What does non-denominational mean?

The word sounds like it is describing what a church is against, which is why it confuses people. It is really describing a governance structure. A denominational church answers to a wider organization that sets doctrine, owns property in some cases, appoints or approves pastors, and provides a shared identity. A non-denominational church handles those things itself.

In practice that means decisions get made by the people who are actually in the room. What we teach, how we spend money, what we start and stop doing, all of that is decided locally rather than handed down. The trade off is that there is no larger body to lean on, so accountability has to be built deliberately rather than inherited.

What it does not mean is that the beliefs are loose or invented. Hue.Church holds to the things Christians have held in common for two thousand years. That Jesus is who he said he was, that he died and rose, and that this changes what a life is for. If you have been to a Baptist or Methodist or Presbyterian church, most of what you hear on a Sunday here would be recognizable to you.

It also does not mean we think denominations are a problem. Many of them are doing excellent work. Ps. Sam and Ps. Immanuel are third generation pastors whose parents lead a multi campus church across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India, so this family has a long history inside established church structures. Hue.Church being non denominational is a decision about how this particular church is organized in Santa Clara, not a judgment on anyone else.

For you as a visitor, the practical upshot is small. There is no membership requirement, no catechism to complete, and nothing you need to have grown up in to follow along.