Serbian Orthodox
Background Information for the Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church was established between the 7th-9th centuries A.D. Perhaps the longest process of conversion of all the early denominations, the Serbs were converted to Christianity not long after their arrival in the Balkans which were formerly occupied by various nomadic Germanic tribes like the Goths […]
Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church – Founded by Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew – 35-50 A.D. The origin of the Armenian Church dates back to the Apostolic age. According to the ancient tradition, which is well supported by historical evidence, Christianity was preached in Armenia as early as the second half of the first century by the […]
Vineyard Churches
Background Information for the Vineyard Church The Vineyard denomination was a Pentecostal group of churches originally founded by Ken Gullickson in 1974 as a group of small churches and bible study groups affiliated with Calvary Chapel. These groups existed in practical anonymity until 1982, when a charismatic seminary professor, Calvary Chapel Pastor, and former professional […]
Evangelical Free Church
Evangelical Free Church Background Information The Evangelical Free Church is Swedish/Danish in origin, the modern American EFCA was founded by a merger in 1950 between the Evangelical Free Church of America (Swedish) and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association. The Swedish group had its formal beginnings in Boone, Iowa, at a conference held in October […]
Church of God
Church of God Denomination Tree There could be a denominational family tree just for the Church of God alone that would nearly rival the size of the entire Christian Denominations tree. There is a Church of God founded in Tennessee, A splinter Church of God (Jerusalem Acres) a splinter from that splinter called the Church […]
International Church of Christ (ICC)
Background Information for the International Church of Christ The International Church of Christ (ICC or ICOC) is not to be confused with the mainline denomination “Church of Christ”. Prior to 1993, the ICC went by the name “Boston Church of Christ” disciples movement. This organization came under great scrutiny in the body of Christ for […]
Church of the Brethren
Founded by Alexander Mack in 1709 who believed and professed to express outwardly, a new faith inwardly. He led a group of followers from the Anabaptists and Pietists in Schwarzenau, Germany. Mack, along with 7 others asked to be baptized as an adult (despite Anabaptist influence, they had only been baptized as infants). This new […]
Is Pentecostalism a Denomination?
Todd asks if Pentecostalism is the oldest “religion” (denomination) within Christianity. I explain in detail what the difference is between a religion, sect, and denomination, tell him what the oldest denomination actually is and then where Pentecostalism fits in the Christian family tree of denominations.
Eastern Orthodox Churches
Background Information for the Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church wasn’t founded in the traditional sense of a Protestant denominationk rather, like the Roman Catholic church, it emerged as a distinct “sect” via the Great Schism of 1054 A.D. The Eastern Orthodox Church is not considered a Protestant Church at all because it existed […]
What is the Church? Christian Denominations
What is the Church? Denominations of the Historic Christian Church What is the Church? The following “family tree” timeline is based on historic schisms due to theological disagreements, reformation, or geo-political relocation. What is the Church? The denominational families listed on the timeline below only represent what some refer to as the “visible” church which […]
Christianity – What is a Christian?
What is a Christian? Overview of the Christian faith “What is a Christian?” is the key question that this page will answer. Christianity isn’t a given denomination nor is it a collection of denominations. All of the denominations, listed on our denominations page and chart, emerged from a root form of Christianity whereby they held […]
Where all the Christian denominations come from
The term “denomination” wasn’t really used until about the 16th-17th century when the Christian church saw a sudden explosion of ‘creeds’ within the orthodox protestant faith on the whole.