What Are Denominations Good For? Absolutely Something!

After a long hiatus, the Hillsdale History Protestant confessionalists are back to talk about denominations under the broader heading of institutional Christianity. Co-hosts include Korey Maas, resident Lutheran, Miles Smith, resident Anglican, and D. G. Hart, resident (alien) Presbyterian. A question that haunts confessional Protestants is whether denominations as a vehicle for ministry have run out of steam thanks to the rise of megachurches, affinity networks among congregations of a particular spiritual hue, and the appeal of social media in creating platforms for cooperation among like minded Protestants outside the formal mechanisms of a denomination. Relevant reading that informed the discussion were pieces by Aaron Renn, Jake Meador, and Ross Douthat on the Protestant mainline denominations. Also of relevance is the example of Tim Keller who was in the Presbyterian Church of America while also creating a number of vehicles for ministry outside the denomination. One last consideration is the work of Yuval Levin on the decline of institutions in American life more generally. As usual, listeners can follow Miles Smith and D. G. Hart on X (Twitter). Those who want to follow Korey Maas need to pound sand.