Jump to content

List of megachurches in the United States

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sirfurboy (talk | contribs) at 08:06, 24 November 2022 (Undid revision 1123496517 by 116.15.203.107 (talk) Not an improvement). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This is a list of the largest megachurches in the United States with an attendance of more than 10,000 weekly, sometimes also termed a gigachurch.[1][2] According to that The Hartford Institute's database, approximately 50 churches had attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000 in 2010.[3] The same source also lists more than 1,300 such Protestant and Evangelical churches in the United States with a weekly attendance of more than 2,000, meeting the definition of a megachurch.[4]

As the term megachurch in common parlance refers to Protestant congregations; although there are some Roman Catholic parishes which would meet the criteria, they are not listed.[5] St Ann's in Coppell, Texas, would be near the top, with almost 30,000 registered parishioners in 2013.[6] St Matthew's Catholic Church in the Ballantyne neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina likewise has been described as a Catholic megachurch.[7] with nearly 36,000 registered members in 2017 and 11 weekly masses.[8] However weekly attendance figures may be lower than the number of registered parishioners, and the differences in way the churches operate and the way attendance is counted are given as reasons for not including Catholic churches in lists of megachurches.[3]

Membership numbers of the following churches give only a very rough indication of size. They vary from year to year. Also, some churches report typical Sunday attendance while others report the number who are listed in church records or make financial contributions, which may be higher. Some of the larger churches are multi-site churches. Many churches deliver their message through television or other media, sometimes reaching much higher numbers than those who physically attend the church.

List

Note that the attendance numbers are often provided by the church itself, and may be unreliable.

