Potters House Christian Fellowship
The Potters House Christian Fellowship Church is not to be confused with T.D. Jakes “Potters House” Church which is completely different and is categorized as a Oneness Pentecostal cult which denies the Trinity of God and the person of Christ as God and Man. Background Information for the Potters House Christian Fellowship The Potters House Christian […]
Dutch Reformed Church
Background Information for the Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church was formed as a result of the Synod of Emden (1571) which took place in Germany because Protestant churches in the Netherlands were still under persecution by Catholic Spain. This Synod took place as the Protestant cause gained ground in the Netherlands’ revolt against […]
Millerites
Birthed by the teachings of a Deist turned Baptist preacher named William Miller who began in 1831 to declare that the second coming of Christ (The Advent) would occur sometime between 1843 and 1844. Despite many scoffers and doubters, he steadily gained followers and by 1840, these “Millerites”— between 50,000 and 100,000 in 1844 — […]
Shakers
Shakerism is more of a cult than a Christian movement in that this group’s founder, Ann Lee, believed and taught that she was the female incarnation of Christ and that the group was living in the “millennial” reign of Christ. They have also gone by the name United Society or United Society of Brethren. The […]
Old Believers (Russian Orthodox)
Background of the Old Believers Old Believers are a branch of Eastern Orthodox Christians in Russia who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church while rejecting the so-called reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow starting in 1652. The most prominant early leaders of the Old Believers were Avvakum Petrov and Ivan […]
Moravian Pietists
The Pietists – Emotion is Superior to Intellect Only a few decades later in the 17th century we see the emergence of the founder of a movement called “Lutheran Pietism”, Philipp Spener and his successor Nikolaus Von Zinzendorf. Philip Spener- Founder of Pietism Spener would spark this new movement with a written work in 1670 […]
Byzantine Rite (Eastern Rite Catholic)
The Byzantine Rite Church is part of the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, also known as Greek Catholic Churches. They were originally part of the Eastern Orthodox side of the Great Schism but emerged primarily through various historical reunions between Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church, with the most significant unions occurring in the […]
Disciples of Christ
Disciples of Christ Background The following slides provide a basic overview snapshot of the Disciples of Christ denomination which ultimately emerged from the Presbyterian denomination which puts it in the Swiss Reformation family of denominations. Founders / OriginsBarton Stone; Thomas & Alexander Campbell; merged in 1832Denominational FamilySwiss Reformers – due to Presbyterian roots. Officially structured […]
Puritans
Puritan Congregationalists or “Puritans” Information The Puritans are one of two Congregationalist movements which emerged from the Anglican Church in the late 16th early 17th centuries as a response to the “Great Compromise” of Queen Elizabeth. The Puritan congregationalists sought to “purify” the existing Anglican Church which was corrupted by its Roman Catholic roots. They […]
Amish Mennonite
Amish Information The Amish originated from within the Anabaptist movement in Switzerland and were founded in the 16th century by a man named Jakob Amman. They are widely known for their rejection of modern technology in order to avoid appearing anything other than moderate/plain. This enables them to focus more clearly on their relationship to […]
Mennonite Church
The Mennonite Church was one of the main branches to emerge from the Anabaptist movement. The name “Mennonite” comes from the leader Menno Simons (1496-1561), a former Catholic priest from the Netherlands who joined the Anabaptist movement in 1536 and became a prominent leader and organizer of a group of Anabaptists who as followers of […]
Denominations Family Tree Flowchart
Denominationalism vs. Biblical Christianity Christian denominations represent what some refer to as the “visible” church which can defined by ecclesiology of liturgy, tradition, architecture, culture, sight, sound, experience etc. This visible church of denominations (represented in the chart below) is not to be confused with the “genuine” (sometimes called “invisible”) church from a Biblical perspective. […]
Syriac Orthodox (Church at Antioch)
Syriac Orthodox – Church at Antioch Founded by the Apostle Peter at Antioch in 37 A.D. – Mentioned in Acts 11:26 The Syriac Orthodox Church is one of the most ancient Christian Churches tracing its roots to the Church of Antioch. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). The remnants of this […]
Saint Thomas Christians (India)
ST. THOMAS CHRISTIANS – Founded by Thomas the Apostle in India – Appx. 52-55 A.D. The Saint Thomas Christians are sometimes referred to as “Syrian Christians of Malabar” . Eusebius, the first Christian historian writes at the beginning of the 4th century about the travel, evangelism to, and martyrdom at the hands of the […]
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 […]