SUMMARY REPORT 1OO FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES IN AMERICA THE OUTREACH MAGAZINE AND LIFEWAY RESEARCH ANNUAL REPORT What Is The Outreach 100? The Largest list includes all churches participating in The Outreach 100 is a collaboration between Outreach the survey with attendance of 5,533 or more. magazine and our friends at LifeWay Research. It’s our attempt to identify and learn from the country’s fastest- growing churches. The LifeWay Research team surveys Why don’t I see ______Church on the list? churches, verifies the numbers, calculates the results We seek the broadest possible participation from evan- and compiles the lists. The Outreach editorial team con- gelical Protestant churches, but since The Outreach ducts interviews with many of the pastors and reports on 100 is a self-reported survey, not an independent in- those conversations in the 164-page full report, in addi- vestigation, there are omissions. Some churches chose tion to featuring Outreach 100 church landing pages, not to respond to multiple interview and data requests church profiles. Interviews, trends and innovations of for a variety of reasons (though overall, more churches the American megachurch and other features online at participated this year than have in the past). If you Outreach100.com. notice the absence of a high-profile evangelical church, chances are they were invited to participate but opted out—this is true of both Life.Church, headquartered What is the methodology behind the in Edmond, Oklahoma, widely regarded as the largest Outreach 100? congregation in the country, and Lakewood Church in In preparation for this annual report, we solicit Houston, Texas, which once held that distinction. Note participation from more than 27,000 churches. too, that our emphasis is not on largest churches per Through the process, they are contacted by fax, email, se, but on fast-growing congregations and what makes letter, phone and certified mail. The Outreach 100 is them tick. a self-reported survey, based on attendance averages, not membership. Churches that participate provide weekend attendance averages for February and March, So, is this just a celebration of numbers? excluding Easter. These figures are then compared with Certainly The Outreach 100 is a celebration of numbers, the previous year’s averages for the same months. The a recognition of church addition and multiplication. final rankings reflect an average of numerical gain and Ultimately, though, The Outreach 100 is not so much percentage gain. Although we go to great lengths to about numbers as it is the individuals those numbers confirm data, the information is reported by pastors, represent—people who have found hope in Christ and the staff or church officers, and as such, reflects their churches pointing them to him. This summary report will perception—their churches as they see them. This year’s serve as an introduction to the numbers. To get a more Fastest-Growing list includes surveyed churches with complete picture of the churches and the transformational attendance greater than 1,006, a numerical gain of 207 stories behind them, we invite you to join us online at or more, and a percentage gain of at least 10 percent. Outreach100.com. STATES WITH MOST FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES 14 FLORIDA TOP 10 GREATEST 13 PERCENTAGE TEXAS GAIN 1. Gateway Fellowship Church 9 San Antonio, Texas GEORGIA 187%

2. Life Church Green Bay 6 De Pere, Wisconsin VIRGINIA 115%

3. Tabernacle of Praise 5 McDonough, Georgia OHIO 79%

4. Action Church 4 Winter Springs, Florida INDIANA TOTAL ATTENDANCE NORTH CAROLINA 75% SOUTH CAROLINA

TENNESSEE 5. Mercy Hill Church Greensboro, North Carolina 578,447 48% THIS YEAR’S FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES ADDED A OLDEST CHURCH COMBINED 90,720 TO THEIR ATTENDANCE COMPARED 6. BridgePoint Church FOUNDED IN TO THEIR COMBINED 2014 ATTENDANCE, FOR AN St. Petersburg, Florida 1824 AVERAGE NUMERICAL GAIN OF 907 (25 PERCENT). 47% Mountain Christian Church 7. The Life Church Joppa, Maryland Manassas, Virginia TOP 10 GREATEST NUMERICAL GAIN 46% YOUNGEST CHURCH 1 Church of the Highlands 6 Christ Fellowship Church Birmingham, Alabama Palm Beach Gardens, Florida FOUNDED IN 8. New Community Bible +7,539 +2,329 Fellowship 2 NewSpring Church 7 Red Rocks Church Cleveland Heights, Ohio 2014 Anderson, South Carolina Littleton, Colorado +5,925 +1,970 Action Church 42% Winter Springs, Florida 3 North Point Ministries 8 Bayside Church 9. Orchard Church Alpharetta, Georgia Granite Bay, California Brighton, Colorado +4,498 +1,950 TOTAL NUMBER OF 4 Elevation Church 9 Gateway Fellowship Church 40% CHURCHES THAT ARE Matthews, North Carolina San Antonio, Texas NONDENOMINATIONAL 42 +3,268 +1,520 10. Generation Church Mesa, Arizona SOUTHERN BAPTIST 20 5 King Jesus International 10 New Life Church Miami, Florida Conway, Arkansas INDEPENDENT CHRISTIAN 12 Ministry +2,468 +1,393 40% ASSEMBLIES OF GOD 9

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Alabama 39,916

Illinois 12,776 2016 TOTAL Arizona 14,270 Mississippi 9,845 Indiana 18,882 New York 1,950 Arkansas 19,477 Missouri 9,738 Tennessee 18,129 ATTENDANCE Iowa 3,719 North Carolina 39,573 California 20,533 Montana 2,102 Texas 64,233 FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES Kentucky 3,263 Ohio 19,283 Colorado 13,071 Nebraska 3,211 Virginia 22,431 Maryland 5,229 Oklahoma 4,677 Florida 92,631 Nevada 2,063 Washington 2,152 Michigan 5,933 Pennsylvania 5,470 Georgia 61,137 New Hampshire 2,814 Wisconsin 4,312 Minnesota 7,324 South Carolina 42,131 New Jersey 3,513 TOTAL 578,447 South Dakota 2,659

