(Rom 1 - 1 Cor 12)
This week we read two of Paul's letters: Romans and First Corinthians. Both were authored by the same person and addressed to churches in Gentile territories; and yet, each is unique. There are some surface differences: for example, Paul had never been to Rome, but he had helped to plant the church in Corinth. But I do not think these are sufficient to account for the many differences.
Much of the letter to Romans is concerned with the ins and outs of salvation, especially as it relates to Jews and Gentiles. We know that there was a sizable Jewish population in Rome and that some of them converted to Christianity. Perhaps this is a reflection of some dispute that was going on between members of the church that came from these two different backgrounds?
In contrast, the first letter to the Corinthians deals with a number of issues, but not that one. Several of the early chapter in particular deal with relational issues between the sexes: immorality, marriage, even incest. It also seems to me that Paul deals with these issues with a much heavier hand than he does in Romans. Maybe that's because as their "spiritual father" (4:15) he felt he had more right to chastise them than those he didn't know as well?
In any case, this illustrates to me that no two churches are exactly alike. Churches are an amalgamation of its members and since those members are all unique, it only stands to reason that the resulting mixture will be unique. Even when they are in the same town, each church will have its own unique strengths and weaknesses, passions and preferences. I believe God designed it this way on purpose. As Paul reminds us in 1 Cor 12, a church is made up of many members (v. 12), each of who brings something to the table (vv. 7-10), but all of whom have been placed there by God (v. 18).
Rather than judging or looking down on another church because they don't do things the same way we do, we should rejoice in their differences - provided they are still committed to the gospel - because they have been designed by God to reach different people who will not respond as well to us. Instead, we should focus on doing what we must to reach those whom we have been best designed to reach.