2009 Top 10 Largest Churches in America
1. Lakewood Church (Houston, TX): Joel Osteen
Lakewood Church has been on the No. 1 spot since 2006. It has 43,500 members to date.
2. LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK): Craig Groeschel
This megachurch has 26,776 average attendance in a week for the past year. It ranked No. 5 in 2008.
3. Willow Creek Community Church (South Barrington, IL): Bill Hybels
From No. 4 spot in 2008, Willow Creek Community Church is now on spot No. 3 among the largest churches in America with members numbering to 23,400.
4. North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA): Andy Stanley
This church ranked No. 4 last year compared to 2008 ranking which placed it on the No. 3 spot. It has 23,377 members to date.
5. Second Baptist Church (Houston, TX): Ed Young Sr.
From being the No. 2 largest church in the United States in 2008, Second Baptist Church is now on the 5th place. Its members counted to 22,723 as of 2009.
6. Saddleback Church (Lake Forest, CA): Rick Warren
Rick Warren's Saddleback Church rose from spot No. 8 in 2008 to spot No. 6 last year. About 3,000 members were added in just a year making the membership of the church increased to 22,418.
7. Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX): Ed Young Jr.
Fellowship Church is still on the 7th place with a total membership of 19,913.
8. Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, KY): Dave Stone
In 2008, Southeast Christian Church is not included in the Top 10 largest churches in America. Last year, it placed No. 8 with 17,261 members.
9. Woodlands Church (Woodlands, TX): Kerry Shook
This church ranked No. 11 in 2008 and it is now on the 9th place among the Top 10 largest churches in the United States. There are about 17,142 registered members as of 2009.
10. Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale (Ft. Lauderdale, FL): Bob Coy
Placing 10th among the biggest churches is the Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale with an attendance of 15,921. It ranked 9th two years ago.