51 93

20 39 2 78

72 28 10 33 55 90 9 76 98 71 97 88 58 50 32 41 89 30 100 16 26 23 67 70 29 84 22 4 6 75 74 49 35 43

25 46 27 92 12 77 18 96 48 11 47 61 87 8 95 99 45 57 37 80 94 64 56 73 38 65 42 34 5 3 44 54 86 AN OUTREACH MAGAZINE 15 24 83 85 60 63 53 52 SPECIAL REPORT 81 59 17 LIFEWAY RESEARCH 69 91 19 1 68 14 7 66 13 79 36 62 82 40 31 21 8/30/16 7:04 AM THE FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES IN AMERICA 2016

GROWTH GROWTH RANK CHURCH CITY STATE PASTOR WEBSITE ATTENDANCE BY # BY % FOUNDED 1 Gateway Fellowship Church San Antonio TX John Van Pay MyGateway.tv 2,332 1,520 187% 2008 2 Life Church Green Bay De Pere WI Shawn Hennessy LifeChurchGreenBay.com 2,267 1,210 115% 2008 3 Tabernacle of Praise Church International McDonough GA Timothy J. McBride TOPCI.org 2,684 1,184 79% 2005 4 Red Rocks Church Littleton CO Shawn Johnson RedRocksChurch.com 9,624 1,970 26% 2005 5 Church of the Highlands Birmingham AL Chris Hodges ChurchOfTheHighlands.com 38,346 7,539 24% 2001 6 The Life Church Manassas VA David Baird WeLoveChurch.com 3,209 1,004 46% 1999 7 Citylife Church Tampa FL Tony Stewart CitylifeChurch.cc 3,071 870 40% 1927 8 NewSpring Church Anderson SC Vacant NewSpring.cc 33,761 5,925 21% 2000 9 Rockford First Rockford IL Jeremy DeWeerdt RockfordFirst.com 5,004 1,028 26% 1929 10 2|42 Community Church Brighton MI David Dummitt 242Community.com 5,933 1,187 25% 2005 11 Central Baptist Church Jonesboro AR Archie Mason CentralBaptist.com 4,203 958 30% 1931 12 Faith Promise Church Knoxville TN Chris Stephens FaithPromise.org 6,449 1,242 24% 1995 13 BridgePoint Church St. Petersburg FL Tim Whipple BridgePointFL.com 2,274 726 47% 2006 14 Real Life Christian Church Clermont FL Justin Miller Real.life 6,719 1,283 24% 1961 15 Beltway Park Church Abilene TX David McQueen Beltway.org 4,836 966 25% 1985 16 Rock City Church Columbus OH Chad Fisher RockCityChurch.tv 2,696 712 36% 2011 17 The Church of Eleven22 Jacksonville FL Joby Martin COE22.com 6,945 1,225 21% 2012 18 Elevation Church Matthews NC Steven Furtick ElevationChurch.org 21,146 3,268 18% 2006 19 Action Church Winter Springs FL Justin Dailey TheActionChurch.com 1,293 553 75% 2014 20 Next Level Church Somersworth NH Joshua Gagnon NLC.tv 2,814 627 29% 2008 21 King Jesus International Ministry Miami FL Guillermo Maldonado KingJesusMinistry.org 16,800 2,468 17% 1996 22 Park Valley Church Haymarket VA Barry White ParkValleyChurch.com 2,384 586 33% 2003 23 Traders Point Christian Church Indianapolis IN Aaron Brockett TPCC.org 5,953 992 20% 1834 24 Valley Creek Church Flower Mound TX John Stickl ValleyCreek.org 5,069 872 21% 1992 25 Mercy Hill Church Greensboro NC Andrew Hopper MercyHillGso.com 1,500 487 48% 2012 26 Bayside Church Granite Bay CA Johnston, Brewster, Harlow, McCourt BaysideOnline.com 14,200 1,950 16% 1995 27 James River Church Ozark MO John Lindell JamesRiver.org 9,738 1,354 16% 1991 28 Embrace Church Sioux Falls SD Adam Weber IAmEmbrace.com 2,659 545 26% 2006 29 Orchard Church Brighton CO Doug Dameron OrchardChurch.tv 1,588 455 40% 2005 30 Lifegate Church Omaha NE Les Beauchamp LifegateOmaha.com 3,211 611 24% 1975 31 Calvary Fellowship Miramar FL Bob Franquiz MyCalvary.com 2,632 538 26% 2000 32 Vineyard Columbus Westerville OH Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 7,905 1,131 17% 1974 33 New Community Bible Fellowship Cleveland Heights OH Kevin James NewCommunityBible.org 1,480 436 42% 1994 34 Sun Valley Community Church Gilbert AZ Chad Moore SunValleyCC.com 6,255 918 17% 1990 35 Liberty Baptist Church Hampton VA Grant Ethridge LibertyLive.com 5,282 802 18% 1900 36 Bayside Community Church Bradenton FL Randy Bezet MyBayside.church 7,575 1,044 16% 2002 37 North Point Ministries Alpharetta GA Andy Stanley NorthPointMinistries.org 39,056 4,498 13% 1995 38 Bethlehem Church Bethlehem GA Jason Britt BethlehemChurch.us 2,160 466 28% 1904 39 River Valley Church Apple Valley MN Rob Ketterling RiverValley.org 7,324 1,005 16% 1995 40 Community Christian Church Ft. Lauderdale FL Scott Eynon CommunityCC.com 2,731 529 24% 1957 41 Mountain Christian Church Joppa MD Ben Cachiaras MountainCC.org 5,229 773 17% 1824 42 TrueNorth Church North Augusta SC Steve Davis TrueNorthChurch.com 2,237 458 26% 2004 43 Community Church Chesapeake VA Michael Brueseke Community.church 3,051 545 22% 1989 44 Church on the Rock Lubbock TX Jackie White COTRLubbock.com 2,421 478 25% 1985 45 Sandals Church Riverside CA Matt Brown SandalsChurch.com 6,333 868 16% 1997 46 The Summit Church Durham NC J.D. Greear SummitRDu.com 9,437 1,162 14% 1962 47 Venue Church Chattanooga TN Tavner Smith VenueChurch.com 1,425 362 34% 2013 48 Transformation Church Fort Mill SC Derwin L. Gray TransformationChurch.tc 2,966 516 21% 2010 49 Northeast Christian Church Louisville KY Tyler McKenzie NECChurch.org 3,263 538 20% 1977 50 Tenth Presbyterian Church Philadelphia PA Liam Goligher Tenth.org 1,364 354 35% 1829

