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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. According to The Hartford Institute's database, approximately 50 churches had attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000 in 2010. 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.
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. St Ann's in Coppell, Texas, would be near the top, with almost 30,000 registered parishioners in 2013. St Matthew's Catholic Church in the Ballantyne neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina likewise has been described as a Catholic megachurch with nearly 36,000 registered members in 2017 and 11 weekly masses. 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.
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 | State | Senior pastor(s) | Av. weekly attendance | Association | Multi-site? (No.) | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abundant Church | El Paso | TX | Charles Nieman | 12,400 | Non-denominational | ||
Ada Bible Church | Ada | MI | Aaron Buer | 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 | 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 | 12,000 | Calvary Chapel | ||
Calvary of Albuquerque | Albuquerque | NM | Skip Heitzig | 16,200 | 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 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 | 25,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (17+1 online) | |
Christ's Church of the Valley | Peoria | AZ | Ashley Wooldridge | 39,869 | Non-denominational | Yes (17+1 online) | |
Christian Cultural Center | New York | NY | A. R. Bernard | 32,000 | 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 | 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) | |
City of Refuge | Gardena | CA | Noel Jones | 10,000 | Pentecostal Assemblies of the World | ||
Community Bible Church | San Antonio | TX | Ed Newton | 12,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (at least 2+1 online) | |
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 โ Cincinnati | Cincinnati | OH | Brian Tome | 35,000 | Interdenominational | Yes (13 + online) | |
Deliverance Evangelistic Church | Philadelphia | PA | Glen Spaulding | 11,000 | Non-denominational | ||
Dream City Church | Phoenix | AZ | Tommy Barnett, Luke Barnett | 20,000 | Assemblies of God | Yes (5) | |
Eagle Brook Church | Lino Lakes | MN | Jason Strand | 43,871 | Converge (United States) | Yes (11 + online) | |
Ebenezer AME Church | Fort Washington | MD | Grainger Browning, Jr. | 10,000 | African Methodist Episcopal Church | ||
El Rey Jesรบs (King Jesus International Ministry) | Miami | FL | Guillermo Maldonado | 12,500 | Non-denominational/Pentecostal | ||
Elevation Church | Charlotte | NC | Steven Furtick | 26,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (21) | |
Empowerment Temple | Baltimore | MD | Pastor GJ Barnes | 10,000 | African Methodist Episcopal Church | ||
Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church | Philadelphia | PA | Alyn E. Waller | 15,000 | Baptist | 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 | 14,000 | Non-denominational | ||
Fellowship Church | Grapevine | TX | Ed Young, Jr. | 24,200 | 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 | Converge (United States) | ||
First Baptist Church of Hammond | Hammond | IN | John Wilkerson | 10,000 | 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 | Non-denominational | Yes (7 + TV + online) | |
Gateway Church | Southlake | TX | Robert Morris | 25,800 | Non-denominational Charismatic | Yes (10 + online + prison campuses) | |
Germantown Baptist Church | Germantown | TN | Tommy Vinson, Interim Preacher | 12,000 | Southern Baptist Convention | ||
Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York | 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 | Calvary Chapel | 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) | |
Inspiring Body of Christ Church (IBOC) | Dallas | TX | Rickie Rush | 15,000 | 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 | Brian Mowrey | 11,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (7) | |
King's Cathedral and Chapels | Kahului | HI | James Marocco & Colleen Marocco | 30,000 | Assemblies of God | Yes (360) | |
Lakepointe Church | Rockwall | TX | Josh Howerton | 20,000 | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (6 + Online) | |
Lakewood Church | Houston | TX | Joel Osteen | 45,000 | 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 | Jason Mitchell | 19,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (19 + Online) | |
Life.Church | Edmond | OK | Craig Groeschel | 85,000 | 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 | Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ | ||
Mariners Church | Irvine | CA | Eric Geiger | 12,200 | Non-denominational Evangelical | Yes (3 + 2 campus plants + 1 online) | |
