A History of Church Denominations

For the first thousand years of its existence there was only one Christian belief.  There were no denominations until 1050 with the split of the Western and Eastern Church. From this time on there were two major branches of Christianity. These are known as the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

The next import division occurred in the 15^th century.  This division was the Protestant Reform.  This reformation was begun by Martin Luther and by 1529 the German princes who sought the freedom to choose the faith of their territory protested against the doctrine of the church and the denomination of Protestantism was born.

Those still in Roman Catholicism as the Reformation developed began to form various groups in other parts of Europe.  In Switzerland the teachings of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin and in Scotland with John Knox became Presbyterianism.  Also from Switzerland were the beginnings of Anabaptists today known as Amish, Quakers, Baptist and Mennonites?

Anglicanism was established in 1534 begun when Kin Henry VIII withdrew from the authority of the Pope and brought about the birth of Episcopalians.  In America Methodism based on John Wesley’s movement was around the same time.