Christian denominations are religious organizations with names and a common structure or doctrine. The majority of Christians belong to churches, which, although they partially accept the existence of other groups, see this proliferation of aspects as a problem.
How many Christian denominations exist today
The existence of so many Christian denominations can be considered an indication of sectarianism. There is a non-denominational Christianity, which does not accept the diversity of Christian denominations. The most notable divisions are seen between the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the variety of denominations formed during and/or after the Protestant Reformation. (see article: History of the Catholic Church )
Denominations within the body of Christ must be distinguished from sects or false religions that are not Christian. For example, Presbyterians and Lutherans are Christian denominations, but Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are not, they can be considered sects that deny one or more essential points of the Christian faith. (See article: What it means to have faith in Christ )
All of these non-Catholic sects claim to be Christian and claim to follow the Bible, but they do not agree among themselves on crucial doctrines.
They differ on issues such as the exact nature of justification, human works, and sins, whether they are part of salvation, the free will of men, baptism in infants for their salvation, predestination, communion, confession to the Lord, the books of the New Testament apply or do not apply today, the hierarchical structure of the church, what role Bishops and ministers play, among other topics.
Names of the denominations
Currently, there are many denominations, differentiated from each other, some with slight doctrinal differences, but where they differ most is the styles of worship, adapted to the tastes and preferences of Christians. From the previous four, branches were born such as the Assemblies of God, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Nazarenes, Liberal Evangelicals, independent Bible Churches, and others.
Roman Catholics
The largest Christian denomination is the Roman Catholic. Catholics differ from Protestants on several important theological points, while Lutherans constantly seek doctrinal agreement with them.
Greek Orthodox
Next in second place, these separated from the Western Roman church in approximately 1504 AD. They did not agree that the pope was the highest leader of the church, as established by Roman Catholic Christianity.
Lutherans
This is the oldest denomination, of Protestant current, born with Martin Luther. They are based mainly on justification by Grace through faith.
Evangelicals
Historically, this is what the members of the movement that began with the ecclesial reform, which promoted Luther’s doctrine, are called. Protestant Christians and their churches are generically called this.
They are believers in the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), as well as in Jesus Christ as God incarnate and born of a virgin, and they also assure that there is a second coming of Christ for the final judgment and in the existence of heaven and hell. They have about 2 and a half million members, 58 religious associations, and about 2,500 pastors or ministers of worship.
Baptists (Immersionists)
Also of Protestant current, founded after the Reformation. They focus on the New Birth and the baptism by immersion of faithful believers.
Buddhists
It has its origins in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. They believe in the latent possibilities of man, in the elevation of the mind, which takes man to a superhuman pedestal or can, on the contrary, degrade him to a subhuman level.
Presbyterians
They are part of the family of Reformed churches within Protestantism, following the teachings of John Calvin, per the roots of the Scottish Reformation. Its foundations are the Old and New Testaments, its only infallible rule of practice and faith. (See article: How many books does the Old Testament of the Catholic Bible have )
Anglicans/Episcopalians
These have their origin in the Church of England, until the arrival of Saint Augustine of Canterbury at the end of the 6th century.
Adventists
This Christian denomination is markedly anti-Catholic. Get into the habit of keeping Saturday as the Lord’s Day, as established in the Old Testament. For some Christians, it is just a sect.
Protestant denominations
The Protestants were originally Christian groups, which distanced themselves from the Catholic Church because they thought it was making numerous theological errors.
They deny papal supremacy and the efficacy of the sacraments, as well as salvation by faith alone and not by doing good works, and the supreme authority of the Bible before Sacred Tradition (Sola Scriptura ).
The Protestant currents or denominations are divided as follows: Anabaptism, Calvinism, Quakerism, Evangelicalism, Plymouth Brethren, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Lutheranism, Methodism, Restorationism, Unitarianism and Waldensian Church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon church, is considered a Protestant church, even though it does not share its doctrines or identify as Protestant. This emerged in parallel with countless other American religions, such as the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as others included within the restorationism movement.
Denominations of sound doctrine
Sound doctrine is a concept and principle of life, which is known and used in the early church by true Christians, who fought against the heresies of their time. The best way to fight against these false heresies and teachings is with the knowledge and teaching of the Sound Doctrine.
The Christian who receives sound doctrine, lives by it and is nourished in the knowledge of God, his eternal plan with man and his creation, the purpose of his existence on earth as a creature redeemed by Him.
It is important to teach sound doctrine in churches, since it is vital for the spiritual health of faithful believers, their spiritual strength, and the power of heaven, to be able to fulfill the mandate of the immense and laudable work of announcing the Gospel, to every creature in these final times, before the Lord Jesus returns for his Church.
All these denominations or Christian groups have different customs, but not different doctrines. If there is any church teaching doctrine different from that of God, it is not a biblical church, even if it is teaching based on traditional concepts.
Before, the churches, for example, were independent, they did not have a central government, thus avoiding arrogance, but many denominations do have governments that exercise dominion and influence over them and many of their decisions are detrimental to the church.
Largest Christian denominations in the world
The Catholic religion continues to predominate in the world, although the context of the churches is very varied, and other beliefs and/or denominations are increasingly making their way.
Catholic Church
This denomination is the largest religious community in the world, with more than 1.2 billion believers.
Pentecostals/Charismatics
This Protestant denomination is based mainly on the worship of the Holy Spirit, manifested through spiritual gifts, such as “speaking in tongues”, the initial sign of Baptism with the Holy Spirit. It occupies an important position with about 200 million followers.
Methodists
They are Protestants, derived from the Anglican Church and based on the teachings of John and Charles Wesley. They lean towards the perfection of the Christian life and the Arminian principles of Salvation. About 90 million people follow it around the world.
Lutherans
Denomination of Protestant inclination, inspired by Martin Luther’s foundations on Christianity. He has about 74 million followers in the world.
Baptists
They believe in the need for personal faith in Jesus Christ to achieve salvation. They ask for baptism to enter the church, not as a duty but as a requirement to achieve salvation. Baptism is done by complete immersion in water. According to data from 2023, they had about 72 million faithful believers.
Adventists
These are the Christians who believe in the soon return of Christ, in a second coming. They generally refer to Seventh-day Adventists, an evangelical Protestant denomination. There are around 20 million believers.
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
They have around 15.6 million followers. It was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith, an American, in New York. It is based on The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and the revelations of its founder. It is considered a Christian denomination.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
It is a millenarian and restorationist Christian denomination, which is distinguished from the main aspects of Christianity. They base their understanding of the Bible on the New World translation of the Holy Scriptures, which is intended to sanctify the name of Jehovah. They have about 8.3 million loyal followers.
Christian denominations in Mexico
In Mexico, there are approximately 103 thousand religious associations, registered with the Mexican Ministry of the Interior. Of them, 102,368 are Christian, 92 are Eastern, 25 are Islamic, 22 are new expressions or denominations, and 10 are Jewish.
Among the Christians, the Evangelical Pentecostal Church predominates, followed by the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Church. While third place goes to Jehovah’s Witnesses.