33,000 protestant denominations?

Question

I see this number thrown around constant. However I have never seen one person give any proof. For instance a list of them all. Or is this a number someone made up just for shocks sake? Most protestants fall into one of the following descriptions. This is not a list of 33,000. So where does the 33,000 come from? Is it just Catholic propaganda?

* Adventists
* Anabaptist
* Anglican / Episcopalian
* Baptist
* Calvinist
* Charismatic
* Congregational
* Gospel Hall Brethren
* Lutheran
* Methodist / Wesleyan
* Non-denominational
* Pentecostal
* Presbyterian
* Quakerism
* Reformed
* Restoration movement
* Unitarian
* Waldensians

St Francis of Assisi - I am sorry the word propaganda upsets you. However it is pointless to deny that propaganda is used by both sides.

Anonymous Lutheran - I did not mean propaganda in a bad light. Protestant churches point out things against the Catholic church. Often things with no basis in reality. The Catholic church does the same to protestants. This is all I meant by propaganda. The number though is highly overblown.

Answer 1

Ask David Barrett. He's the one who came up with the 33,000 (and change) figure in his "World Christian Encyclopedia" (first published in 1983, updated in 2001). He is reportedly a born-again Christian.

I hadn't been aware of the Gordon-Conwell Seminary report, but it appears to back up Barrett.

The number does seem rather large. But it's all in the taxonomy, really. You've listed major denominational families, but within those families are religious bodies which are more than just branches of a larger organization; they are distinctly different. (The SBC, for example, is one such body -- the largest Baptist denomination, certainly, but only one of many worldwide).

Answer 2

Edge, that list doesn't even scratch the surface. Even so, the Catholic Church is using a different definition of the word "denomination" than Protestants use, and is doing so for the specific purpose of making a point. They define "denomination" as any body of Christians that acts independently in dictating its own doctrine and practices. If you want to call that "propaganda," then fair enough; but it is no more "propaganda" than saying a church is non-denominational when it plants new congregations under its own umbrella--and there's hardly a church in existence that doesn't at least have some sort of association along these lines.

Answer 3

I don't think is Catholic propaganda. Adventists, Anabaptists, Charismatic, Baptist, Unitarian, Quakerism, Pentecostal, Gospel Hall Brethren aren't Protestants. I guess you've heard this from someone who assumes everyone who isn't Catholic or Orthodox must be Protestant. But there are 40,000 Christian denominations. You can check that out at adherents.com

Answer 4

The catholic church was lucky to be supported by the ruling powers of that time. It does not mean they were right but just conformed to the needs of the rulers of that time. Protestants on the other hand had problems with the teachings of the catholic church. The catholic church realized earlier on that if it had to make everyone abide to its teachings, it had to have its own sponsored teachers whom it would control and manipulate. They also restricted the circulation of the bible and kept it out of reach to everybody who bothered to read. Protestants came in when brave christians questioned the teachings of the catholic church which could not be found in the bible. Things like worshiping through the rosary, baptism of infants, praying through mary and the like, etc. It is not true to have that number of protestant denominations unless you are new in the religious sphere. Protestant are largely divided on a few specific areas of doctrine. Much of the protestant movement belongs to the baptists, Pentecostals, methodists and the apostolic faith.

Answer 5

I have heard 2,300.

You can check registers and encyclopedias. Last I heard there were 107 Baptist religions (there is even a Seventh Day Baptist church as well as Free Will that doesn't teach predestinations).

Leo Rosten has a book called Religion in America. He interviewed the 79 biggest religion in the USA (most Christian) about their beliefs. He is a time life reporter and his book is about $14.00

The back of it has the headquarters address for many denominations including Church of Christ and others who aren't supposed to have one....

It has charts of different religions names etc., how many they have, etc.

Debbie

Answer 6

I don't know about about there being 33,000, but I do know that a Batpist is not just a baptist. For example, there are:

Independent Baptists
Freewill Baptists
Bible Baptists
Southern Baptists
Cooperative Baptists, etc, etc., each having a different belief system.

From what I understand, there are about 6,000 differing sects/religions claiming to be Christian.

However, Paul, by divine inspiration wrote;

"Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought. " -1 Corinthians 1:10

There is only one true faith. (Ephesians 4:5) If all "Christian" religions were really Christian, they would believe the same thing, for God does not teach lies nor does he teach contradictions. He is the God of truth.

Answer 7

I don't know. But that is still too many. Christ said this: If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand - Mark 3:24-25. What good can Christianity do with so many internal divisions? This doesn't mean that there aren't good faithful people in the churches. But we should consider; is our loyalty to Jesus or to the _____ church?

The true Church of Christ is a 'spiritual church.' This is one fellowship of believers and of one love. Faith is its requisite and it is built upon a foundation of stone. Man's religious foundation is one of sand. Only a foundation built upon Christ as the Chief Cornerstone will stand.

The faithful aren't the same as the 'religious'. They have more faith in Christ than they do the doctrines of man. That's why it would do us good to read the Testimony of Jesus ourselves than to partake in the objections and bickering of the churches who many of which have become corporate in nature. I'm learning this myself.

In an attempt to consummate a brotherhood of believers and universal fellowship many are trying to come together (ecumenism). In this they are abandoning sound doctrine for the sake of unity. This can become dangerous. We should wrap ourselves in the Word of God and find unity in Christ only.

God bless

Answer 8

But how many different Baptist churches are there? I've talked to a few different Baptist ministers, and none of them agreed 100% on principles and doctrine. So each of their congregations, in my understanding, would qualify as a seperate denomination.

Answer 9

The number comes from the Gordon-Conwell Seminary, a Protestant organization.

Here is a link to a summary of their research. The pertinent figures are about halfway down the second page.

http://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/globalchristianity/gd/IFMA_World_Trends.pdf

So now you know.....it comes from your very own community of non-Catholics.

One more myth exposed.

Answer 10

The books listing denominations that I have seen differentiate them by jurisdiction, not beliefs. So if there are ten Independent Baptist churches in one town, they are counted as ten different denominations.