Often meeting in stadiums or sprawling campuses, the biggest churches in the U.S. are known for their size, popular profile, and economic impact on the local community. They also reflect a growing diversity of people and worship methods, combining online resources and multiple locations to maximize their size. Here are the ten biggest churches at the end of 2009…
1. Lakewood Church
Location: Houston, Texas
Total attendance: 43,500
Pastor: Joel Osteen
Even compared with the other churches on this list, Lakewood is a behemoth, packing more than 40,000 people into what used to be the Compaq Center, formerly the Summit arena home of the Houston Rockets. The evangelical congregation is nondenominational, and weekly services are broadcast in local markets nationwide as well as on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
2. LifeChurch.tv
Location: Based in Edmond, Oklahoma
Total attendance: 26,776
Pastor: Craig Groeschel
What began as a tiny congregation meeting in a garage in the mid-1990s has since become a mult-site church with a number of campuses that use satellite video to coordinate worship. There are now venues in Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, and New York, and services are also streamed online for people who wish to watch from home.
3. Willow Creek Community Church
Location: South Barrington, Illinois
Total attendance: 23,400
Pastor: Bill Hybels
Located in a suburb of Chicago, Willow Creek was the first church to deploy giant HD screens in its theater to aid those who can’t quite see the action on stage. They’ve also got services across an array of locations in and around Chicago.
4. North Point Community Church
Location: Alpharetta, Georgia
Total attendance: 23,377
Pastor: Andy Stanley
Founded in 1995, North Point now utilizes three campuses for its weekly services. They’ve also planted more than 20 churches throughout the country and in Canada that serve their communities as partner churches with the flagship location in Alpharetta, a suburb of Atlanta.
5. Second Baptist Church
Location: Houston, Texas
Total attendance: 22,723
Pastor: Ed Young, Sr.
The Young family is famous in megachurch circles: Ed Young, Sr. heads up Houston’s Second Baptist Church, while his son oversees Grapevine’s Fellowship Church. Second Baptist has five locations around the city to help reach more worshippers, with numerous groups that meet throughout the week to connect with people on a more intimate level.
6. Saddleback Church
Location: Lake Forest, California
Total attendance: 22,418
Pastor: Rick Warren
Saddleback Church, in Southern California’s Orange County, is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Founded in 1980 by Rick Warren, the church is one of the most prominent evangelical bodies in the nation, and Warren is best known as the author of the 2002 devotional book The Purpose-Driven Life.
7. Fellowship Church
Location: Grapevine, Texas
Total attendance: 18,355
Pastor: Ed Young, Jr.
Fellowship Church is tied to the Southern Baptist Convention in a very loose way, opting not to emphasize its connection in order to avoid scaring off new converts who might be uncomfortable with the SBC label. It began in 1989 as an offshoot of First Baptist Church of Irving, Texas, but a name change and more people-oriented services led to quick and steady growth.
8. Southeast Christian Church
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Total attendance: 17,261
Pastor: Dave Stone
This 17,000-strong congregation in Kentucky is affiliated with the Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, which differ from other autonomous Churches of Christ in the use of instrumental worship music. The church has been growing since its founding in 1962, and in 2009 opened a satellite campus in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
9. Woodlands Church
Location: The Woodlands, Texas
Total attendance: 17,142
Pastor: Kerry Shook
Located in a suburb outside Houston, Woodlands Church was founded by pastor Kerry Shook in 1993 and has since grown to be one of the biggest in the nation. The main campus in The Woodlands also supports three other campuses in the outlying Houston region. There’s also an “online campus†for people to stream sermons and worship services.
10. Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Total attendance: 15,921
Pastor: Bob Coy
The biggest megachurch in Florida has been going strong for 25 years under the direction of Bob Coy. In addition to a thriving variety of small groups for people of all ages, the church’s site archives worship services for streaming or download.
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Yes, We know it’s not the size of the church, But its health that counts! But we feature these churches in this article just for your information so that if you go past these places in future, its worthwhile to make a visit to these wonderful churches in United States.
Wow I did not know that Northpoint had that many attendees. Andy Stanley always gives a great message.
You omitted The Potters House in Dallas, Texas where Bishop TD Jakes is the Pastor. Also, you did not mention New Birth Baptist in Lithonia, Georgia where Bishop Eddie L. Long is Pastor. These two churches have a weekly attendance of at least 20,000 or more congregants each.
Kelly, didn’t you notice they only listed Seeker Sensative Churches, or should I say (Upper Middle Class- White Yuppie -Sensative Churches” Give me a preacher or an ear tickling teacher anyday.
Wow those are some huge churches. I’ve been to Willow Creek before and am not surprised to see it on this list. I was so taken back by the scale of the church and what it has to offer. They have such an incredible church multimedia setup, not to mention the people that work at the church. Going to any church as large as these is an amazing experience; I loved meeting so many kind people.
I ask anyone who reads this to please pray for my Wife Shelley! She has left me and I do not know where she is. I noticed a bad change in her and caught her in so many lies. I believe people in her family have been trying to tell her to leave me. We had some bad money issues and I know the devil was trying to destroy our marriage. There is even the possibility that she has committed adultery. Please Please pray that God will intervene and correct her ways and deliver her from this demonic hold of lies and manipulation that has control over her life. I love her and I forgive her!! I hope she will forgive me for mean things I have said as well but she needs a radical change I don’t think she even really knows God the way she should she has drifted away!! Please pray for her Salvation and for her to accept God in her life in a way she never knew possible and for the devil to release his evil hold on her and for her to realize how much I love her and for God to change her heart so she will come back to me and realize its not over we can make this work through GOD!! and come home and Please pray for God to make things new to renew our marriage and lives. Thank you and May God so bless those who read and pray for Shelley My wife and our marriage!! God bless!!
