The Largest Churches in America

Image by ChicagoGeek via FlickrThis is a list compiled by LifeWay Research and Outreach Magazine.

Top 5 Largest U.S. Churches

1. Lakewood Church, Houston, Texas, Joel Osteen, (43,500)

2. North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, Ga., Andy Stanley (24,325)

3. Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas, Ed Young Sr. (24,041)

4. Willow Creek Community Church, South Barington, Ill., Bill Hybels (24,000)

5. Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Ky., Dave Stone (19,230)

First, take a look at Joel Osteen's church attendance in comparison to the others.  That's huge.  I guess a prosperity theology, where you believe that wealth and power are rewards for pious Christians, is about twice as attractive as a more orthodox belief.  Perhaps this says something about the lure of wealth in our society.

Second, Willow Creek is still up there.  I've attended conferences there and have paid attention to Bill Hybels' work over the years.

Third, I noticed that Girdwood Chapel didn't make the list...yet.