In the past four or five decades, Christian congregations and associations have sprung up with little or no ties to any of the traditional denominations, and some of these have become quite large.

The majority of these New Paradigm Christian bodies have originated in the United States since the 1980s, although the Unification Church in South Korea fits the model, as do some new denominations on the continent of Africa.

As the population of the United States shifted from rural and urban areas to the suburbs, residents of new developments often took it upon themselves to establish local churches without seeking denominational affiliation, and hiring pastors without consulting with denominational authorities.

Many of these churches operated independently for a time before being absorbed by one denomination or another, while others formed their own associations. Some entrepreneurial pastors responded to these population shifts by establishing congregations, in the 1980s and 1990s, that reflected the musical and social tastes of the baby boomer generation, and some of these have become mega-churches with memberships larger than a lot of denominations.

For the purposes of categorization, we will refer to these as New Paradigm churches.

Some of these churches have established official denominational connections, but are for the most part independent of denominational authority, more closely resembling other New Paradigm churches than other congregations in their denomination.

For the most part, these churches emphasize personal transformation or spiritual growth rather than traditional doctrines and practices.

Not all of these churches are new, however. In the early to mid-19th century, when the Midwest and Western regions of what is now the United States were settled, these new communities often took charge of their own church life. Too small to support congregations of multiple denominations, these communities often established churches that were responsible to the community rather than to a denomination. These are sometimes referred to as Community churches. Some of these churches were cooperative agreements between two or more denominations, but most have never had a denominational affiliation.

Community churches are generally more flexible than those affiliated with a denomination, more casual in dress, and more focused on family issues and concerns. Community churches also tend to depend more heavily on lay involvement, with pastors serving more as a resource than in an executive leadership capacity.

In more recent years, Community churches have been established to cater to specific types of people rather than geographically. These may include churches for American Indians, for people who identify with the Cowboy culture, and for long-distance truck drivers. These also, tend not to have a denominational identity and tend to be informal and without a strong doctrinal emphasis.

Mega-churches, on the other hand, are often led by a strong senior pastor, who becomes the face of the church. They offer a wide array of services under one roof, often including counseling, support groups, teen clubs, schools, movie theaters health centers, sports programs, restaurants, and business associations, as well as large auditoriums for worship services, which are often broadcast live, by radio or television, to an extended congregation.

The theology and practice of Community churches, Mega-churches, and other New Paradigm churches varies according to the beliefs of the senior pastor, but the Mega-churches tend to be evangelical and conservative.

In recent years, many New Paradigm churches have begun to advertise themselves as churches for people who don't like church. Some of these do not meet in church buildings but in private homes, or even online, and tend to be dismissive of traditional doctrinal positions or practices.

New Paradigm churches may include Mega-churches, Community churches, or other Christian associations that are not affiliated with an established denomination or fellowship, and these are the focus of websites that are listed in this category or its subcategories. New Paradigm churches whose reach is specific to a particular city or town, however, should be submitted to the Local & Global category representing that geographical location. Mega-churches, which may be located in one specific city, often have a national or international reach, as well as affiliated organizations or websites, and may be included in this category.

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