Do you know who founded your church/denomination, when, and why?

Question

How Old Is Your Church?
If you are a Lutheran, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex- monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517.

If you belong to the Church of England, your religion was founded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry.

If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560.

If you are a Protestant Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England founded by Samuel Seabury in the American colonies in the 17th century.

If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582.

If you are a Methodist, your religion was launched by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1744.

If you are a Unitarian, Theophilus Lindley founded your church in London in 1774.

If you are a Mormon (Latter Day Saints), Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, N.Y., in 1829.

If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1605.

If you are of the Dutch Reformed church, you recognize Michaelis Jones as founder, because he originated your religion in New York in 1628.

If you worship with the Salvation Army, your sect began with William Booth in London in 1865.

If you are a Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religion was born and to Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy as its founder.

If you belong to one of the religious organizations known as 'Church of the Nazarene," "Pentecostal Gospel." "Holiness Church," "Pilgrim Holiness Church," "Jehovah's Witnesses," your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men within the past century.

If you are Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Jesus Christ the Son of God, and it is still the same Church.


Whether you agree with this last line or not the others are history. We share common roots.

Answer 1

Thanks for the research & info. It is important to understand that all Christian faiths have their ultimate origin in Catholocism. Most new churches were started simply b/c one person disagreed with something the original Church professed...and that's OK, I guess, so long as the followers understand that a regular human being founded their church, and not the Divine Christ. Christ founded one Church, the others are all offshoots that disagreed with His Church...

Now, that's not to say that Catholocism is flawless...there were some Popes who were immoral (at least one had some illigitimate kids), there's the whole deal of buying/selling indulgences, there were the Crusades (let's kill all those who aren't part of our Church...that's very Christ-like?!), and the Galileo embarrassment (but at least, a few hundred years later, the Church admitted they were wrong), not to mention the latest scandal of sex abuse by priests...

HOWEVER, as far as the CHURCH itself, and the tenets set down from the beginning, and things that are proclaimed "from the Chair", as infallible...all of those things ARE true, and are worthy to be followed. Not one of those flawed Popes ever spoke an untruth "from the Chair"; and even things like the ruling on birth control (which is, really, questionable) are not "from the Chair" rulings, but just "extra guidelines".

The point is that Catholocism is the only branch of Christianity that has its authority in St.Peter, who was hand-picked by Jesus to be the head of his Church. I'm sure other branches of Christianity do have good points, and do many good things; they just don't have the fullness of Faith that is found in Catholocism.

Really, ALL religions have something positive to contribute to our understanding of Reality; even Atheism (though it's not really a "religion" as it has no "god") teaches us that it is healthy to maintain at least a little skepticism; to not immediately buy into everything we hear...good advice! And any religion that promotes love of all living creatures, and treating others as you want to be treated, and do good things, and be helpful when you can, etc., obviously has some intelligent wisdom that can be gained from it.

Nobody said we were ALL supposed to fully understand EVERYTHING...and how nice when we can gently attempt to help others gain new insights or knowledge. This is how we learn, and grow, and "Spiritually evolve" :)

Peace.

Answer 2

I am a member of the church that was founded on the first Pentecost after the ressurrection of Christ. (Acts 2) On that day about 3000 all heard the same message, they all understood it the same way, they all believed it the same way, and they all obeyed it the same way. When they did this, they became Christians - nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

They were members of no denomination. In fact, no denomination existed at that time.

Today, if we read and understand what they understood, believe only what they believed, and obey only what they obeyed, without adding any man-made doctrine, then we will become only what they became - Christians!

Many churches who claim to be that same church no longer teach the same things. Jesus never changes, so our doctrine should not change (Hebrews 13:8-9)!

If two churches today teach different doctrines, then it can be said they are not both the same church. Likewise, if a church today does not teach the same things that the early church taught, then the modern church is not the same church that began on Pentecost.

We should speak where the Bible speaks, be silent where the Bible is silent, do Bible things in Bible ways and call Bible things by Bible names.

I became a member of the church in the same way those in Acts 2 became members of the church. The church I am a member of is organized as described in the Bible. We wear a name found in scriptures. We worship in the ways described in the Bible. We have no creed book, catechism, or source of authority other than God's word. We seek a "thus saith the Lord" for all that we teach and practice (Col. 3:17).