Lists and Maps_10016.indd 68 8/30/16 7:04 AM GROWTH GROWTH RANK CHURCH CITY STATE PASTOR WEBSITE ATTENDANCE BY # BY % FOUNDED 51 Valley Real Life Greenacres WA Dan Shields VRL.church 2,152 416 24% 2003 52 Christ's Church Camden Kingsland GA Scott Clevenger ChristsChurchCamden.com 1,435 359 33% 2007 53 Lake Pointe Church Rockwall TX Steve Stroope LakePointe.org 12,185 1,286 12% 1979 54 Turning Point Church McDonough GA Michael Turner TurningPointChurch.tv 1,939 392 25% 2003 55 Liquid Church Mountainside NJ Tim Lucas LiquidChurch.com 3,513 546 18% 2007 56 Impact Church East Point GA Olu Brown ImpactDCD.org 2,513 449 22% 2007 57 New Life Church Conway AR Rick Bezet NewLifeChurch.tv 13,664 1,393 11% 2001 58 Lifepoint Church Lewis Center OH Dean Fulks LifepointOhio.com 2,112 405 24% 2004 59 Crossroads Christian Church Grand Prairie TX Barry L. Cameron CrossroadsChristian.org 6,697 802 14% 1970 60 Pinelake Church Brandon MS Chip Henderson Pinelake.org 9,845 1,054 12% 1971 61 Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church Moore SC D. J. Horton AMRBC.org 3,167 501 19% 1988 62 Christ Fellowship Church Palm Beach Gardens FL Todd Mullins GoChristFellowship.com 23,845 2,329 11% 1984 63 Watermark Community Church Dallas TX Todd Wagner Watermark.org 12,106 1,230 11% 1999 64 Generation Church Mesa AZ Ryan Visconti GenerationAZ.org 1,006 288 40% 1948 65 Cornerstone Church Athens Athens GA Scott Sheppard CornerstoneAthens.cc 1,409 309 28% 1948 66 Faith Assembly of God Orlando FL Carl Stephens FaithAssembly.org 6,230 730 13% 1975 67 Northview Church Carmel IN Steve Poe NorthviewChurch.us 8,000 860 12% 1980 68 Sugar Creek Baptist Church Sugar Land TX Mark S. Hartman SugarCreek.net 4,229 568 16% 1973 69 First Baptist Church Temple Temple TX Ronny Marriott FirstTemple.org 1,060 282 36% 1874 70 Cornerstone Chapel Leesburg VA Gary Hamrick CornerstoneChapel.net 4,055 554 16% 1991 71 Faith Church Dyer IN Robert Bouwer FaithChurchOnline.org 3,856 536 16% 1964 72 Northbrook Church Richfi eld WI Mike Bellanti NorthbrookChurch.org 2,045 365 22% 1984 73 Voices of Faith Ministries Stone Mountain GA Bishop Gary Hawkins Sr. VoicesFaith.org 6,077 677 13% 1994 74 Lifepoint Church Fredericksburg VA Daniel Floyd Lifepoint.org 4,450 562 14% 2005 75 Discovery Church Colorado Colorado Springs CO Greg Lindsey MeTooPlace.com 1,859 353 23% 2003 76 Grace Church of Greater Akron Akron OH Jeœ Bogue GraceOhio.org 5,090 603 13% 1960 77 Biltmore Church Arden NC Bruce Frank BiltmoreChurch.com 7,490 787 12% 1889 78 Northridge Church Rochester NY Drew Karschner NorthridgeRochester.com 1,950 342 21% 1889 79 Greeneway Church Orlando FL Wade B. Mumm GreenewayChurch.com 1,097 254 30% 1999 80 Scottsdale Bible Church Scottsdale AZ Jamie Rasmussen ScottsdaleBible.com 7,009 713 11% 1962 81 New River Fellowship Hudson Oaks TX Scott Crenshaw NewRiver.tv 2,412 370 18% 2000 82 First Assembly of God Ft. Myers FL Dan Betzer FamFM.com 8,466 790 10% 1946 83 Preston Trail Community Church Frisco TX Paul Basden, Jim Johnson PrestonTrail.org 3,292 438 15% 2002 84 The Crossing Quincy IL Jerry Harris TheCrossing.net 7,772 745 11% 1974 85 Grace Creek Church Longview TX Matt Benson GraceCreekChurch.com 1,254 248 25% 2009 86 Hope Fellowship Frisco TX John McKinzie HopeFellowship.net 6,340 627 11% 2000 87 Calvary Chapel Chattanooga Chattanooga TN Frank Ramseur CalvaryChatt.com 3,098 400 15% 2000 88 Grace Community Church Cranberry Township PA Matt Kaltenberger MyGCC.org 1,927 300 18% 2001 89 Grace Church Reno NV Dan Frank GraceChurchReno.org 2,063 307 17% 1990 90 Sunnybrook Community Church Sioux City IA Jeœ Moes SunnybrookChurch.org 2,374 332 16% 1963 91 New Covenant UMC The Villages FL Harold Hendren NewCovenantUMB-FL.org 2,953 380 15% 2000 92 Cross Point Church Nashville TN Pete Wilson CrossPoint.tv 7,157 642 10% 2002 93 Canvas Church Kalispell MT Kevin Geer CanvasChurch.com 2,102 308 17% 1929 94 The Summit Church North Little Rock AR Bill Elliœ TheSummitChurch.org 1,610 262 19% 1998 95 Faith Church Florence AL Steve Huskey IGoToFaith.com 1,570 258 20% 1978 96 theChurch.at Broken Arrow OK Dr. Alex Himaya TheChurch.at 4,677 485 12% 1967 97 First Church of God Columbia City IN Johnny McCallister FirstChurchConnect.com 1,073 207 24% 1885 98 Victory Church Lancaster PA Curt Seaburg VictoryChurch.org 2,179 303 16% 2000 99 Rock Bridge Community Church Dalton GA Matt Evans RockBridge.cc 3,864 408 12% 2002 100 First Christian Church Council Bluœ s IA Jed Mullenix FirstChristianCB.org 1,345 227 20% 1891

