List of megachurches in the United States
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] 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.
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[3] | 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 Fort Lauderdale | Fort Lauderdale | FL | Doug Sauder | 16,000[3] | Calvary Chapel | Yes (9+1 online) | |||
Calvary Chapel Golden Springs | Diamond Bar | CA | Raul Ries | 12,000[3] | Calvary Chapel | ||||
Calvary Chapel Melbourne | West Melbourne | FL | Dave Folkerts | 10,000[3] | Calvary Chapel | Yes (3+1 online) | |||
Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia | Philadelphia | PA | Joe Focht | 12,000[3] | Calvary Chapel | ||||
Calvary of Albuquerque | Albuquerque | NM | Skip Heitzig | 16,200[3] | 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[3] | Christian churches and churches of Christ | Yes (9+1 online) | |||
Christ Fellowship | Palm Beach Gardens | FL | Todd & Julie Mullins | 25,000[3] | Evangelical | Yes (17+1 online) | |||
Christ's Church of the Valley | Peoria | AZ | Ashley Wooldridge | 35,000[9] | Non-denominational | Yes (14+1 online) | |||
Christian Cultural Center | New York | NY | A. R. Bernard | 32,000[10] | 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 | 60,000[3] | 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)[11] | |||
City of Refuge | Gardena | CA | Noel Jones | 10,000 | Pentecostal Assemblies of the World | ||||
Community Bible Church[12] | San Antonio | TX | Ed Newton[13] | 12,000[3] | Non-denominational | Yes (at least 2+1 online)[14] | |||
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[15] | Cincinnati | OH | Brian Tome | 35,000[3] | Interdenominational | Yes (13 + online) | |||
Deliverance Evangelistic Church | Philadelphia | PA | Glen Spaulding | 11,000 | Non-denominational | ||||
Dream City Church[16] | Phoenix | AZ | Tommy Barnett, Luke Barnett | 20,000[3] | Assemblies of God | Yes (5) | |||
Eagle Brook Church | Centerville | MN | Jason Strand | 43,871[17] | Converge (Baptist denomination) | Yes (11 + 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[18] | Baptist | Yes (21)[18] | |||
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[3] | Non-denominational | ||||
Faith Landmarks Ministries | Richmond | VA | Randy Gilbert | 10,000 | |||||
Family Christian Center | Munster | IN | Steve Munsey | 14,000[3] | Non-denominational | ||||
Fellowship Church | Grapevine | TX | Ed Young, Jr. | 24,200[3] | 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 | 12,000[3] | Converge (Baptist denomination) | ||||
First Baptist Church of Hammond | Hammond | IN | John Wilkerson | 13,000[3] | 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[19] | Non-denominational | Yes (7 + TV + online)[20] | |||
Fresh Life Church | Kalispell | MT | Levi Lusko | 25,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (12, online) | |||
Gateway Church | Southlake | TX | Robert Morris | 100,000[21] | Non-denominational Charismatic | Yes (10 + online + prison campuses) | |||
Germantown Baptist Church[22] | Germantown | TN | Tommy Vinson, Interim Preacher | 12,000 | Baptist | ||||
Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York[23] | New York | NY | Floyd Flake | 20,000 | African Methodist Episcopal Church | ||||
Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist | New Orleans | LA | Paul Morton | 10,000[3] | 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[3] | 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 | ||||
Inspiring Body of Christ Church (IBOC) | Dallas | TX | Rickie Rush | 15,000[24][25] | Non-denominational | Yes (1 + 1 online) | |||
James River Church | Springfield | MO | John Lindell | 17,000 | Assemblies of God | Yes (5) (4 physical + 1 online) | |||
Kensington Church | Troy | MI | Steve Andrews | 11,000[3] | Non-denominational | Yes (7)[26] | |||
King's Cathedral and Chapels | Kahului | HI | James Marocco & Colleen Marocco | 30,000 | Assemblies of God | Yes (360)[27] | |||
Lake Pointe Church | Rockwall | TX | Josh Howerton | 13,300[3] | Southern Baptist Convention | ||||
Lakewood Church | Houston | TX | Joel Osteen | 45,000[28] | Non-denominational | ||||
Legacy Church | Albuquerque | NM | Steve Smotherman | 10,100[3] | Non-denominational | ||||
LibertyLive.church | Hampton | VA | Dr. Grant Ethridge | 10,000 | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (7 + 1 Online) | |||
LCBC | Manheim | PA | Jason Mitchell | 19,000[3] | Non-denominational | Yes (19 + Online) | |||