Mars Hill Bible Church | Grandville | MI | AJ Sherrill | 12,000 | 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 | Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship | ||
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church | Stonecrest | GA | Jamal H. Bryant | 10,000
|
Baptist | ||
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 | Non-denominational | Yes (17) | |
New Life Church | Colorado Springs | CO | Brady Boyd | 15,000 at main campus | Non-denominational | Yes (8 + online and tv) | |
New Life Covenant Church | Chicago | IL | John F. Hannah | 10,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (3) | |
New Light Christian Center Church | Houston | TX | Ira V. Hilliard | 13,500 | Non-denominational | ||
NewSpring Church | Anderson | SC | Brad Cooper, Shane Duffey, Michael Mulliken, Tyler Tatum, David Hall | 20,500 | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (20 + 1 online) | |
North Coast Church | Vista | CA | Larry Osborne, Chris Brown | 10,000 | Evangelical Free Church of America | Yes (5) | |
North Point Community Church | Alpharetta | GA | Andy Stanley | 50,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (8 in Atlanta, and 150 partner churches) | |
One Community Church | Plano | TX | Conway Edwards | 10,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (4+1 online) | |
Pinelake Church | Flowood | MS | Chip Henderson | 11,472 | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (5) | |
Potential Church | 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 | 17,000 | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (2 + online) | |
Quest Community Church | Lexington | KY | Pete Hise | 10,000 | Christian and Missionary Alliance | Yes (3 + 1 online) | |
Redemption Church | San Jose | CA | Ron Carpenter | 11,000 | |||
Relentless Church | Greenville | SC | John Gray | 14,000 | International Pentecostal Holiness Church | ||
River Church | Anaheim | CA | Dante Gebel | 10,000 | Assemblies of God | ||
The Rock Church & World Outreach Center | San Bernardino | CA | Dan Roth | 18,000 | Non-denominational | ||
Rock Church | San Diego | CA | Miles McPherson | 12,900 | Non-denominational | Yes (4+1 online) | |
Saddleback Church | Lake Forest | CA | Andy Wood | 28,000 | Baptist | Yes (14 + 4 international +1 online) | |
Sagebrush Church | Albuquerque | NM | Todd Cook | 14,000 | 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 | ||
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 | Presbyterian Church in America | ||
Seacoast Church | Mount Pleasant | SC | Josh Surratt | 14,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (13+1 online) | |
Second Baptist Church Houston | Houston | TX | Ed Young Sr. | 23,700 | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (6 campuses + online) | |
Southeast Christian Church | Middletown | KY | Kyle Idleman | 25,940 | Christian churches and churches of Christ | Yes (11 + 1 in development + online) | |
Southland Christian Church | Nicholasville | KY | Jon Weece | 12,500 | Christian churches and churches of Christ | Yes (5 campuses and online services) | |
Substance Church | Minneapolis | MN | Peter and Carolyn Haas | 12,000 | Non-Denominational (ARC) | ||
Thomas Road Baptist Church | Lynchburg | VA | Johnathon Falwell | 24,000 | Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Bible Fellowship International | ||
Triumph Church | Detroit | MI | Solomon W. Kinloch, Jr | 14,000 | Non-denominational | 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 | Norcross | GA | Johnson Bowie | 10,200 | Non-denominational | Yes (3) | |
The Village Church | Highland Village | TX | Matt Chandler | 10,200 | Southern Baptist Convention | Yes (3) | |
West Angeles Cathedral | Los Angeles | CA | Charles E. Blake | 24,000 | Church of God in Christ | ||
Willow Creek Community Church | South Barrington | IL | Dave Dummitt | 18,000 | Non-denominational | Yes (7) | |
Woodlands Church | The Woodlands | TX | Kerry Shook | 18,400 | Southern Baptist Convention | ||
Woodside Bible Church | Troy | MI | Chris Brooks | 10,500 | Baptist heritage | Yes (14+1) | |
World Changers Church Int. | College Park | GA | Creflo and Taffi Dollar | 15,000 | 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 | Non-denominational |
See also
- List of the largest evangelical megachurches
- List of the largest evangelical church auditoriums
- List of largest church buildings in the world
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
- Alicia Budich, cbsnews.com, From Megachurch to "Gigachurch", USA, April 6, 2012
- Ed Stetzer, Newspaper christianitytoday.com, Megachurch Research - Terminology, USA, October 9, 2008
- ^ "Hartford Institute for Religion Research, database of Megachurches". Hirr.hartsem.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
- Bryan S. Turner, The New Blackwell Companion to the Sociology of Religion, John Wiley & Sons, USA, 2010, p. 251
- "The Definition of a Megachurch". Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
- "Welcome to St. Ann Catholic Parish". Retrieved July 17, 2013.