An Outreach Magazine/LifeWay Research SPECIAL REPORT

Lists and Maps_10016.indd 69 8/30/16 7:04 AM CHOOSE YOUR OWN CHURCH-VENTURE: A Generous Journey NEW from echurch powered by Pushpay: In a world dominated by mobile technology, you become the main character that must make the difficult choices to lead your church to the future of generosity.

Not since the Cave of Time have I been

“ so on the edge of my seat when seeing my choices at the bottom of the page...just “ Riveting...I felt like I was praying I don’t seal my own fate.

“ actually on an adventure - Shawn Ryder, book critic,

Adventure Monthly and followed a path that was truly righteous. “ - Dave Galegor, Top Notch Magazine BYThe Fastest-Growing REGION Churches in America

TX Dallas Watermark Community Church 63 Total Churches 8 TX Flower Mound Valley Creek Church 24 Total Attendance 39,921 TX Frisco Hope Fellowship 86 Average Attendance 4,990 TX Frisco Preston Trail Community Church 83 Average Increase 866 TX Grand Prairie Crossroads Christian Church 59 TX Hudson Oaks New River Fellowship 81 Growth by Number 6,627 TX Longview Grace Creek Church 85 Growth by Percent 22% TX Lubbock Church on the Rock 44 TX Rockwall Lake Pointe Church 53 West TX San Antonio Gateway Fellowship Church 1 TX Sugar Land Sugar Creek Baptist Church 68 STATE CITY CHURCH RANK TX Temple First Baptist Church Temple 69 CA Granite Bay Bayside Church 26 CA Riverside Sandals Church 45 CO Brighton Orchard Church 29 CO Colorado Springs Discovery Church Colorado 75 CO Littleton Red Rocks Church 4 Total Churches 21 MT Kalispell Canvas Church 93 Total Attendance 92,514 NV Reno Grace Church 89 Average Attendance 4,405 WA Greenacres Valley Real Life 51 Average Increase 713 Growth by Number 14,976 Growth by Percent 25% Midwest Total Churches 16 STATE CITY CHURCH RANK Total Attendance 78,503 IA Council Blu‘ s First Christian Church 100 Average Attendance 4,906 IA Sioux City Sunnybrook Community Church 90 Average Increase 725 IL Quincy The Crossing 84 Growth by Number 11,606 IL Rockford Rockford First 9 Growth by Percent 30% IN Carmel Northview Church 67 IN Columbia City First Church of God 97 IN Dyer Faith Church 71 Southwest IN Indianapolis Traders Point Christian Church 23

STATE CITY CHURCH RANK MI Brighton 2|42 Community Church 10 AZ Gilbert Sun Valley Community Church 34 MN Apple Valley River Valley Church 39 AZ Mesa Generation Church 64 MO Ozark James River Church 27 AZ Scottsdale Scottsdale Bible Church 80 NE Omaha Lifegate Church 30 TX Abilene Beltway Park Church 15 OH Akron Grace Church of Greater Akron 76

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regional&affiliation_10016.indd 76 8/30/16 7:22 AM The Fastest-GrowingBY REGION Churches in America

GA Dalton Rock Bridge Community Church 99 Midwest GA East Point Impact Church 56

STATE CITY CHURCH RANK GA Kingsland Christ's Church Camden 52 GA McDonough Tabernacle of Praise Church International 3 OH Cleveland Heights New Community Bible Fellowship 33 GA McDonough Turning Point Church 54 OH Columbus Rock City Church 16 GA Stone Mountain Voices of Faith Ministries 73 OH Lewis Center Lifepoint Church 58 KY Louisville Northeast Christian Church 49 OH Westerville Vineyard Columbus 32 MS Brandon Pinelake Church 60 OK Broken Arrow theChurch.at 96 NC Arden Biltmore Church 77 SD Sioux Falls Embrace Church 28 NC Durham The Summit Church 46 WI De Pere Life Church Green Bay 2 NC Greensboro Mercy Hill Church 25 WI Richfi eld Northbrook Church 72 NC Matthews Elevation Church 18 SC Anderson NewSpring Church 8 SC Fort Mill Transformation Church 48 SC Moore Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church 61 SC North Augusta TrueNorth Church 42 TN Chattanooga Calvary Chapel Chattanooga 87 Total Churches 48 TN Chattanooga Venue Church 47 TN Knoxville Faith Promise Church 12 Total Attendance 348,533 TN Nashville Cross Point Church 92 Average Attendance 7,261 VA Chesapeake Community Church 43 Average Increase 1,131 VA Fredericksburg Lifepoint Church 74 Growth by Number 54,266 VA Hampton Liberty Baptist Church 35 Growth by Percent 24% VA Haymarket Park Valley Church 22 VA Leesburg Cornerstone Chapel 70 Southeast VA Manassas The Life Church 6

