“If the Bible is true, why are there so many denominations?” What Christian has not fielded this question? Yet there is an unspoken assumption behind this objection, namely, that having one denomination is somehow a good thing. I suggest that the opposite is true. Bigger is not always better.

“But didn’t the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, teach that there should be just one denomination? Wouldn’t the church be more effective if we had one central voice?”

When the churches were one

Before we explore these valid concerns, let me prime your mind by asking a few questions of my own. When most of Christendom was part of one denomination, how ideal were things? Before 1054 AD (when the Eastern Orthodox Church split from the old Western Catholic Church), the overwhelming majority of Christendom considered itself Catholic and somewhat loyal to Rome. Both forms of Christianity had wandered far from the simplicity of Scripture centuries before the split. Were Christian laymen mighty in the Scriptures? Was the gospel of salvation by grace through faith spreading throughout the world?

Reprinted from the American Council of Christian Churches Special Report, Fall 2009. It appears here unedited.

Central Committee Meeting of the World Council of Churches

August 26 – September 2, 2009 • Ecumenical Center, Geneva, Switzerland

The process to elect a new General Secretary for the World Council of Churches (WCC) was marked by mystique, intrigue, secrecy, and guarded doors, with cell phones and iPods checked prior to an entrance into the William A. Visser’t Hooft Plenary Hall. Only the 140 members of the Central Committee were permitted inside.

Earlier the Search Committee shared with the media that the two candidates being presented were the Rev. Dr. Park Seong-won, a Presbyterian from Korea, and the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit of the Church of Norway.

Several hours passed, and we later learned the method used in the restricted room. The first item on the agenda was for the Search Committee to give their report. This was followed by a speech from each of the two candidates. The actual voting was next. While the election was taking place, out in the lobby tables were being decorated, bottles of wine were chilled, and glasses made ready for the celebration toasts to begin. As soon as the doors were opened, the news spread rapidly that 48-year-old Dr. Tviet of Norway was chosen as the 7^th General Secretary. One report indicated he had been selected by a majority vote of 80 to 60. At his first press conference, Tviet outlined his vision and goals. He began by pointing to a display on the wall near him and referring to the words that were there. They were from John 17:21, “…that they all may be one.” He stressed there had been a spirit of unity that dominated the election process and hoped it would continue.