stream, which has traditionally stressed Jesus narratives and Christology and has seen the Trinity as a symbol of the bondage of mainline churches, Enns said.
This was the third Believers Church conference held in Canada, with the other 13 occurring in the United States.—Laura Kalmar for Meetinghouse
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By Laura Kalmar for Meetinghouse
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