STATE CITY CHURCH RANK AL Birmingham Church of the Highlands 5 AL Florence Faith Church 95 AR Conway New Life Church 57 AR Jonesboro Central Baptist Church 11 Total Churches 7 AR North Little Rock The Summit Church 94 Total Attendance 18,976 FL Bradenton Bayside Community Church 36 Average Attendance 2,711 FL Clermont Real Life Christian Church 14 Average Increase 464 FL Ft. Myers First Assembly of God 82 FL Jacksonville The Church of Eleven22 17 Growth by Number 3,245 FL Miami King Jesus International Ministry 21 Growth by Percent 22% FL Miramar Calvary Fellowship 31 FL Orlando Faith Assembly of God 66 Northeast FL Orlando Greeneway Church 79 FL Palm Beach Gardens Christ Fellowship Church 62 STATE CITY CHURCH RANK FL St. Petersburg BridgePoint Church 13 MD Joppa Mountain Christian Church 41 FL Ft. Lauderdale Community Christian Church 40 NH Somersworth Next Level Church 20 FL Tampa Citylife Church 7 NJ Mountainside Liquid Church 55 FL The Villages New Covenant UMC 91 NY Rochester Northridge Church 78 FL Winter Springs Action Church 19 PA Cranberry Township Grace Community Church 88 GA Alpharetta North Point Ministries 37 PA Lancaster Victory Church 98 GA Athens Cornerstone Church Athens 65 PA Philadelphia Tenth Presbyterian Church 50 GA Bethlehem Bethlehem Church 38

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CHURCH CITY STATE RANK CHURCH CITY STATE RANK ASSEMBLIES OF GOD GRACE BRETHREN Canvas Church Kalispell MT 93 Grace Church of Greater Akron Akron OH 76 Faith Assembly of God Orlando FL 66 METHODIST - UNITED METHODIST First Assembly of God Ft. Myers FL 82 Embrace Church Sioux Falls SD 28 Gateway Fellowship Church San Antonio TX 1 Impact Church East Point GA 56 Generation Church Mesa AZ 64 New Covenant UMC The Villages FL 91 Greeneway Church Orlando FL 79 NONDENOMINATIONAL James River Church Ozark MO 27 Action Church Winter Springs FL 19 River Valley Church Apple Valley MN 39 Bayside Community Church Bradenton FL 36 Rockford First Rockford IL 9 BridgePoint Church St. Petersburg FL 13 BAPTIST Calvary Chapel Chattanooga Chattanooga TN 87 First Baptist Church Temple Temple TX 69 Christ Fellowship Church Palm Beach Gardens FL 62 Northridge Church Rochester NY 78 The Church of Eleven22 Jacksonville FL 17 Sun Valley Community Church Gilbert AZ 34 Church of the Highlands Birmingham AL 5 BAPTIST – SOUTHERN BAPTIST Church on the Rock Lubbock TX 44 Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church Moore SC 61 Community Church Chesapeake VA 43 Beltway Park Church Abilene TX 15 Cross Point Church Nashville TN 92 Bethlehem Church Bethlehem GA 38 Discovery Church Colorado Colorado Springs CO 75 Biltmore Church Arden NC 77 Faith Church Florence AL 95 Calvary Fellowship Miramar FL 31 Faith Promise Church Knoxville TN 12 Central Baptist Church Jonesboro AR 11 Grace Church Reno NV 89 Elevation Church Matthews NC 18 Grace Community Church Cranberry Township PA 88 Lake Pointe Church Rockwall TX 53 Grace Creek Church Longview TX 85 Liberty Baptist Church Hampton VA 35 Hope Fellowship Frisco TX 86 Lifepoint Church Lewis Center OH 58 King Jesus International Ministry Miami FL 21 Mercy Hill Church Greensboro NC 25 The Life Church Manassas VA 6 NewSpring Church Anderson SC 8 Life Church Green Bay De Pere WI 2 Pinelake Church Brandon MS 60 Lifegate Church Omaha NE 30 Rock Bridge Community Church Dalton GA 99 Lifepoint Church Fredericksburg VA 74 Sandals Church Riverside CA 45 Liquid Church Mountainside NJ 55 Sugar Creek Baptist Church Sugar Land TX 68 New Community Bible Fellowship Cleveland Heights OH 33 The Summit Church Durham NC 46 New Life Church Conway AR 57 The Summit Church North Little Rock AR 94 New River Fellowship Hudson Oaks TX 81 theChurch.at Broken Arrow OK 96 Next Level Church Somersworth NH 20 TrueNorth Church North Augusta SC 42 North Point Ministries Alpharetta GA 37 CALVARY CHAPEL Northbrook Church Richfi eld WI 72 Cornerstone Chapel Leesburg VA 70 Northview Church Carmel IN 67 CHRISTIAN - INDEPENDENT CHRISTIAN CHURCHES Orchard Church Brighton CO 29 2|42 Community Church Brighton MI 10 Park Valley Church Haymarket VA 22 Christ's Church Camden Kingsland GA 52 Preston Trail Community Church Frisco TX 83 Community Christian Church Ft. Lauderdale FL 40 Red Rocks Church Littleton CO 4 The Crossing Quincy IL 84 Rock City Church Columbus OH 16 Crossroads Christian Church Grand Prairie TX 59 Scottsdale Bible Church Scottsdale AZ 80 First Christian Church Council Bluš s IA 100 Tabernacle of Praise Church International McDonough GA 3 Mountain Christian Church Joppa MD 41 Transformation Church Fort Mill SC 48 Northeast Christian Church Louisville KY 49 Turning Point Church McDonough GA 54 Real Life Christian Church Clermont FL 14 Valley Creek Church Flower Mound TX 24 Traders Point Christian Church Indianapolis IN 23 Venue Church Chattanooga TN 47 Valley Real Life Greenacres WA 51 Voices of Faith Ministries Stone Mountain GA 73 CHURCH OF GOD - CLEVELAND Watermark Community Church Dallas TX 63 Citylife Church Tampa FL 7 PRESBYTERIAN - PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA Cornerstone Church Athens Athens GA 65 Tenth Presbyterian Church Philadelphia PA 50 CHURCHES OF GOD GENERAL CONFERENCE REFORMED CHURCHES IN AMERICA First Church of God Columbia City IN 97 Faith Church Dyer IN 71 EVANGELICAL COVENANT Sunnybrook Community Church Sioux City IA 90 Bayside Church Granite Bay CA 26 VINEYARD Vineyard Columbus Westerville OH 32