Church City[a 1] State Senior pastor(s) Av. weekly attendance[a 2] Denomination Multi-site? (No.) Ref
Abundant Living Faith Center El Paso TX Charles Nieman 12,400 Non-denominational
Ada Bible Church Ada MI Jeff Manion 10,000 Non-denominational Yes (4+1 online)
Bayside Community Church Bradenton FL Randy and Amy Bezet 12,000 Non-denominational Yes (8)
Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa[9] Costa Mesa CA Brian Brodersen 9,500 Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale FL Doug Sauder 18,500 Calvary Chapel Yes (9+1 online)
Calvary Chapel Golden Springs Diamond Bar CA Raul Ries 12,000 Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel Melbourne West Melbourne FL Dave Folkerts 10,000 Calvary Chapel Yes (3+1 online)
Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia Philadelphia PA Joe Focht 14,000 Calvary Chapel
Calvary of Albuquerque Albuquerque NM Skip Heitzig 16,800 Calvary Chapel
Calvary Community Church Phoenix AZ J. Mark Martin 11,400 Calvary Chapel Yes (2+1 online)
Celebration Church Jacksonville FL Tim Timberlake 11,100 Non-denominational Yes (9+1 online)
Central Christian Church Henderson NV Jud Wilhite 21,100 Christian churches and churches of Christ Yes (9+1 online)
Christ Fellowship Palm Beach Gardens FL Todd & Julie Mullins 27,000 Evangelical Yes (11+1 online)
Christ's Church of the Valley Peoria AZ Ashley Wooldridge 35,000[10] Non-denominational Yes (14+1 online)
Christian Cultural Center New York NY A. R. Bernard 32,000[11] Non-denominational Yes (1 + 1 online)
Church of Eleven22 Jacksonville FL Joby P. Martin 12,000 Non-denominational Yes (6)
Church of the Highlands Birmingham AL Chris Hodges 52,000 Non-denominational Yes (20 + 1 including online)
Church on the Move Tulsa OK Whit & Heather George 11,000
Church Unlimited Corpus Christi TX Bil Cornelius 12,000 Non-Denominational Yes (9)[12]
City of Refuge Gardena CA Noel Jones 10,000 Pentecostal Assemblies of the World
Community Bible Church[13] San Antonio TX Ed Newton[14] 14,000 Non-denominational Yes (at least 2+1 online)[15]
Cross Church Springdale AR Nick Floyd 16,000 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (5)
Crossings Community Church Oklahoma City OK Marty Grubbs 10,000 Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) Yes (2 + Online)
Crossroads Church – Cincinnati[16] Cincinnati OH Brian Tome 38,000 Interdenominational Yes (13 + online)
Deliverance Evangelistic Church Philadelphia PA Glen Spaulding 11,000 Non-denominational
Dream City Church[17] Phoenix AZ Tommy Barnett, Luke Barnett 21,000 Assemblies of God Yes (5)
Eagle Brook Church Lino Lakes MN Jason Strand 25,340[18] Converge (Baptist denomination) Yes (8 + online)
Eastern Star Baptist Church Indianapolis IN Jeffrey Johnson 10,000
Ebenezer AME Church Fort Washington MD Grainger Browning, Jr. 10,000 African Methodist Episcopal Church
El Rey Jesús (King Jesus International Ministry) Miami FL Guillermo Maldonado 12,500 Non-denominational/Pentecostal
Elevation Church Charlotte NC Steven Furtick 26,000[19] Southern Baptist Convention Yes (21)[19]
Empowerment Temple Baltimore MD Pastor GJ Barnes 10,000 African Methodist Episcopal Church
Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Philadelphia PA Alyn E. Waller 15,000 Yes west
EPIC Church International Sayreville NJ John J. Wagner 10,100 Non-denominational
Faith Landmarks Ministries Richmond VA Randy Gilbert 10,000
Family Christian Center Munster IN Steve Munsey 15,500 Non-denominational
Fellowship Church Grapevine TX Ed Young, Jr. 24,162[20] Southern Baptist Convention Yes (9 + online)
First African Methodist Episcopal Church Los Angeles CA J. Edgar Boyd 10,000 African Methodist Episcopal Church
First Baptist Church of Glenarden Upper Marlboro MD John Jenkins 10,548 Converge (Baptist denomination)
First Baptist Church of Hammond Hammond IN John Wilkerson 17,700 Baptist
First Baptist Church Orlando Orlando FL David Uth 16,000 Southern Baptist Convention
