International (MNN) — Christianity has split into many different denominations and factions over the two thousand years since Jesus’ ascension.
The Eastern and Western churches split nearly a thousand years ago, creating the modern Catholic and Orthodox churches. Protestants split from the Catholic Church, and the Protestant movement has itself splintered into thousands of different groups.
Should these different groups work together to accomplish the Great Commission?
Unity in the Church
Ed Weaver with Spoken Worldwide says yes. “Jesus’s prayer for us is to be unified. If we really want to be honest with one another, we have to say that that’s probably been the greatest weakness. I think our enemy really tries to find ways to divide us rather than allow us to be unified.”
“A unified Church, a unified Body of Christ, is formidable.”
Various churches and ministries often compete against each other for the same people, donations, and resources. But God has unlimited resources, Weaver says. If these groups work together with a unified goal, they can actually cover more territory.
Weaver tells a story illustrating this kind of collaboration. “I was in an event the other day, and a CEO of another ministry that does similar work to us was sitting at a table with me. One of his major donors was present. And he turned to his major donor and said, ‘You need to know what Ed and his team at Spoken are doing.’ Well, that floored me. What a great example!”
Pray for unity in the global Church. If you are involved with a church or ministry, open your heart to what God could do. Weaver says, “I personally have been blessed and encouraged. My stress level has gone down because I’m not worried about finances as much.”
Header photo courtesy of Spoken Worldwide.