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regional&affiliation_10016.indd 80 8/30/16 7:22 AM BY CHURCH NAME The Fastest-Growing Churches in America

CHURCH CITY STATE RANK CHURCH CITY STATE RANK

2|42 Community Church Brighton MI 10 The Life Church Manassas VA 6 Action Church Winter Springs FL 19 Life Church Green Bay De Pere WI 2 Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church Moore SC 61 Lifegate Church Omaha NE 30 Bayside Church Granite Bay CA 26 Lifepoint Church Fredericksburg VA 74 Bayside Community Church Bradenton FL 36 Lifepoint Church Lewis Center OH 58 Beltway Park Church Abilene TX 15 Liquid Church Mountainside NJ 55 Bethlehem Church Bethlehem GA 38 Mercy Hill Church Greensboro NC 25 Biltmore Church Arden NC 77 Mountain Christian Church Joppa MD 41 BridgePoint Church St. Petersburg FL 13 New Community Bible Fellowship Cleveland Heights OH 33 Calvary Chapel Chattanooga Chattanooga TN 87 New Covenant UMC The Villages FL 91 Calvary Fellowship Miramar FL 31 New Life Church Conway AR 57 Canvas Church Kalispell MT 93 New River Fellowship Hudson Oaks TX 81 Central Baptist Church Jonesboro AR 11 NewSpring Church Anderson SC 8 Christ Fellowship Church Palm Beach Gardens FL 62 Next Level Church Somersworth NH 20 Christ's Church Camden Kingsland GA 52 North Point Ministries Alpharetta GA 37 The Church of Eleven22 Jacksonville FL 17 Northbrook Church Richfi eld WI 72 Church of the Highlands Birmingham AL 5 Northeast Christian Church Louisville KY 49 Church on the Rock Lubbock TX 44 Northridge Church Rochester NY 78 Citylife Church Tampa FL 7 Northview Church Carmel IN 67 Community Christian Church Ft. Lauderdale FL 40 Orchard Church Brighton CO 29 Community Church Chesapeake VA 43 Park Valley Church Haymarket VA 22 Cornerstone Chapel Leesburg VA 70 Pinelake Church Brandon MS 60 Cornerstone Church Athens Athens GA 65 Preston Trail Community Church Frisco TX 83 Cross Point Church Nashville TN 92 Real Life Christian Church Clermont FL 14 The Crossing Quincy IL 84 Red Rocks Church Littleton CO 4 Crossroads Christian Church Grand Prairie TX 59 River Valley Church Apple Valley MN 39 Discovery Church Colorado Colorado Springs CO 75 Rock Bridge Community Church Dalton GA 99 Elevation Church Matthews NC 18 Rock City Church Columbus OH 16 Embrace Church Sioux Falls SD 28 Rockford First Rockford IL 9 Faith Assembly of God Orlando FL 66 Sandals Church Riverside CA 45 Faith Church Dyer IN 71 Scottsdale Bible Church Scottsdale AZ 80 Faith Church Florence AL 95 Sugar Creek Baptist Church Sugar Land TX 68 Faith Promise Church Knoxville TN 12 The Summit Church Durham NC 46 First Assembly of God Ft. Myers FL 82 The Summit Church North Little Rock AR 94 First Baptist Church Temple Temple TX 69 Sun Valley Community Church Gilbert AZ 34 First Christian Church Council Blu™ s IA 100 Sunnybrook Community Church Sioux City IA 90 First Church of God Columbia City IN 97 Tabernacle of Praise Church International McDonough GA 3 Gateway Fellowship Church San Antonio TX 1 Tenth Presbyterian Church Philadelphia PA 50 Generation Church Mesa AZ 64 theChurch.at Broken Arrow OK 96 Grace Church Reno NV 89 Traders Point Christian Church Indianapolis IN 23 Grace Church of Greater Akron Akron OH 76 Transformation Church Fort Mill SC 48 Grace Community Church Cranberry Township PA 88 TrueNorth Church North Augusta SC 42 Grace Creek Church Longview TX 85 Turning Point Church McDonough GA 54 Greeneway Church Orlando FL 79 Valley Creek Church Flower Mound TX 24 Hope Fellowship Frisco TX 86 Valley Real Life Greenacres WA 51 Impact Church East Point GA 56 Venue Church Chattanooga TN 47 James River Church Ozark MO 27 Victory Church Lancaster PA 98 King Jesus International Ministry Miami FL 21 Vineyard Columbus Westerville OH 32 Lake Pointe Church Rockwall TX 53 Voices of Faith Ministries Stone Mountain GA 73 Liberty Baptist Church Hampton VA 35 Watermark Community Church Dallas TX 63

