Church - Cross-Cultural vs. Non-denominational

Dear Fam,

The other day I was talking to a student about how a non-denominational is different from an inter-denominational church.

Non-denominational leaves the impression that there is no sound doctrine (of theology) that they follow which would result to a highly liberal church (often questionable by biblical scholars). So a Christian never knows if the church is legit and is also not trustworthy of the non-denominational Christian's faith. Is their faith built on the Rock? or on Sand?

Inter-denominational, on the other hand, implies that the church is made up of Christians who hold to different theologies (i.e. sound doctrine). So a baptist Christian and a presbyterian Christian could be in the same Inter-denominational church. A great example of an inter-denominational organization would be the para-church ministries like Campus Crusade for Christ and InterVarsity.

Both of these (non- and inter-denominational) can cause issues with spiritually growing strong though especially when it's time to move onto another church (because of a job transfer or other life changes).

But after finishing this conversation with the student and walking on home, I began to think about this new trend with churches (i.e. church plants) doing something similar to earlier church plants. Today's church plants seem to proclaim that they are cross-cultural (or aspire to) whereas yesterday's church plants proclaimed being non-denominational. If my observation is spot on, then what is causing this new church trend and what does cross-cultural mean? Is it realistic to be a cross-cultural church?

Often people will say that a non-denominational church is a denomination of itself. Does this also mean that a cross-cultural church is a culture of itself? Most likely to be true, if you ask me.

Having been raised in multiple cultures including German, American, Black, military, and non-military, I don't believe in "cross-culture" or "non-denomination". A person has a culture, whether it's made up of a few into a new one or only a single one. Similarly, a person has a denomination (structure, understanding of Scripture, doctrine supporting beliefs, etc.).

It almost sounds like cross-dressing. =p Yikes, we need to just focus on "identity" and understanding how the Lord created each of us to be unique while as a people with common needs. Ever wonder about how if we just respect each other the way God created each of us then we wouldn't have to make up new labels to emphasize the importance of valuing each other?

Anyhow, I'll have to continue thinking about this though before I can finish my thoughts on this topic. There are greater topics to talk about for now...