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The Top 22 Churches in America
UPDATE: This list is outdated. For an up to date list, check out our Top Churches in America list in the resources section.
Church Relevance - Issue 17
March 2007
by Kent Shaffer
I believe that one of the best available resources to pastors is learning from other churches. But with an estimated 350,000 churches in the United States, it is not easy to determine which ones offer something worth learning. Obviously, there is no time to keep track of them all.
That is why I like lists. While some find it questionable to rank churches, I find lists valuable in helping me to know which churches are worth studying. In fact, I have listed over 250 churches along with the notable lists they have made on Church Relevance’s Churches to Watch page. But no list is perfect.
So in the quest for a more perfect list, I merged seven lists together to determine the top 22 churches in America. Consider them a starting point and a manageable list of churches worth studying.
Lists Referenced
- 07 AMIC = Outreach magazine’s 2007 America’s 25 Most Innovative Churches
- 06 FGC = Outreach magazine’s 2006 100 Fastest-Growing U.S. Churches
- 06 LC = Outreach magazine’s 2006 100 Largest U.S. Churches
>> Provides the below attendance numbers - 06 MIC = The Church Report’s 2006 50 Most Influential Churches
- 05 FGC = Outreach magazine’s 2005 100 Fastest-Growing U.S. Churches
- 05 MIC = The Church Report’s 2005 50 Most Influential Churches
- 04 FGC = Outreach magazine’s 2004 100 Fastest-Growing U.S. Churches
The Breakdown
Out of 350,000 churches in the United States…
- 22 churches made 5 or more of the 7 lists
- 10 churches made 6 or more of the 7 lists
- 4 churches made all 7 lists
Top 22 Churches
- LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK) :: Craig Groeschel
Made 7/7 lists with an average rank of #8.6
Attendance: 16,071
>> 07 AMIC (#1)
>> 06 FGC (#11) :: 05 FGC (#4) :: 04 FGC (#8)
>> 06 LC (#13)
>> 06 MIC (#7) :: 05 MIC (#16) - Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX) :: Ed Young Jr.
Made 7/7 lists with an average rank of #11.9
Attendance: 18,124
>> 07 AMIC (#4)
>> 06 FGC (#37) :: 05 FGC (#20) :: 04 FGC (#5)
>> 06 LC (#9)
>> 06 MIC (#4) :: 05 MIC (#4) - Saddleback Church (Lake Forest, CA) :: Rick Warren
Made 7/7 lists with an average rank of #12.3
Attendance: 20,595
>> 07 AMIC (#18)
>> 06 FGC (#39) :: 05 FGC (#5) :: 04 FGC (#15)
>> 06 LC (#6)
>> 06 MIC (#2) :: 05 MIC (#1) - New Hope Christian Fellowship (Oahu, HI) :: Wayne Cordero
Made 7/7 lists with an average rank of #24.3
Attendance: 11,000
>> 07 AMIC (#10)
>> 06 FGC (#46) :: 05 FGC (#12) :: 04 FGC (#23)
>> 06 LC (#31)
>> 06 MIC (#23) :: 05 MIC (#25) - Lakewood Church (Houston, TX) :: Joel Osteen
Made 6/7 lists with an average rank of #2.7
Attendance: 45,000
>> 06 FGC (#1) :: 05 FGC (#3) :: 04 FGC (#1)
>> 06 LC (#1)
>> 06 MIC (#5) :: 05 MIC (#5) - Willow Creek Community Church (South Barrington, IL) :: Bill Hybels
Made 6/7 lists with an average rank of #11
Attendance: 21,500
>> 07 AMIC (#20)
>> 06 FGC (#8) :: 05 FGC (#30)
>> 06 LC (#5)
>> 06 MIC (#1) :: 05 MIC (#2) - The Potter’s House (Dallas, TX) :: T.D. Jakes
Made 6/7 lists with an average rank of #12.7
Attendance: 14,000
>> 07 AMIC (#12)
>> 06 FGC (#25) :: 04 FGC (#3)
>> 06 LC (#20)
>> 06 MIC (#8) :: 05 MIC (#8) - Fellowship of the Woodlands (The Woodlands, TX) :: Kerry Shook
Made 6/7 lists with an average rank of #20.7
Attendance: 14,120
>> 06 FGC (#18) :: 05 FGC (#10) :: 04 FGC (#20)
>> 06 LC (#18)
>> 06 MIC (#41) :: 05 MIC (#17) - NorthRidge Church (Plymouth, MI) :: Brad Powell
Made 6/7 lists with an average rank of #35.5
Attendance: 12,700