- Boll, Jamie (September 22, 2015). "Inside Charlotte's St. Matthew, the largest Catholic Parish in the U.S." wbtv.com.
- Martin, Edward (March 1, 2020). "Churches face waning influence in state". Business North Carolina.
- https://www.adabible.org/transition/
- "CCV Annual Report | Christ's Church of the Valley | CCV". ccv.church. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- "About Us". Christian Cultural Center. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- "Bay Area Fellowship - Campuses". Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- "WE ARE CBC". www.communitybible.com. October 3, 2020.
- "Pastors | Community Bible Church". www.communitybible.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- "Community Bible Church". www.communitybible.com.
- "Outreach 100 Largest Churches 2015 - OutreachMagazine.com OutreachMagazine.com". www.outreachmagazine.com.
- "Dream City Church". Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- "2022-2023 Annual Report". Eagle Brook Church.
- ^ "Quick Facts". Elevation Church. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- Blair, Leonardo; Reporter, Senior (November 21, 2018). "Jamal Bryant says God told him to leave Empowerment Temple; church shocked". The Christian Post. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- "Jentezen Franklin: 'We're unplugging everything. We're going back to the raw gospel.'". March 18, 2020.
- "Inspiring People to Live for Jesus | Free Chapel". Inspiring People to Live for Jesus | Free Chapel.
- "Outreach 100". Outreach. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- Stout, Cathryn (October 16, 2007). "Germantown Baptist eyes new pastor". Retrieved August 3, 2010.
- "Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York". Retrieved August 3, 2010.
- Blair, Leonardo; Reporter, Senior Features (December 1, 2020). "Dallas megachurch surprises seniors with rent help, commits to giving $100K at Thanksgiving service". The Christian Post. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- "IBOC Inspiring Body of Christ Church New Here Our History". www.ibocchurch.org. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- "Kensington Church - Times & Locations". Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
- "Embrace Conference". King's Central.
- https://lakepointe.church/start-here/
- Cochran, Amanda (December 3, 2021). "Lakewood Church: The Houston megachurch by the numbers". KPRC. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- "Outreach 100: Life.Church". outreach100.com. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- Shelia M. Poole, New Birth names Jamal Bryant as new senior pastor, ajc.com, USA, November 19, 2018
- "Outreach 100: New Life Church". outreach100.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- "Outreach 100: New Life Church". outreach100.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- "NewSpring Church Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- Davis, Angelia L. "NewSpring Church praised by members for its revival of in-person services". The Greenville News. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- "2012 Outreach 100 Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches in America" (PDF). Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ "North Point Ministries". North Point Ministries. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- "Pinelake Church History". Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- "Outreach 100: 2020 Largest Churches in America". outreach100.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- "Potential Church". Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- "Jubilee Christian Center". Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- "Welcome". Relentless Church.
- "River Church". Retrieved October 11, 2012.
- "Home". The Rock Church.
- "Outreach 100: The Rock Church". outreach100.com. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- Abrahamsen, Elizabeth (November 17, 2017). "10 Largest Megachurches in Texas". Wide Open Country.
- "Sagebrush Church". www.sagebrush.church.
- 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.
- "largest Korean churches in North America". Retrieved July 17, 2013.
- "History, Pastors, and Story". Seacoast Church. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- "Top 100 Largest Churches in America - SermonCentral.com". www.sermoncentral.com.
- "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.
- "Substance Church". Substance Church. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- "Triumph Church, Detroit Michigan". Retrieved August 3, 2010.
- "Victory World Church in Norcross celebrates anniversary". February 19, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
- "Victory World Church". Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- "About | West Angeles COGIC". West Angeles. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- Perry, Abby (February 13, 2020). "Willow Creek and Harvest Struggle to Move On". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- "Woodside Bible Church - Warren Campus". Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- "10 largest churches in Nashville area". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
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