Flatirons Community Church Lafayette CO Jim Burgen 19,000 Non-denominational evangelical Yes (Main Campus, 5 satellite, & Online Livestream)
Fountain of Praise Houston TX Remus Wright 11,800
Free Chapel Gainesville GA Jentezen Franklin 25,000[21] Church of God Yes (7 + TV + online)[22]
Gateway Church Southlake TX Robert Morris 100,000[23] Non-denominational Charismatic Yes (10 + online + prison campuses)
Germantown Baptist Church[24] Germantown TN Tommy Vinson, Interim Preacher 12,000 Baptist
Grace Community Church Sun Valley CA John MacArthur 9,300 Non-denominational, Evangelical Yes (1+1 online)
Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York[25] New York NY Floyd Flake 20,000 African Methodist Episcopal Church
Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist New Orleans LA Paul Morton 10,000 Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
Green Acres Baptist Church Tyler TX David Dykes 14,000 Southern Baptist Convention Yes
Harvest Christian Fellowship Riverside CA Greg Laurie 15,000 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (6)
Healing Place Church Baton Rouge LA Mike Haman 12,000 Non-denominational Yes (13)
Hickory Grove Baptist Church Charlotte NC Clint Pressley 11,900 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (3)
Hope City Church Houston TX Jeremy and Jennifer Foster 12,000 Non-denominational Yes (4)
Hope Community Church Raleigh NC Jason Gore 15,000 Non-denominational Yes (4)
Hopewell Missionary Baptist Norcross GA William L. Sheals 16,000 Baptist
James River Church Springfield MO John Lindell 17,000 Assemblies of God Yes (5) (4 physical + 1 online)
Redemption Church[26] San Jose CA Ron Carpenter 14,000
Kensington Church Troy MI Steve Andrews 15,000 Non-denominational Yes (7)[27]
King's Cathedral and Chapels Kahului HI James Marocco & Colleen Marocco 30,000 Assemblies of God Yes (360)[28]
Lake Pointe Church Rockwall TX Josh Howerton 11,300 Southern Baptist Convention
Lakes Church[29] Lakeland FL Dr. Aaron D. Burgner 9,000 Southern Baptist Convention
Lakewood Church Houston TX Joel Osteen 45,000[30] Non-denominational
Legacy Church Albuquerque NM Steve Smotherman 10,100 Non-denominational
LibertyLive.church Hampton VA Dr. Grant Ethridge 10,000 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (7 + 1 Online)
LCBC Manheim PA David N. Ashcraft 17,000 Non-denominational Yes (15 + Online)
Life.Church Edmond OK Craig Groeschel 72,500[31] Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) Yes (42 + online)
Living Word Christian Center Chicago IL Bill Winston 18,000 Non-denominational
Lutheran Church of Hope West Des Moines IA Mike Housholder 10,600 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Mariners Church Irvine CA Eric Geiger 13,600 Non-denominational Evangelical Yes (3 + 2 campus plants + 1 online)
Mars Hill Bible Church Grandville MI AJ Sherrill 10,000 Non-denominational
McLean Bible Church McLean VA David Platt 16,500 Non-denominational[32]
Mount Zion Baptist Church Nashville TN Joseph W. Walker III 13,000 Baptist
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Lithonia GA Jamal H. Bryant 12,000 Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
New Hope Christian Fellowship Honolulu HI Wayne Cordeiro 14,500 Foursquare Church Yes (>100 + online)
New Life Church Conway AR Rick & Michelle Bezet 18,000[33] Non-denominational Yes (17)
New Life Covenant Church Chicago IL John F. Hannah 20,000 Non-denominational Yes (3)
New Light Christian Center Church Houston TX Ira V. Hilliard 20,000 Non-denominational
NewSpring Church Anderson SC Brad Cooper, Shane Duffey, Michael Mulliken, Tyler Tatum, David Hall 20,500[34][35] Southern Baptist Convention[citation needed] Yes (20 + 1 online)
North Coast Church[36] Vista CA Larry Osborne, Chris Brown 10,000 Evangelical Free Church of America Yes (5)
