Second Baptist Church Houston
| Second Baptist Church Houston | |
| Country | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Southern Baptist Convention |
| Website | http://www.second.org/ |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Dr. Ed Young |
Second Baptist Church Houston is a megachurch in Houston, Texas, USA affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention that has a membership of over 53,000. Its senior pastor is Dr. Ed Young.[1] Second Baptist Church is aligned with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, which broke away from the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 1998.[2] A 2008 survey by Outreach magazine gave attendance at 23,659.[3] In 2009 average weekly attendance was 22,723, making it the largest Baptist church in the country and the 5th largest church.[4]
Contents |
[edit] First campus
The church was founded in 1927.[5] In 1946 the church sponsored foundation of the Second Baptist School as a self-supporting agency.[6] The school occupies a 42-acre (170,000 m2) campus in the Memorial area and is open to students without regard to race, religion, or economic background.[7] In 1957, Second Baptist moved west to the current main location at 6400 Woodway Drive in Houston.[5] The Woodway church boasts a pipe organ with 192 stops and 10,412 total pipes, one of the largest in the world.[8]
In 1979 the church launched a weekly broadcast of worship services on local television. In 1982 a local radio program began, as well as national TV broadcasting. Since then this has expanded into international television, radio and internet distribution of the church's message.[9] The church participates in the Faith Comes By Hearing Audio Bible listening program.[10]
[edit] Expansion
In 1999 Second Baptist opened the West Campus. The West Campus has a 4,500-seat worship center with separate buildings for educational programs, weddings, funerals, and other events.[11] It includes a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) classroom facility and a 600-seat black box theater.[12] In 2004 Forest Cove Baptist Church joined Second Baptist and was renamed the North Campus, and satellite campuses in Pearland and northwest Houston were established in 2006.[citation needed]
Under the leadership of Ed Young the church grew from an average weekend attendance of 500 in 1978 to over 24,000 today.[5] The church has been described by its pastor as "a town within a city", with an annual budget of $55 million. In addition to worship facilities it has fitness centers, bookstores, information desks, a café, a K-12 school and free automotive repair service for single mothers.[13]
In February 2006 the Second Baptist Church pledged $84 million to expand its three sites in the Houston area and to add others by using movie theaters across the United States.[14]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Second Baptist Church". Second Baptist Church Houston. http://www.second.org/. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ Ken Camp (January 20, 2006). "Houston Baptist University president to retire". The Baptist Standard. http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4580&Itemid=134. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ^ "Top 100 Largest Churches". Outreach Magazine. http://www.sermoncentral.com/articleb.asp?article=top-100-largest-churches. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "Baptist churches’ size, growth rank among top in U.S.". The Alabama Baptist. October 8, 2009. http://www.thealabamabaptist.org/print-edition-article-detail.php?id_art=13018&pricat_art=8. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Second Baptist Church". SiteCore. http://www.sitecore.net/en/Customers/Case-Studies/Second-Baptist-Church.aspx. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "About SBS: Past Present and Future". Second Baptist School. http://www.secondbaptistschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=106193. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "Second Baptist School". Houston Area Independent Schools. http://houstonprivateschools.org/default.aspx?menuitemid=183&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "The World's Largest Pipe Organs Ordered by number of ranks". TheatreOrgans.com. http://www.theatreorgans.com/laird/top.pipe.organs.html. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "Second Baptist Church: Ed Young". Goodnewsline.com. http://goodnewsline.com/megachurch/5/SecondBaptistChurch/. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "Second Baptist Church Of Houston Takes Bible Listening Challenge". Faith Comes By Hearing / Hosanna. December 22, 2008. http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/second-baptist-church-houston-takes-bible-listening-challenge. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "Second Baptist Church Hits all Four Corners with Meyer Sound". Meyer Sound Laboratories. http://www.meyersound.com/applications/story.php?type=17&id=1175. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "Worship Facilities: Second Baptist Church West Campus". Studio RED Architects. http://www.studioredarchitects.com/our-projects/worship-facilities/second-baptist-church-west-campus.html. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ Jesse Bogan (June 26, 2009). "America's Biggest Megachurches". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/26/americas-biggest-megachurches-business-megachurches.html. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ Norm Miller (February 27, 2006). "Second Baptist Houston pledges $84 million for expansion". Baptist Press. http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=22736. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
