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Gateway Church is considered the largest megachurch in the United States, with an average weekly attendance of 100,000.
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 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 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] Weekly attendance figures may be lower than the number of registered parishioners, and the differences in the 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.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
Related Research Articles
A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Protestant, and particularly Evangelical, although the word denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant Christian church that draws 2,000 or more people in a weekend.
Saddleback Church is an evangelical, non-denominational Christian multi-site megachurch based in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of America. The church has several campuses in California and around the world, as well as a number of extensions. Weekly church attendance was 30,000 people in 2023. Its senior pastor is Andy Wood, and his wife, Stacie Wood, is a teaching pastor. Saddleback was formerly associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, until 2023.
A multi-site church is a specific church congregation which holds services at multiple geographical locations, either within a specific metropolitan area or, increasingly, several such areas.
Mariners Church is a non-denominational, Christian megachurch located in Irvine, California, situated in central Orange County, and as of 2022 was the 41st largest church in the United States by number of attendees as well as one of the fastest growing.
Woodside Bible Church is a non-denominational Christian megachurch based in Troy, Michigan. It is a multi-site church with 15 locations in the Detroit Metro area, with a total weekly attendance of over 9,000. The church is led by Pastor Chris Brooks, who has served as the church's senior pastor since May 2019.
Southland Christian Church is an evangelical Christian church based in Kentucky, US.
Elevation Church is an Evangelical non-denominational multi-site megachurch based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Weekly church attendance was 14,000 people in 2023. Elevation has 20 locations. Its senior pastors are Steven Furtick and Holly Furtick.
Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV) is a non-denominational evangelical Christian multi-site megachurch based in Metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. The church has several campuses in Arizona. Weekend church attendance was 32,000.
Church of the Highlands is a non-denominational evangelical Christian multi-site megachurch based in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the largest congregation in Alabama with an average of 60,000 attendees every week as of 2023. The senior pastor is Chris Hodges.
Shepherd Church is a nondenominational megachurch based in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, California, USA. The senior pastor is Dudley Rutherford.
EPIC Church International, formerly Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center is an independent non-denominational Christian megachurch in Sayreville, New Jersey, USA. The pastor is John J. Wagner. As of 2013, Outreach Magazine ranked the church 44th in congregation size in the US, with weekly attendance of 10,100.
The Potter's House is a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, United States, founded by T. D. Jakes. Outreach magazine ranked it the 10th largest in the US as of 2008 based on a weekly attendance of 17,000 and a capacity of about 8,000.
Substance Church is a nondenominational, Evangelical Christian, megachurch in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. In 2010, Outreach Magazine ranked the church as the 21st fastest growing congregation in the United States. Because the church has integrated ultra-contemporary worship, cell church, and cafe church methods into a singular megachurch setting, Substance is often cited as being "trend-setting".
Parkview Christian Church is a non-denominational church. It located in Orland Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Harvest Bible Chapel is an nondenominational Christianity megachurch in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Founded in 1988, it has grown to seven campuses in the Chicago metropolitan area. In 2008, the church was listed by Outreach magazine as one of the 100 fastest-growing churches in America. In January 2019, it was listed as one of the 50 largest churches in the United States. The church's current ministries include Vertical Worship and Harvest Christian Academy.
NewSpring Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch based in Anderson, South Carolina, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
Faith Church is a nondenominational, charismatic, word of faith multi-site megachurch with approximately 7,000 in weekly attendance led by Pastor David Crank and wife Nicole Crank. Faith Church has six campuses, including four in the St Louis area: Sunset Hills, Earth City, Weldon Spring and Ferguson; with two in the Palm Beach-Miami area: West Palm Beach and Royal Palm Beach and one campus in West Palm Beach, Florida.
St. Matthew Catholic Church is a Catholic parish in the Ballantyne neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina, in the Diocese of Charlotte. As of 2017, it was one of the largest Catholic parishes in the United States, with over 10,500 registered families and more than 12,000 weekly attendees.
First Baptist Church of Glenarden International or FBCG is a Baptist Evangelical megachurch located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. It is affiliated with Converge. Weekly church attendance was 12,000 people in 2022. The senior pastor is John K. Jenkins Sr.
↑ Nathanson, Rick; Porter, Gabrielle; Jackson, Anthony (May 16, 2020). "Churches moving slowly to reopen in-person services". Albuquerque Journal. Clippings of the first page and second page via Newspapers.com. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
↑ "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.
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