Life.Church | Edmond | OK | Craig Groeschel | 72,500[29] | 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 | 10,000[3] | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | ||||
Mariners Church | Irvine | CA | Eric Geiger | 12,200[3] | Non-denominational Evangelical | Yes (3 + 2 campus plants + 1 online) | |||
Mars Hill Bible Church | Grandville | MI | AJ Sherrill | 12,000[3] | Non-denominational | ||||
McLean Bible Church | McLean | VA | David Platt | 16,500 | Non-denominational | ||||
Mount Zion Baptist Church | Nashville | TN | Joseph W. Walker III | 21,000[3] | 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[30] | Non-denominational | Yes (17) | |||
New Life Covenant Church | Chicago | IL | John F. Hannah | 10,000[3] | Non-denominational | Yes (3) | |||
New Light Christian Center Church | Houston | TX | Ira V. Hilliard | 13,500[3] | Non-denominational | ||||
NewSpring Church | Anderson | SC | Brad Cooper, Shane Duffey, Michael Mulliken, Tyler Tatum, David Hall | 20,500[31][32] | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (20 + 1 online) | |||
North Coast Church[33] | 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[34] | Non-denominational | Yes (8 in Atlanta, and 90 partner churches)[34] | |||
One Community Church | Plano | TX | Conway Edwards | 10,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (4+1 online) | |||
Pinelake Church[35] | Flowood | MS | Chip Henderson | 11,472[36] | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (5) | |||
Potential Church[37] | Fort Lauderdale | FL | Troy Gramling | 12,000[3] | 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 | 17,000[3] | 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) | |||
Redemption Church[38] | San Jose | CA | Ron Carpenter | 11,000[3] | |||||
Relentless Church[39] | Greenville | SC | John Gray | 14,000 | International Pentecostal Holiness Church | ||||
River Church[40] | Anaheim | CA | Dante Gebel | 10,000 | Assemblies of God | ||||
The Rock Church & World Outreach Center[41] | San Bernardino | CA | Dan Roth | 18,000[42] | Non-denominational | ||||
Rock Church | San Diego | CA | Miles McPherson | 12,900 | Non-denominational | Yes (4+1 online) | |||
Saddleback Church[43] | Lake Forest | CA | Andy Wood | 28,000[3] | Baptist | Yes (14 + 4 international +1 online) | |||
Sagebrush Church[44] | 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[45] | Presbyterian Church in America | ||||
Seacoast Church | Mount Pleasant | SC | Josh Surratt | 14,000[46] | Interdenominational | Yes (13+1 online) | |||
Second Baptist Church Houston | Houston | TX | Ed Young Sr. | 23,700[47] | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (6 campuses + online) | |||
Southeast Christian Church | Middletown[a 4] | KY | Kyle Idleman | 25,940[48] | Christian churches and churches of Christ | Yes (11 + 1 in development + online) | |||
Southland Christian Church | Nicholasville[a 5] | KY | Jon Weece | 12,500[3] | Christian churches and churches of Christ | Yes (5 campuses and online services) | |||
Substance Church[49] | Minneapolis | MN | Peter and Carolyn Haas | 12,000 | Non-Denominational (ARC) | ||||
Triumph Church[50] | Detroit | MI | Solomon W. Kinloch, Jr | 14,000[3] | 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 Church[51] | Norcross | GA | Johnson Bowie | 10,200 | Non-denominational[52] | Yes (3) | |||
The Village Church | Highland Village | TX | Matt Chandler | 10,200 | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (3)[a 6] | |||
West Angeles Cathedral | Los Angeles | CA | Charles E. Blake | 24,000[53] | Church of God in Christ | ||||
Willow Creek Community Church | South Barrington | IL | Dave Dummitt | 18,000[54] | Non-denominational | Yes (7) | |||
Woodlands Church | The Woodlands | TX | Kerry Shook | 18,400[3] | Southern Baptist Convention | ||||
Woodside Bible Church[55] | Troy | MI | Chris Brooks | 10,500 | Baptist heritage | Yes (14+1) | |||
World Changers Church Int. | College Park | GA | Creflo and Taffi Dollar | 15,000[3] | Pentecostal, Word of Faith | ||||
World Overcomers Christian Church | Durham | NC | Andy Thompson | 15,000[3] | Non-denominational | Yes (4) | |||
World Harvest Church | Columbus | OH | Rod Parsley | 13,000 | Pentecostal | ||||
World Outreach Church | Murfreesboro | TN | Allen Jackson | 15,000[56] | Non-denominational |
See also
Notes
- The "City" column indicates where each listed church has its main location.
- Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
- 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.
References
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