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Nondenominational movements create new denominations. This is an axiom of Church History.
This is true because people who say that they are against denominations generally aren't really against denominations; they're just against denominations that don't put them in charge of the denomination. So, the create their own denomination that does just that.
This is equally applicable, I think, to people who say that they aren't a fan of the institutional church. They're fine with institutions; they just want a church institution that (rightfully, in their view) lets them be in charge.
I think that among the most pressing needs in American Christianity is the need to recover an appetite for submission and apology. In my estimation, a great deal of our turmoil and schism on the macro- and micro- scales of the churches is a symptom of these weaknesses.
Apology is held in general disdain precisely because it is a submissive act. This is why so many "apologies" that fail do so. Non-apology apologies are attempts at apology without submission. They reek, and everyone can smell it.
The only fans of these apologies are people who would've supported not making any apology at all.
Some of these anti-denominational or anti-institutional-church folks view submission or apology the way that a coyote views a steel trap—they'd chew off an appendage before they would ever submit to anyone's authority. And so, they produce legless, armless churches.
This phenomenon touches every problem we've seen in the Southern Baptist Convention. Peacemaking is hard among people who disdain biblical submission and who will fight to the death not to apologize for wrongdoing.
How often do I offer a genuine apology, taking responsibility for wrong that I've done, expressing sorrow over my own sinfulness, and submitting myself to the one from whom I seek forgiveness? For any follower of Christ, I'm convinced the answer should be "Frequently."
Growth in this area is a high priority for me, because it affects so much else. The rebellious heart cannot, without becoming angry, hear the very sermons it needs the most. It cannot read the Bible with an open heart. This kind of pridefulness earns God's resistance.
The prideful, rebellious heart cannot make peace with others, cannot extend forgiveness in a biblically gentle way, cannot be discipled by anyone, and cannot brook disagreement.
The submissive heart and the tongue ready to make apologies, therefore, are not signs of weakness. No, much to the contrary, they are the gymnasium in which God makes us stronger.
