The church that our Lord Jesus built is congregational.  This means the church of Jesus is to function as a self-governing assembly.  According to the scriptures, every local group of saints in the New Testament was autonomous. The head of the church, as all denominations and non-denominational churches alike know, is Jesus Christ.  However, if one claims allegiance to a creed, or a board of directors, or some other governing authority, a heiarchy is created, which is not based upon a Biblical premise. This placing of people above Jesus, is subverting the headship of Jesus, in a practical sense (even though one who has a creed may say, “but I believe the church’s head is Jesus, too”).

One common question that is asked by people with a discerning heart is, “where did we get so many different groups of people who claim to be serving the Lord in their own special way”?

It is helpful for Christians to realize the time, the place, and the founders, of these many different religious groups. In this article we will look at eleven different “mainstream” religious groups and Identify the historical features of these large religious bodies.

This article strives to answer the question, “what should a group of Bible believers call themselves? ”

In the U.S.A. we can drive around any town and see that there are signs after signs of different titles that various groups of people are calling themselves. But lets consider the church of the Bible and what the Lord has to say about the matter.