It does no good to trace your church to the original church through HISTORY if you cannot trace your DOCTRINE to the things the New Testament church was taught to believe and practice!

Answer 3

The Lord Jesus ordained the Apostles and then sent the Holy Spirit upon them. According to Mt. 16.17-19 and 18.15-20 demonstrate the authority Jesus gave to His followers. In Lk. 10.16, Christ taught that rejection of those He sends is rejection of Him. These and other Scriptures set in place the need, authority, and apostolicity of the Church.

So, the Apostles (and the Seventy) went out and ordained bishops (and still later priests) and created the diaconate. These in turn repeated what they were taught and ordained men, and so on. The Church has perpetuated herself in this manner for two thousand years in a manner that can be seen via the institution, records, and so on. He created an identifiable Church.

She has endured the Gnostics, the Arian heresy, the schism of the non-Chalcedonians, the rise of Islam, the rise of papal supremacy and its connected teachings, and still new challenges today. The authority and structure was placed within the Church so that she wouldn't be tossed too and fro by any novel doctrine, adhering firmly to the ancient Christian faith.

Answer 4

Many different people started the Seventh-Day-Adventist church. It started when William Miller made his prediction that Jesus would return in October of 1844. Many people believed him, and when Jesus didn't return, there was a great disappointment (hence this event being called the Great Disappointment). Some people got discouraged and gave up on God entirely, while others were content with the fact that Miller had simply made a miscalculation and continued the way they had been before. But another group wondered about what had gone wrong, and where Miller had gone wrong. So they met together and studied the Bible to find the error. When they realized that the prophecy that Miller had studied refered to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, not the second coming, they were curious about other issues, so they just kept on studying. They studied about the Sabbath, the state of the dead, justification vs. sanctification, and other issues. This group of people formed the Seventh-Day-Adventist church based on their findings from their Bible studies. Among my church's founders were Rachel Oakes, James and Ellen White, Joseph Bates, and numerous others. You can find out more about my church's history by logging on to the sites I've posted.

Answer 5

Anglican/Episcopalian, Elizabeth I 1558. It was a compromise church between the very protestant church of Edward VI and Mary I's Catholic church. The Episcopal Church was founded in the U.S. in 1784 by Bishop Samuel Seabury. Before that, it was still the Church of England.

Answer 6

Jesus founded my Church (the Catholic Church) around 33 A.D. and he founded it to spread the good news, which it does to this very day.

To those who claim Constantine founded the Catholic Church can you give me any historical evidence to show there was a huge fight between "Constantine's Catholic Church" and the actual Church. No you cannot, because though the Church may not have been called Catholic as a title (Catholic does mean universal so it fit the early Church) it was not any different than the unamed Church.

Answer 7

Yes. My church, a non-denominational bible teaching church, was founded in the 1970's, I believe. I am just re-reading a book about the "planting" of it, called "Harvest", and the astonishing stories of how many of the pastors, that began other Calvary Chapels, came to the ministry from lives that were in ruins. Every time I read this book, I cry over the power of God. Jesus truly does transform lives. There are now Calvary Chapels all over the world, teaching the word of God. I go to the original one, and the author of "Harvest" is still the pastor. I am a very fortunate person to sit under such good bible teaching.

Answer 8

I'm Lutheran Sweetie...Ya know what...I belong to a new Church that broke off from the parent church 10 years ago...for 3 years we met in a school gym...then we got big enough to build a Church...and now we are soooooo big, we started on an addition yesterday...Gods word is speading...and spreading fast...this is proof of it...Peace ....

Answer 9

i'm a Catholic. Jesus Christ himself is the founding father of the Church. The Roman Catholic Church is the single, genuine Church that replaced into based by skill of the Lord Jesus Christ unto Peter for the time of the Pentecost day. "And to you Simon, I call you Peter, and upon this rock i will construct my Church and the gates of hell shall no longer prevail against it". Matthew sixteen:18

Answer 10

Jesus Christ founded year 33. On the Cross in Calvary.

(Catholic)

Peace!