North Point Community Church Alpharetta GA Andy Stanley 30,000[37] Non-denominational Yes (8 in Atlanta, and 90 partner churches)[37]
Oak Hills Church San Antonio TX Travis Eades, Max Lucado 9,500 Non-denominational Yes (6)
One Community Church Plano TX Conway Edwards 10,000 Non-denominational Yes (4+1 online)
Parkview Christian Church[38] Orland Park IL Tim Harlow 9,800 Non-denominational Yes (3 + 1 online)
Pinelake Church[39] Flowood MS Chip Henderson 9,100 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (5)
Potential Church[40] Fort Lauderdale FL Troy Gramling 12,000 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (7)
The Potter's House Dallas TX T. D. Jakes 16,100 Non-denominational Yes (3)
Prestonwood Baptist Church Plano TX Jack Graham 15,800 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (2 + online)[a 3]
Quest Community Church Lexington KY Pete Hise 10,000 Christian and Missionary Alliance Yes (3 + 1 online)
Relentless Church[41] Greenville SC John Gray 14,000 International Pentecostal Holiness Church
River Church[42] Anaheim CA Dante Gebel 10,000 Assemblies of God
River Valley Church[43] Apple Valley MN Rob Ketterling 9,500 Assemblies of God Yes (9 + 1 international)
The Rock Church & World Outreach Center[44] San Bernardino CA Dan Roth 18,000[45][better source needed] Non-denominational
Rock Church San Diego CA Miles McPherson 12,900 Non-denominational Yes (4+1 online)
Saddleback Church[20] Lake Forest CA Rick Warren 22,100 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (14 + 4 international +1 online)
Sagebrush Church[46] Albuquerque NM Todd Cook 20,000 Non-denominational Yes (9+1 online)
Sagemont Church Houston TX John D. Morgan 17,700 Southern Baptist Convention
St. Matthews Baptist Church Williamstown NJ Raymond Gordon Sr. 13,000 Baptist
St. Stephen Church Louisville KY Kevin Cosby 10,700 Baptist Yes (3)
Salem Baptist Church Chicago IL James Meeks 10,100 Baptist
Sandals Church Riverside CA Matt Brown 15,000 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (8)
Sarang Community Church of Southern California Anaheim CA Chang Soo Ro 11,000[47] Presbyterian Church in America
Seacoast Church Mount Pleasant SC Josh Surratt 10,000[citation needed] Interdenominational Yes (13+1 online)
Second Baptist Church Houston Houston TX Ed Young Sr. 23,700[48] Southern Baptist Convention Yes (6 campuses + online)
Southeast Christian Church Middletown[a 4] KY Kyle Idleman 25,940[49] Christian churches and churches of Christ Yes (6 + 1 in development)
Southland Christian Church Nicholasville[a 5] KY Jon Weece 12,600 Christian churches and churches of Christ Yes (4)
Substance Church[50] Minneapolis MN Peter and Carolyn Haas 12,000 Non-Denominational (ARC)
Triumph Church[51] Detroit MI Solomon W. Kinloch, Jr 11,600 Missionary Baptist Yes (4)
12Stone Church Lawrenceville GA Kevin Myers 17,200 Wesleyan Church Yes (8) and 1 online
Valley Bible Fellowship Bakersfield CA Ron Vietti 10,300
Victory Christian Center Tulsa OK Paul Daugherty 9,300 Non-denominational
Victory Church[52] Norcross GA Johnson Bowie 10,200 Non-denominational[53] Yes (3)
The Village Church Highland Village TX Matt Chandler 10,200 Southern Baptist Convention Yes (3)[a 6]
Watermark Community Church Dallas TX Todd Wagner 11,000 Non-denominational Yes (4)
West Angeles Cathedral Los Angeles CA Charles E. Blake 24,000[54] Church of God in Christ
Willow Creek Community Church South Barrington IL Dave Dummitt 18,000[55] Non-denominational Yes (7)
Woodlands Church The Woodlands TX Kerry Shook 18,400 Southern Baptist Convention
Woodside Bible Church[56] Troy MI Chris Brooks 10,500 Baptist heritage Yes (14+1)
World Changers Church Int. College Park GA Creflo and Taffi Dollar 14,000 Pentecostal, Word of Faith
World Overcomers Christian Church Durham NC Andy Thompson 15,000 Non-denominational Yes (4)
World Harvest Church Columbus OH Rod Parsley 13,000 Pentecostal
World Outreach Church Murfreesboro TN Allen Jackson 15,000[57] Non-denominational