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regional&affiliation_10016.indd 82 8/30/16 7:23 AM BEWARE & WARNING: This book BEWARE & WARNING: is different from other books. This book is different from other A GENEROUS books. YOU are in charge of JOURNEY what happens in this story and BY BEKA FROM ECHURCH how it will affect your ministry. All of your gifts, talents, and choices will hold great rewards or devastating consequences... Choose your church-venture wisely...the future of your church depends on it.

You come to a crossroad; you feel your heart thumping as it pulses against your temples. One path is conveniently marked present, the other future. Which path do you choose?

Choose the Present Path

Choose the Future Path ILLUSTRATED BY DANIEL STATES WITH MOST LARGEST AND LARGEST FASTEST-GROWING 34 churches are listed as both CHURCHES Largest and Fastest-Growing. 17 Here are the 10 largest. CALIFORNIA North Point Ministries Alpharetta, Ga. No. 1 Largest No. 37 Fastest-Growing 15 39,056 TEXAS Church of the Highlands Birmingham, Ala. No. 2 Largest 11 No. 5 Fastest-Growing FLORIDA 38,346

NewSpring Church Anderson, South Carolina 7 No. 3 Largest TENNESSEE No. 8 Fastest-Growing 33,761

Christ Fellowship Church 5 Palm Beach Gardens, Florida ARIZONA No. 8 Largest No. 62 Fastest-Growing 23,845

5 Elevation Church GEORGIA TOTAL ATTENDANCE Matthews, North Carolina No. 11 Largest No. 18 Fastest-Growing 5 21,146 NORTH CAROLINA King Jesus International Ministry 1,127,954 Miami, Florida OLDEST CHURCH No. 16 Largest FOUNDED IN No. 21 Fastest-Growing MOST LOCATIONS 16,800 NewSpring Church 17 Lake Pointe Church 9 1834 Anderson, South Carolina Rockwall, Texas Bayside Church Traders Point Christian Granite Bay, California Saddleback Church 16 LCBC Church 9 No. 22 Largest Church No. 26 Fastest-Growing Indianapolis, Indiana Lake Forest, California Manheim, Pennsylvania 14,200 Church of the Highlands 14 The Summit Church 9 Birmingham, Alabama Durham, North Carolina YOUNGEST CHURCH New Life Church Elevation Church 13 EastLake Church 8 Conway, Arkansas FOUNDED IN No. 23 Largest Matthews, North Carolina Chula Vista, California No. 57 Fastest-Growing The Crossing 11 River Valley Church 8 13,664 2012 Quincy, Illinois Apple Valley, Minnesota The Church of Eleven22 Lake Pointe Church Jacksonville, Florida New Life Church 11 Willow Creek Community Rockwall, Texas Conway, Arkansas Church 8 No. 28 Largest South Barrington, Illinois No. 53 Fastest-Growing Cathedral of Faith 10 TOTAL NUMBER OF San Jose, California Shadow Mountain 12,185 CHURCHES THAT ARE Community Church 8

12Stone Church 9 El Cajon, California Watermark Community NONDENOMINATIONAL 42 Lawrenceville, Georgia Church Voices of Faith Ministries 8 Dallas, Texas SOUTHERN BAPTIST 20 Christ Fellowship Church 9 Stone Mountain, Georgia No. 29 Largest INDEPENDENT CHRISTIAN 17 Palm Beach Gardens, Florida No. 63 Fastest-Growing ASSEMBLIES OF GOD 5 12,106

OutreachMagazine.com 109

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Alabama 38,346 Georgia 74,804 Louisiana 6,579 New Mexico 13,014 Texas 171,162 2016 TOTAL Arizona 52,794 Illinois 46,117 Maryland 6,470 North Carolina 56,304 Virginia 10,905 Arkansas 22,697 Indiana 29,053 Michigan 13,908 Ohio 38,353 TOTAL 1,127,954 ATTENDANCE California 168,136 Iowa 11,409 Minnesota 33,622 Pennsylvania 14,669 LARGEST Colorado 38,977 Kansas 9,521 Mississippi 9,845 South Carolina 33,761 CHURCHES Florida 115,453 Kentucky 35,323 Missouri 17,566 Tennessee 59,166

12 99 66 56 92 6 55 32 64 20 21 53 57 22 97 80 15 59 91 10 34 49 40 89 41 9 96 58 31

3842 39 76 48 27 1868 81 45 52 63 11 93 25 1007583 69 3 50 5 5417 94 7 70 23 65 33 43 1 19 24 84 95 88 67 2 79 86 87 61 82 AN OUTREACH MAGAZINE 4 36 2928 37 74 71 30 SPECIAL REPORT LIFEWAY RESEARCH 14 72 77 4426 13 51 73 85 98 78 90 60 62 8 47 46 35 16 8/30/16 7:07 AM THE OUTREACH 100 LARGEST CHURCHES 2016

