Ecumenism Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Christian denominations today=== Christianity has not been a monolithic faith since the [[Christianity in the 1st century|first century]], also known as the "Apostolic Age", and in the present day, a number of widely varied Christian groups exist, both within and without mainstream Christianity. Despite the division between these groups, a number of commonalities exist throughout their traditions, understanding of [[theology]], [[Ecclesiology|governing church systems]], doctrine and language. As such, many of these groups are visibly divided into different [[Koinonia|communions]] or [[Christian denominations|denominations]], groupings of Christians and their churches in [[full communion]] with one another, but to some degree set apart from other Christians.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population |publisher=Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life |access-date=February 21, 2019 |url=https://www.iclrs.org/content/blurb/files/Christianity-fullreport-web.pdf |date=December 2011 |via=International Center for Law and Religion Studies}}</ref> The [[World Council of Churches]] counts 348 member churches, representing more than half a billion members of the major Christian traditions.<ref>{{cite web|title=WCC Member Churches |url=https://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches|website=World Council of Churches|date=January 2018 }}</ref> This, with the Catholic Church's 1.25 billion Christians,<ref>{{cite web|title=World Mission Day: Catholic Church Statistics 2015|url=http://www.news.va/en/news/vatican-world-mission-day-catholic-church-statis-5|publisher=Official Vatican News Network}}</ref> indicates that 349 churches/denominations already account for nearly 80% of the world's Christian population. One problem with the larger numbers is that single denominations can be counted multiple times. For example, the Catholic Church is a single church, or communion, comprising 24 distinct [[Sui iuris|self-governing]] particular churches in full communion with the [[Pope|bishop of Rome]] (the largest being the [[Latin Church]], commonly called "Roman Catholic"). Further, the Catholic Church's presence in each country is counted as a different denomination—though this is in no way an ecclesiologically accurate definition. This can result in the one Catholic Church being counted as 242 distinct denominations, as in the ''World Christian Encyclopedia''.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Facts and Stats on '33,000. Denominations'|url=http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a106.htm#Catholics|website=Evangelical Catholic Apologetics}}</ref> Additionally, single nondenominational congregations or megachurches without denominational affiliation are effectively counted each as its own denomination, resulting in cases where entire "denominations" may account for only a handful of people. Other denominations may be very small remnants of once larger churches. The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing ([[Shakers]]) have only two full members, for example, yet are a distinct denomination. Most current divisions are the result of historical [[schism]]s—a break in the full communion between previously united Churches, bishops, or communities. Some historical schisms proved temporary and were eventually healed, others have hardened into the denominations of today. However individual denominations are counted, it is generally acknowledged that they fall into the following major "families" of churches (though certain parts of some Christian denominations, such as [[Quakerism]], may fall into the mainline category though the majority are evangelical Quakers):<ref name="AngellDandelion2018">{{cite book |last1=Angell |first1=Stephen Ward |last2=Dandelion |first2=Pink |title=The Cambridge Companion to Quakerism |date=April 19, 2018 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-13660-1 |page=290 |language=en |quote=Contemporary Quakers worldwide are predominately evangelical and are often referred to as the Friends Church.}}</ref> * The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]], and the [[Assyrian Church of the East]]; * The [[Catholic Church]] (The Catholic Church is a hierarchical religious institution of universal scope, and sees itself and proclaims itself as the one commissioned by Jesus Christ to help walk the spiritual path to God); * [[Mainline Protestant]] (including the [[Lutheran]] Churches, [[Moravian Church]], [[Anglican Communion]], [[Calvinism|Reformed Churches]], [[Waldensians|Waldensian Church]]es, among others) and [[Old Catholic Church]]es; * [[Evangelical]] (including the [[Baptist]], [[Methodist]] and [[Plymouth Brethren]] Churches) and [[Pentecostal]] Churches; * [[Restorationist]] sects ([[Irvingianism|Irvingians]], [[The New Church (Swedenborgian)|Swedenborgians]], [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Latter-day Saints]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Christadelphian]]s, [[La Luz del Mundo]], [[Iglesia ni Cristo]] etc.) (Non-Nicene Christianity)<ref name="Carson2020">{{cite book |last1=Carson |first1=D. A. |title=Themelios, Volume 44, Issue 3 |date=10 February 2020 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-7252-6010-8 |language=en |quote=From this nexus at Albury Park would eventually emerge the openly-restorationist Catholic Apostolic Church, in which both Drummond and London Scots preacher, Edward Irving (1792-1834), would figure prominently. Significant for the purposes of this discussion is the fact that the Catholic Apostolic Church would distinguish itself not only for its bold claim to exercise the charismata of the Apostolic age, but also for its lavish liturgies borrowed from the pre-Reformation church, both East and West.}}</ref><ref name="LewisMittelstadt2016">{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Paul W. |last2=Mittelstadt |first2=Martin William |title=What's So Liberal about the Liberal Arts?: Integrated Approaches to Christian Formation |date=27 April 2016 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-4982-3145-9 |language=en |quote=The Second Great Awakening (1790-1840) spurred a renewed interest in primitive Christianity. What is known as the Restoration Movement of the nineteenth century gave birth to an array of groups: Mormons (The Latter Day Saint Movement), the Churches of Christ, Adventists, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Though these groups demonstrate a breathtaking diversity on the continuum of Christianity they share an intense restorationist impulse. Picasso and Stravinsky reflect a primitivism that came to the fore around the turn of the twentieth century that more broadly has been characterized as a "retreat from the industrialized world."}}</ref><ref name="Bloesch2005">{{cite book |last1=Bloesch |first1=Donald G. |title=The Holy Spirit: Works Gifts |date=2 December 2005 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0-8308-2755-8 |page=158 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Spinks2017">{{cite book |last1=Spinks |first1=Bryan D. |title=Reformation and Modern Rituals and Theologies of Baptism: From Luther to Contemporary Practices |date=2 March 2017 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-351-90583-1 |language=en |quote=However, Swedenborg claimed to receive visions and revelations of heavenly things and a 'New Church', and the new church which was founded upon his writings was a Restorationist Church. The three nineteenth-century churches are all examples of Restorationist Churches, which believed they were refounding the Apostolic Church, and preparing for the Second Coming of Christ.}}</ref> In the [[United States]], the historic racial/ethnic churches are sometimes counted as a distinct family of churches, though they may otherwise fit into any one of the previous categories.<ref>{{cite web |title=Organizational Plan |url= http://christianchurchestogether.org/organizational-plan/ |publisher=Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A.}}</ref> Some of these families are in themselves a single communion, such as the Catholic Church. Other families are a very general movement with no universal governing authority. Protestantism, for example, includes such diverse groups as [[Adventism|Adventists]], [[Anabaptists]], Baptists, [[Congregational church|Congregationalists]], [[Evangelical Christianity|Evangelicals]], [[Hussite Church|Hussites]], [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]], [[Messianic Jews]], Methodists (inclusive of the [[Holiness movement]]), Moravians, [[Pentecostals]], [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]], [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]], and [[Waldensians]]. Many of these have, as a result of ecumenical dialogue, established full or partial communion agreements. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! 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