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The "City" column indicates where each listed church has its main location.
  2. ^ Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
  3. ^ Prestonwood also operates two Spanish congregations, one at its main campus in Plano and the other in Lewisville under a facility arrangement with an existing Southern Baptist congregation which has no other ties to them.
  4. ^ Although Southeast Christian has a Louisville mailing address, its main worship complex is within the city limits of Middletown. The governments of Louisville and surrounding Jefferson County merged in 2003, but Middletown and the 82 other cities (apart from Louisville) in Jefferson County retained separate city limits and some governmental powers.
  5. ^ Although Southland Christian is historically associated with Lexington, it moved to an unincorporated area of Jessamine County, about a half-mile (800 m) from the Lexington boundary, in 1981. The church long maintained a Lexington mailing address, but now has a Nicholasville mailing address. Southland opened a new satellite campus in Lexington in 2013.
  6. ^ Village previously operated three additional campuses, in Denton, Dallas, and Plano, but those congregations are now independent; Village plans to spin off its two campuses in Fort Worth and Southlake in the future.

References

  1. ^ Alicia Budich, cbsnews.com, From Megachurch to "Gigachurch", USA, April 6, 2012
  2. ^ Ed Stetzer, Newspaper christianitytoday.com, Megachurch Research - Terminology, USA, October 9, 2008
  3. ^ a b "Hartford Institute for Religion Research, database of Megachurches". Hirr.hartsem.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  4. ^ Bryan S. Turner, The New Blackwell Companion to the Sociology of Religion, John Wiley & Sons, USA, 2010, p. 251
  5. ^ "The Definition of a Megachurch". Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  6. ^ "Welcome to St. Ann Catholic Parish". Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  7. ^ Boll, Jamie. "Inside Charlotte's St. Matthew, the largest Catholic Parish in the U.S." wbtv.com.
  8. ^ Martin, Edward (March 1, 2020). "Churches face waning influence in state". Business North Carolina.
  9. ^ "Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa". Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  10. ^ "About CCV | Christ's Church of the Valley | CCV". ccv.church. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  11. ^ "About Us". Christian Cultural Center. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  12. ^ "Bay Area Fellowship - Campuses". Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  13. ^ "WE ARE CBC". www.communitybible.com. October 3, 2020.
  14. ^ "Pastors | Community Bible Church". www.communitybible.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  15. ^ "Community Bible Church". www.communitybible.com.
  16. ^ "Outreach 100 Largest Churches 2015 - OutreachMagazine.com OutreachMagazine.com". www.outreachmagazine.com.
  17. ^ "Dream City Church". Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  18. ^ "twincities.com". Eagle Brook Church. March 16, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Quick Facts". Elevation Church. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Abrahamsen, Elizabeth (November 17, 2017). "10 Largest Megachurches in Texas". Wide Open Country.
  21. ^ "Jentezen Franklin: 'We're unplugging everything. We're going back to the raw gospel.'". March 18, 2020.
  22. ^ "Inspiring People to Live for Jesus | Free Chapel". Inspiring People to Live for Jesus | Free Chapel.
  23. ^ "About Us". Gateway Church. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  24. ^ Stout, Cathryn (October 16, 2007). "Germantown Baptist eyes new pastor". Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  25. ^ "Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York". Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  26. ^ "Jubilee Christian Center". Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  27. ^ "Kensington Church - Times & Locations". Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  28. ^ "Embrace Conference | KINGSCENTRAL.NET". King's Central.
  29. ^ "First Baptist Church at the Mall is now Lakes Church". The Ledger. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  30. ^ Cochran, Amanda (December 3, 2021). "Lakewood Church: The Houston megachurch by the numbers". KPRC. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  31. ^ "Covenant Yearbook (2019-2020) – ECC | Resources". November 12, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  32. ^ https://mcleanbible.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SBC_Letter.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  33. ^ "Outreach 100: New Life Church". outreach100.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  34. ^ "NewSpring Church Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  35. ^ Davis, Angelia L. "NewSpring Church praised by members for its revival of in-person services". The Greenville News. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  36. ^ "2012 Outreach 100 Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches in America" (PDF). Retrieved May 13, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  37. ^ a b "North Point Ministries". North Point Ministries. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  38. ^ "Parkview". Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  39. ^ "Pinelake Church History". Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  40. ^ "Potential Church". Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  41. ^ "Welcome". Relentless Church.
  42. ^ "River Church". Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  43. ^ "River Valley Church". Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  44. ^ "Home". The Rock Church.
  45. ^ "Outreach 100: The Rock Church". outreach100.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  46. ^ "Sagebrush Church". www.sagebrush.church.
  47. ^ "largest Korean churches in North America". Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  48. ^ "Top 100 Largest Churches in America - SermonCentral.com". www.sermoncentral.com.
  49. ^ "Year at a Glance: An Analysis of Growth". The Southeast Outlook. Middletown, KY: Southeast Christian Church. February 7, 2019. p. 11. Retrieved April 14, 2019. This number reflects the average weekend attendance at all campuses for 2018.
  50. ^ "Substance Church". Substance Church. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  51. ^ "Triumph Church, Detroit Michigan". Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  52. ^ "Victory World Church in Norcross celebrates anniversary". February 19, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  53. ^ "Victory World Church". Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  54. ^ "About | West Angeles COGIC". West Angeles. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  55. ^ Perry, Abby. "Willow Creek and Harvest Struggle to Move On". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  56. ^ "Woodside Bible Church - Warren Campus". Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  57. ^ "10 largest churches in Nashville area". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_megachurches_in_the_United_States&oldid=1123538571"