If you type into a search string the question “How many Christian denominations are there”, you will get the following top results….

• “Christianity is the world’s largest religion. It’s also incredibly diverse… there are approximately 45,000 different Christian denominations worldwide as of 2024 (details here).”
• Wikipedia offers a list of what they term “List of Christian denominations” that is not counted but seems to go on forever (details here). 
• “Estimations show there are more than 200 Christian denominations in the U.S. and a staggering 45,000 globally (details here).”

It seems the term “Christian Denominations” is broken down into three basic categories (details here)…

• Catholicism – 1+ billion followers. Under the Pope, Catholicism is the largest denomination.
• Orthodoxy – Found mainly in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. 
• Protestantism – Emerging from the Reformation, this group includes Anglicanism, Baptism, Lutheranism, Methodism, and Pentecostalism.

Where did the 45,000 Christian Denomination Number Come From?

The source of the 45k number seems to be the Center For The Study of Global Christianity (SGC, details here) which is a research group, part of Gordon Conwell University. 

According to their website, the SGC report draws their number of Christian denominations from census data where religious questions are asked as well as “data from religious communities”. To be frank, I have no idea what this means or how it is verified. However, the number has been picked up by several articles in reputable publications and broadcast as if it is fact. 

What is a “Denomination” 

Webster defines a denomination as, ”a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices.”

Wikipedia defines a Christian denomination as, “a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, worship style and, sometimes, a founder.”

The reality is that within any denomination, there are numerous variations of both theology and adherence to published beliefs and practices.

What Would God Think of all the Denominations

Of course, one can only speculate an answer to the question posed above. However, if Christianity is foundational to Christ and God has expressed His theology through the Bible as a love letter and instruction manual to mankind offered by the Creator of the universe, it is hard to defend 100 denominations, much less 45,000. 

If we go back to the early beginnings of Christianity, there was one foundation, one denomination…

1 Corinthians 3:11 – For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of Christianity, based on the New Testament, referred to as “the Way” (Acts 24:14), it was all about Jesus and His teachings, which, upon His sacrificial death, was continued by the apostles. At that time, there was a valiant attempt to maintain a consistent theology, made somewhat challenging as Christianity spread from the Jews to the Gentiles. 

Paul, in his attempt to expand the gospel to all nations and peoples, made the point that we all have different ways of viewing Christ and His teachings. Yet, regardless, we all ultimately end in the same theological place, which is faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9). Stating to the Corinthians…

1 Corinthians 9:22 – To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

This was not to offer a different theology to Gentiles vs. Jews, but more to recognize that each of us comes to faith from a different upbringing and worldview. It was always expected that regardless of where one came from, the place each was going to theologically land, would be the gospel Good News.

So What Happened to a Unified Christianity?

Put succinctly, the pride and general sin of man corrupted Christianity, no different than the Pharisees who corrupted the Old Testament by expanding on what Moses and the prophets wrote. Taking what one could write an encyclopedia on and boiling it down to a single paragraph…

Those in authority in the church attempted to limit knowledge of the Bible to a select class of Priests. Corruption and tradition began to take over the word of God. The frustration reached a breaking point during the Protestant Reformation when Protestants split from what has come to be known as Roman Catholicism. Theologians were released from the constraints of the Pope, and slowly given the freedom to discern the finer points of the canon (Bible). Since there was no longer a single source of interpretation of the Bible (the Pope), there began an explosion of differing views as a sinful mankind wanted to choose their own cocktail of Christian theology. Over time, each group split into finer and finer tribes based on minor doctrinal differences, which then metastasized into what each considered major differences. The underlying issue creating such an abundance of denominations was, and is that Christians remain prideful sinners, shallow in our ability to grasp the mind of an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God. As we try and fail, we tend to establish our own personal theology about who He is and what He expects from us. 

Where are we Today?

Today we find ourselves with perhaps 45,000 denominations and an even further fracturing between churches and individuals. This as we try to witness to seekers about our faith in God and an assurance of an eternity in Heaven. 

If Satan got his wish, how better to make Christianity impotent than with the infighting and hypocrisy of treating minor differences in theology as a basis for isolation between Christians? Then, over time, sadly for many denominations, minor differences have become major heresy. 

Even within the denominations that consider themselves “Evangelical Churches”, many have become so broken down and theologically destroyed that, in a recent Barna study, “half said they believed one can earn their salvation through good works” (details here). 

The only thing that might bring Satan more satisfaction would be a pandemic that further isolated Christians in their homes, out of the habit of fellowshipping together where just “two or more are gathered” in His name. 

Matthew 24:10-12 – And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

The truth is that “Denominational Identification Means Nothing to God” (short article here).