Are All Churches the Same?

Drive around any small town, especially in the Bible-belt, and you’re bound to notice that every corner has a church on it. The questions that often arise in response to seeing all of these churches are, “Why do we need so many churches (especially in small towns with such small numbers of people)? Don’t they all serve the same purpose?”

The answer is both yes and no.
 
Important Points of Clarification 
To begin answering the question, we need to first understand that there are several different definitions of what a church is. Often times, when people talk about church, they mean a building that people attend on Sunday mornings. While a church can be located in a physical space like a building, church is more than a location; it is a people group, God’s chosen people to be more specific. The church exists whether or not there is a physical place to meet in.  

Which brings us to another distinction we need to make; the capital C Church (also known as the universal Church) is all of God’s chosen people from all times and locations. Anyone who is in Christ is a member of the universal Church. At the same time that the universal Church exists, there are also small c churches (also known as local churches). Small local churches are congregations of God’s people located in specific geographical places. While every Christian is a member of the universal Church, Christians typically are only members in one local church. These are the people that you live out your everyday life with.
 
An important clarification to make here is that just because a building or group of people calls itself a church doesn’t mean it is. Remember the (universal) Church is a people group chosen by God, not a self-defined group of people or a physical location. Churches (local) also have a God-given purpose: to glorify God by spreading His Gospel message. If a group of people get together and call themselves a church but aren’t God’s chosen people and aren’t gathering for His purpose for them, they aren’t a church regardless of what they label themselves.

Reasons Why There Are Multiple Churches in an Area
All this to say, there are several reasons there are so many local churches. One reason is that not every church that calls itself a church is really a church. Other reasons could include logistical reasons like too many members for one building, requiring them to start a new local church, or even churches with different service times or seeking to minister to different people groups. There are all kinds of logistical reasons why there may be many churches in any given area.  
 
Another pretty substantial reason for many churches in an area is often doctrinal or methodological differences. As the Church, we believe the Bible is our source of truth and it is sufficient for knowing how to live in and interact with this world. However, as we come to that source of truth, different people interpret the application of that truth in different ways. The result of these differences in application is what churches call denominations.

For example, one church might believe we should sing traditional hymns as worship while another might believe we should sing more modern, contemporary music for worship. Another example might be that one church believes in infant baptism, while another holds to baptizing believers only. As people form their opinions on how to interpret the application of these teachings in the Bible, they end up in these different “methodological and doctrinal camps” which often become their own local churches.
 
Ultimately, because the Church’s mission is to glorify God by spreading the good news of the Gospel to everyone she comes in contact with and to thereby do good to everyone she encounters, the more churches we have, the better. The Church and local churches alike are blessings to their communities and the more presence they have in their locales, the better their communities are blessed.
 
If all churches can’t agree on what the Bible teaches, how can we believe anything they preach?
While all local churches may not agree on every instance of Bible application, it’s important to note what they do have in common. Remember, what makes a church a church is that they are God’s chosen people with a God-given purpose. This means that if a church is a part of the universal Church, they have agreed to a set of core values that all members of the universal Church agree to. These are foundational truths of the Gospel message: Jesus is the Son of God who lived a sinless life and died a sacrificial death and rose victorious over sin and death in order to save a people for Himself. Without believing these things, a church is not really a church, and they aren’t a part of the Church. These are non-negotiable truths.  

However, there are other doctrines and beliefs that we can agree to disagree on; things like service length and worship music. This is what differentiates many local churches from each other and helps to explain why there may be a large number of churches in a small population area.  

So how can you believe what they preach? This is why it is so important to read your Bible and not just take someone else’s word for it. There are many differing opinions on how to apply various Bible truths. But there is one Gospel message. As believers, we are called to examine the Scriptures for ourselves, to listen to and discern wisdom from our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to therefore, guided by the power of the Spirit, to arrive at an application of how we are to live out the Bible in our specific contexts. Which local church you end up in isn’t so important, so long as that church is a part of the big C Church, holding to the basic foundational truths of the Gospel message. It’s important to find a local church that aligns with your biblical convictions and that has good leadership that you can trust to lead the congregation in what the Lord calls it to.