31 of PCUSA’s largest 100 are Confessing Churches
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, April 25, 2005
Thirty-one of the 100 largest congregations in the Presbyterian Church (USA) are members of the Confessing Church Movement within the denomination – more than five times as many as those affiliated with the Covenant Network, which has five congregations in the top 100.
In addition, nearly two-dozen of the other congregations in the top 100 are explicitly evangelical, although their sessions have not chosen to be part of the Confessing Church Movement.
The comparison is based on denominational data compiled by the Office of the General Assembly for the year 2003. The PCUSA is expected to release its figures for 2004 within a few weeks.
The comparison is noteworthy because it shows that the Confessing Church Movement is even stronger among large congregations than it is across the denomination.
At the end of 2003, 1,309 of the 11,064 congregations in the PCUSA were Confessing Churches 11.81 percent). The Covenant Network accounted for 2.9 percent.
The Confessing Church Movement is pronouncedly orthodox, affirming three foundational tenets: that Jesus alone is Savior and Lord for the world; that the Bible is the highest authority for faith and practice; and that God’s holiness standards limit sexual behavior to a man and a woman in marriage.
The Covenant Network was established solely to work for change that will allow the ordination of men and women who are practicing homosexuals, bisexuals and transgendered people. The leaders of the organization promote “progressive theology” – a movement that denies many traditional Biblical claims, including the atoning blood of Christ.
This is the list of PCUSA’s top 100 congregations, location and church membership.
- CONFESSING CHURCHES
- COVENANT NETWORK CHURCHES
1. Peachtree, Atlanta, GA, 7,962
2. First, Orlando, FL, 5,367
3. Fourth, Chicago, IL, 5,195
4. Highland Park, Dallas, TX, 5,120
5. First, Colorado Sprgs, CO, 5,044
6. Village, Prairie Village, KS, 4,791
7. Menlo Park, Menlo Park, CA, 4,577
8. University, Seattle, WA, 4,511
9. First, Houston, TX, 4,491
10. First, Greenville, SC, 4,481
11. Grace, Houston, TX, 4,403
12. Memorial Drive, Houston, TX, 4,301
13. Second, Indianapolis, IN, 4,134
14. Christ, Edina, MN, 4,124
15. St Andrews, Newport Beach, CA, 4,070
16. White Memorial, Raleigh, NC, 4,044
17. Saxe Gotha, Lexington, SC, 3,901
18. Myers Park, Charlotte, NC, 3,699
19. Bryn Mawr, Bryn Mawr, PA, 3,554
20. First, Nashville, TN, 3,537
21. Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 3,529
22. First, Greensboro, NC, 3,528
23. First PC of Torrance, Torrance, CA, 3,212
24. Fair Oaks, Fair Oaks, CA, 3,041
24. First, San Antonio, TX, 3,041
26. First, Marietta, GA, 2,892
27. Preston Hollow, Dallas, TX, 2,884
28. First, Atlanta, GA, 2,866
29. Westminster, Minneapolis, MN, 2,828
30. First, Ft Lauderdale, FL, 2,731
31. Vienna, Vienna, VA, 2,679
32. Hollywood First, Los Angeles, CA, 2,669
33. Church of the Palms, Sarasota, FL, 2,646
34. First, Tulsa, OK, 2,641
35. First, Spartanburg, SC, 2,634
36. Toms River, Toms River, NJ, 2,615
37. First, Allentown, PA, 2,615
38. First, Bellevue, WA, 2,602
39. First, Bethlehem, PA, 2,564
40. National, Washington, DC, 2,557
41. Rancho Bernardo Comm, San Diego, CA, 2,525
42. Kirk Of The Hills, Tulsa, OK, 2,512
43. Central College, Westerville, OH, 2,450
44. Westlake Hills, Austin, TX, 2,446
45. Kirk / Hills, Bloomfld Hills, MI, 2,432
46. Mt Pleasant, Mt Pleasant, SC, 2,422
47. Community, Danville, CA, 2,414
48. Westminster, Oklahoma City, OK, 2,370
49. First, Boulder, CO, 2,356
50. Sardis, Charlotte, NC, 2,313
51. Palma Ceia, Tampa, FL, 2,304
52. First, Lake Forest, IL, 2,294
53. Trinity, Atlanta, GA, 2,281
54. Covenant, Charlotte, NC, 2,275
55. First, Ann Arbor, MI, 2,272
56. Woods Memorial, Severna Park, MD, 2,250
57. Wayne, Wayne, PA, 2,245
58. Westminster, Pittsburgh, PA, 2,230
59. Roswell, Roswell, GA, 2,203
59. First & Calvary, Springfield, MO, 2,203
61. Independent, Birmingham, AL, 2,202
62. First, W Chester, PA, 2,156
63. Lafayette-Orinda, Lafayette, CA, 2,147
64. Bay, Bay Village, OH, 2,103
65. Southminster, Pittsburgh, PA, 2,098
66. La Jolla, La Jolla, CA, 2,080
67. Worthington, Worthington, OH, 2,072
68. Bel Air, Los Angeles, CA, 2,012
69. First, Charlotte, NC, 2,006
70. Eastminster, Wichita, KS, 1,992
71. First, Flint, MI, 1,986
72. Valley, Paradise Vly, AZ, 1,982
73. Doylestown, Doylestown, PA, 1,977
74. Second, Bloomington, IL, 1,972
75. Signal Mountain, Signal Mtn, TN, 1,967
76. First, Arlington Hts, IL, 1,960
77. Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh, PA, 1,935
78. Canyon Creek, Richardson, TX, 1,927
79. Covenant, Ft Myers, FL, 1,909
80. Covenant, Austin, TX, 1,907
81. Eastminster, Columbia, SC, 1,903
82. First, Ft Worth, TX, 1,893
83. First, Richmond, VA, 1,880
84. First, Edmond, OK, 1,877
85. Colonial, Kansas City, MO, 1,858
86. First, Winston-Salem, NC, 1,857
87. Point Loma Community, San Diego, CA, 1,853
88. Sunset, Portland, OR, 1,846
89. Westminster, W Chester, PA, 1,838
90. Memorial Park Community, Allison Park, PA, 1,807
91. University Place, University Pl, WA, 1,802
92. Westminster, Nashville, TN, 1,800
93. First, Morrisville, PA, 1,787
94. First, Kingwood, TX, 1,781
95. First, Norfolk, VA, 1,781
96. First, Berkeley, CA, 1,777
97. First, Charlottesvill, VA, 1,763
98. First, Salinas, CA, 1,756
99. Noroton, Darien, CT, 1,752
100. Westfield, Westfield, NJ, 1,746