Affirmation of inclusion in the body of Christ is the purest expression of denominations, but too often they encourage exclusion, says the international executive director of Word Made Flesh.
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Editor’s note: As the Christian landscape changes, leaders must ask and answer a new question: What’s the future of denominations? This interview is part of an occasional series that offers insight on this vital issue. To see the entire series, click here.
The mission organization Word Made Flesh brings together Christians from different denominations as part of its focus on “grass-roots communities of hope,” said Chris Heuertz, international executive director of the organization. In that way, the group strives to affirm what Christians have in common, he said.
Heuertz began working with Word Made Flesh in India after graduating from Asbury College in Kentucky in 1994. He has served as its international executive director since 1996. He is the author of several books, including “Simple Spirituality: Learning to See God in a Broken World” and “Friendship at the Margins,” co-authored with Christine D. Pohl.
He spoke with Faith & Leadership about the good and the bad influences of denominations, and why his organization rejected an ecclesiastic structure. The video is an excerpt from the following edited transcript.
Q: How does your organization, Word Made Flesh, see itself in relationship to Christian denominations?
We had years of conversations around whether Word Made Flesh was a church or was within the church or was a serving component of the church. We pulled together about 20 of our international leaders to talk about our mission, and landed on organizing ourselves around grass-roots communities of hope, rather than structuring ourselves ecclesiastically.
Affirmation of inclusion in the body of Christ is the purest expression of denominations. Sadly, the history of denominations is marked by exclusion. [At Word Made Flesh], we work toward affirmation by bringing Christians from different denominations together. It’s an experiment in reaching toward the center, where we place Christ in everything, and finding continuity.
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