>> 06 FGC (#17) :: 05 FGC (#14) :: 04 FGC (#69)
>> 06 LC (#23)
>> 06 MIC (#43) :: 05 MIC (#47) - Seacoast Church (Mt. Pleasant, SC) :: Greg Surratt
Made 6/7 lists with an average rank of #36
Attendance: 7,000
>> 07 AMIC (#6)
>> 06 FGC (#54) :: 05 FGC (#28)
>> 06 LC (#86)
>> 06 MIC (#15) :: 05 MIC (#27) - North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA) :: Andy Stanley
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #5
Attendance: 16,700
>> 07 AMIC (#3)
>> 04 FGC (#4)
>> 06 LC (#12)
>> 06 MIC (#3) :: 05 MIC (#3) - Without Walls International (Tampa, FL) :: Randy White
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #8
Attendance: 23,900
>> 06 FGC (#5) :: 05 FGC (#1) :: 04 FGC (#2)
>> 06 LC (#2)
>> 06 MIC (#30) - Mars Hill Bible Church (Grandville, MI) :: Rob Bell
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #17.8
Attendance: 10,000
>> 07 AMIC (#11)
>> 04 FGC (#6)
>> 06 LC (#35)
>> 06 MIC (#17) :: 05 MIC (#20) - Second Baptist Church (Houston, TX) :: Ed Young Sr.
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #18
Attendance: 22,266
>> 06 FGC (#40) :: 05 FGC (#7) :: 04 FGC (#7)
>> 06 LC (#3)
>> 05 MIC (#33) - New Birth Missionary Baptist (Decatur, GA) :: Eddie Long
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #20.6
Attendance: 22,000
>> 06 FGC (#3) :: 05 FGC (#34)
>> 06 LC (#4)
>> 06 MIC (#32) :: 05 MIC (#30) - Mars Hill Church (Seattle, WA) :: Mark Driscoll
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #24.6
Attendance: 6,000 (as of March ‘07 according to their main office)
>> 07 AMIC (#9)
>> 06 FGC (#15) :: 05 FGC (#54)
>> 06 MIC (#22) :: 05 MIC (#23) - Calvary Chapel (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) :: Bob Coy
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #28
Attendance: 18,300
>> 05 FGC (#39) :: 04 FGC (#13)
>> 06 LC (#8)
>> 06 MIC (#40) :: 05 MIC (#40) - Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, KY) :: Bob Russell
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #28.4
Attendance: 18,520
>> 05 FGC (#58) :: 04 FGC (#21)
>> 06 LC (#7)
>> 06 MIC (#6) :: 05 MIC (#50) - Christ’s Church of the Valley (Peoria, AZ) :: Don Wilson
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #32.6
Attendance: 11,250
>> 06 FGC (#64) :: 05 FGC (#25) :: 04 FGC (#11)
>> 06 LC (#27)
>> 06 MIC (#36) - The Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS) :: Adam Hamilton
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #35
Attendance: 8,500
>> 06 FGC (#98):: 04 FGC (#10)
>> 06 LC (#48)
>> 06 MIC (#11) :: 05 MIC (#8) - Harvest Christian Fellowship (Riverside, CA) :: Greg Laurie
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #35.8
Attendance: 15,000
>> 06 FGC (#48) :: 05 FGC (#44)
>> 06 LC (#15)
>> 06 MIC (#33) :: 05 MIC (#39) - McLean Bible Church (Vienna, VA) :: Lon Solomon
Made 5/7 lists with an average rank of #37.6
Attendance: 11,000
>> 06 FGC (#59) :: 05 FGC (#49) :: 04 FGC (#16)
>> 06 LC (#29)
>> 05 MIC (#35)
The most exciting part of this list is that it proves that success in ministry can be achieved with a variety of models. It represents a wide spectrum of denominations and ministry philosophies reaching an equally diverse spectrum of cultures and communities. Many of them are multi-site churches. Some are innovative. And all of them are large, influential, and fastest-growing.
Dr. John Vaughan of Church Growth Today compiled the research for six of the seven lists, and more in-depth research is available on his website for purchase. Also, if you have enjoyed this list, you should consider subscribing to Outreach magazine and The Church Report to get the latest ideas and stories from effective churches across the nation.
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