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I ask that you please pray for my husband Brian as he is not mentally right. He has falling far from god and i hope he can find him again. he did not take care of me at all then he left ME and has a no contact order on him because he viloted his probation. he was on probation because he fracured my noise and popped blood vessels in my eyes i ask that you pay for him because shurly a man who knows god isn’t this mentially unstadle i believe it is because he follows what his mother and family tell him how to live when all of us who know god know you live by god’s word not by other peoples
Shelley you do need prayer and you did leave him he did not leave you so you lied on this site to everyone. It says in Gods word to honor your mother and father and if you would obey anything of Gods word you would not be in the mess you are in now.If the people who run this site and other people you tell your sad story too would know the TRUTH! They would be praying for you without a doubt they would be praying for you and your family. Believe what you want to believe but im sure since you know Gods word so well. You know what the book of Hebrews says about marriage. Have a great day and God bless :)
I would like to say that Brian Rodelli is a fantastic man and attends the church I go to at Calvery Chapel Worship Center. He is a published author and is reciveing credits towards Theology to become an minister. This man has been through alot and many things have been trying to keep his calling from God includeing a Jezebel spirt. unfortunately he is going through a divorce and has decided to press foward with it due to unfaithfulness. If true christians could pray for him he would apprecite it Here is a link to an awesome prayer site where you can learn more about this mans situation. God bless us christians.
ARE YOU GOING TO HEAVEN???Are you right with the Lord? Are you going to Heaven? If you say to yourself yes I am going to heaven How sure are you? You might just be fooling yourself!! Jesus says in Matthew 7;21Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Are you walking in the will of God? Are you staying away from doing wrong? Are you helping others in need? Are you forgiving others when they hurt you? Are you showing your love to all? Jesus also says in Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?23 Then I will plainly say to them I never knew you. Away from me you evli doers’ Have you performed any miracles in the name of Jesus? Have you cast out any demons? Imagine how these people who could do things with such power from God still Not go to Heaven?? Its because of living in Sin and backsliding.. God is not pleased with those who backslide and just might as well cast them to Hell. Do you lie? Cheat? Steal? Commit Adultery? Can you hold any of the ten commandments?? You are condemned to hell if you do not REPENT!! Repent means to turn away. Through your salvation and the blood of Jesus you have a chance to enter into heaven not a guarantee. People who think their saved but still live in sin believe just because they believe in Jesus Christ they have a badge to sin. Guesss what people even the devil himself believes in Jesus Christ. Do you honestly think God is going to fill his Kingdom with people who enjoy their sinful nature or not even really make an effort to do what is right or serve and worship him? Some would say ‘’ Well God is love so I guess I am going to go to heaven no matter whatâ€â€ That’s right God is love and HE LOVES THOSE WHO ARE HIS AND WILL PROTECT THOSE WHO ARE HIS BY SEPERATEING THE ONES WHO ARE NOT HIS. They have a place called HELL. You are only Guaranteed if you live a life away from sin and in the will of God to enter Heaven. Now you might sin but it’s a rare occasion. The difference of a sinner and one who sins is true Christianity. Remember and take it to heart FOR IT IS WRITTEN!! 1Corinthians 6: 9-11
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be decieived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor Homosexual offenders nor sodomites 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Do not believe what the world tells you because Sin is in the world and the world is full of liars and satan is the god of this world and has been a liar from the beginning. Remember If you choose to live by what the world says and take it to heart FOR IT IS WRITTEN!! John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Remember that God loves you and wants what is best for you. He wants you to share in his blessings and yes even his divine power for those that go the distance with him. God does not want one to perish but for all to join in the kingdom of heaven. Ask yourself are you right with God? Do you not see the middleast turmoil? Do you not see Gas prices going to 5 dollars a gallon in the next year?? Do you not see the fall of America?? Jesus says when you see the clouds coming in you know a storm is coming because of the signs. Look at the signs!! We are about to enter world war How is your sinful life going to save you when there is food shortages? How is your sinful life going to save you when you loose your job? How is a sinful life going to save you when all your money goes to gas and barely living expenses? Trust in God and He will provide turn to Him and he will shelter, run to him and He will protect you. I hope everyone will accept Jesus into their hearts and commit a personal relationship with him and become water baptized. The times are right the world is becoming worse and worse it says in Romans what is considered right will be considered wrong and what is considered wrong will be considered right in the end. We see this with the way people live sex before marriage divorce and adultery rates through the roof!! People lie to get their way. People think its better to hurt someone than to say they are sorry. Prostitution and pornography is glorified!! In this nation and we wonder why its going down the drain!! Some of you that aren’t saved are going to laugh at this or not understand how important this is.. Understand that Jesus Christ is Not only God he is a King. He has control over your soul in the end. Its best to do what the king says. I ask everyone who reads this to please get to know Jesus if you already know him awesome if you don’t know him get to know him it will be the best decision you have ever made in your life. I promise that. Let me explain how real and evident he can be in your life. I was backslidden for a while. I was living in sin. And I noticed there were no blessings money problems always followed me in that relationship and I had a marriage where my wife turned on me and is now with another man totally against the will of God. that drained me. Well because of our lifestyle God was not present in our life. Ever since I Repented and turned away from my sins and now do what is right. I have received a more powerful prayer life. Spiritual gifting including Healing tongues dreams and prophecy I have 2 jobs and Received all new things even a new awesome SUV sweet ride. Its more than what I have asked for from God .God is really a Good God. If you compare the man I was a year ago to the man I am now you would know Yes God can change a person dramatically. I live under Kingship. I am currently back in school in Theology to become a minister and I am writing a new book. I have an awesome family in my home church where I have over 3000 brothers and sisters in Christ. God is