| Salem Baptist Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 752 East 114th Street Chicago, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Website | salemchicago.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder(s) | James Meeks |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Charlie Dates |
The Salem Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch located at 752 E 114th Street in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The senior pastor is Charlie Dates.
In 1985, James Meeks, pastor of Beth Eden Baptist Church in Chicago, shared the vision of founding a new church in a sermon. [1] [2] After a meeting with 205 members that same day, the church was founded. [3]
The new congregation held its first services January 20, 1985 at 8201 South Jeffrey Boulevard and remained at this location for five-years. [4] [5]
In 2004, it had 17,000 members. [6]
On January 8, 2023, after 38 years of service Pastor Meeks retired, Charlie Dates succeeded him as senior pastor. [7]
In 2005, it dedicated the House of Hope, a new building including a 10,000-seat auditorium. [8] The venue has 203,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) of usable space. [9] [10]
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.
Willow Creek Community Church is an Evangelical nondenominational multisite megachurch based in the northwestern Chicago suburb of South Barrington, Illinois. It was founded on October 12, 1975 by Dave Holmbo and Bill Hybels, who was its longtime senior pastor. Willow Creek has seven locations in the Chicago area; their Spanish-speaking congregations, Willow Español, meet at South Barrington and South Lake in Lincolnshire campuses.
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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.
James T. Meeks is a Baptist minister and past member of the Illinois Senate, who represented the 15th district from 2003 to 2013. While a Senator, he chaired the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. He briefly campaigned for mayor of Chicago in the 2003 and 2011 election, before dropping out of the race both times. He subsequently become a leading figure in the campaign to oppose same-sex marriage in Illinois.
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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.
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Franklin Avenue Baptist Church is a Baptist multi-site megachurch based in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Its senior pastor is Fred Luter.
Crossroads is a multisite interdenominational megachurch in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was named the 4th-largest and the fastest-growing church in America in 2017, with over 34,000 average weekend attendees. Crossroads has nine physical locations in Ohio and Kentucky, and an online streaming platform where over 6,000 people watch services weekly.
Suwon Central Baptist Church is an Evangelical Christian Baptist megachurch located in Suwon, South Korea, affiliated with the Korea Baptist Convention. At present, the senior pastor is Myung Jin Ko.
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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.
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