RANK ATTENDANCE CHURCH CITY STATE PASTOR WEBSITE FOUNDED 1 39,056 North Point Ministries Alpharetta GA Andy Stanley NorthPointMinistries.org 1995 2 38,346 Church of the Highlands Birmingham AL Chris Hodges ChurchOfTheHighlands.com 2001 3 33,761 NewSpring Church Anderson SC Vacant NewSpring.cc 2000 4 28,399 Gateway Church Southlake TX Robert Morris GatewayPeople.com 2000 5 25,612 Saddleback Church Lake Forest CA Rick Warren Saddleback.com 1980 6 25,371 Willow Creek Community Church South Barrington IL Bill Hybels WillowCreek.org 1975 7 24,108 Christ's Church of the Valley Peoria AZ Donald J. Wilson CCV.church 1982 8 23,845 Christ Fellowship Church Palm Beach Gardens FL Todd Mullins GoChristFellowship.com 1984 9 23,799 Southeast Christian Church Louisville KY Dave Stone SoutheastChristian.org 1962 10 22,458 Crossroads Church Cincinnati OH Brian Tome Crossroads.net 1995 11 21,146 Elevation Church Matthews NC Steven Furtick ElevationChurch.org 2006 12 20,719 Eagle Brook Church Centerville MN Bob Merritt EagleBrookChurch.com 1949 13 20,698 Second Baptist Church Houston TX H. Edwin Young Second.org 1927 14 19,430 Woodlands Church The Woodlands TX Kerry Shook WoodlandsChurch.tv 1993 15 17,601 Flatirons Community Church Lafayette CO Jim Burgen FlatIronsChurch.com 1983 16 16,800 King Jesus International Ministry Miami FL Guillermo Maldonado KingJesusMinistry.org 1996 17 16,785 Mariners Church Irvine CA Kenton Beshore MarinersChurch.org 1963 18 16,428 Mount Zion Baptist Church Nashville TN Joseph W. Walker III MtZionNashville.org 1866 19 16,320 12Stone Church Lawrenceville GA Kevin Myers 12Stone.com 1987 20 15,100 Family Christian Center Munster IN Steve Munsey FCC4Me.com 1953 21 14,669 LCBC Church Manheim PA David Ashcraft LCBCChurch.com 1986 22 14,200 Bayside Church Granite Bay CA Johnston, Brewster, Harlow, McCourt BaysideOnline.com 1995 23 13,664 New Life Church Conway AR Rick Bezet NewLifeChurch.tv 2001 24 13,501 The Rock Church San Diego CA Miles McPherson SDRock.com 2000 25 13,014 Calvary Albuquerque Albuquerque NM Skip Heitzig CalvaryAbq.org 1982 26 12,558 Community Bible Church San Antonio TX Ed Newton CommunityBible.com 1990 27 12,203 Valley Bible Fellowship Bakersfi eld CA Ron Vietti VBF.org 1975 28 12,185 Lake Pointe Church Rockwall TX Steve Stroope LakePointe.org 1979 29 12,106 Watermark Community Church Dallas TX Todd Wagner Watermark.org 1999 30 12,018 Celebration Church Jacksonville FL Stovall Weems Celebration.org 1998 31 11,524 Southland Christian Church Nicholasville KY Jon Weece SouthlandChristian.org 1956 32 11,409 Lutheran Church of Hope West Des Moines IA Mike Housholder LutheranChurchOfHope.org 1994 33 11,047 North Coast Church Vista CA Larry Osborne, Chris Brown NorthCoastChurch.com 1978 34 10,905 McLean Bible Church Vienna VA Lon Solomon McLeanBible.org 1961 35 10,598 Potential Church Cooper City FL Troy Gramling PotentialChurch.com 1981 36 10,340 The Village Church Flower Mound TX Matt Chandler TheVillageChurch.net 1978 37 9,845 Pinelake Church Brandon MS Chip Henderson Pinelake.org 1971 38 9,769 World Overcomers Christian Church Durham NC Andy Thompson WorldOvercomers.church 2003 39 9,738 James River Church Ozark MO John Lindell JamesRiver.org 1991 40 9,624 Red Rocks Church Littleton CO Shawn Johnson RedRocksChurch.com 2005 41 9,521 The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Leawood KS Adam Hamilton COR.org 1990 42 9,437 The Summit Church Durham NC J.D. Greear SummitRDu.com 1962 43 9,288 Central Christian Church of Arizona Mesa AZ Cal Jernigan CentralAZ.com 1959 44 9,190 Oak Hills Church San Antonio TX Randy Frazee OakHillsChurch.com 1958 45 9,033 Cross Church Springdale AR Ronnie Floyd CrossChurch.com 1870 46 8,486 Church by the Glades Coral Springs FL David Hughes CBGlades.com 1981 47 8,466 First Assembly of God Ft. Myers FL Dan Betzer FamFM.com 1946 48 8,462 Hope Community Church Raleigh NC Mike Lee GetHope.net 1994 49 8,350 Cathedral of Faith San Jose CA Ken Foreman CathedralOfFaith.org 1959 50 8,312 Shepherd Church Porter Ranch CA Dudley Rutherford ShepherdChurch.com 1995

Lists and Maps_10016.indd 112 8/30/16 7:07 AM RANK ATTENDANCE CHURCH CITY STATE PASTOR WEBSITE FOUNDED 51 8,237 Houston's First Baptist Church Houston TX Gregg Matte HoustonsFirst.org 1841 52 8,124 World Outreach Church Murfreesboro TN G. Allen Jackson WOChurch.org 1980 53 8,000 Northview Church Carmel IN Steve Poe NorthviewChurch.us 1980 54 8,000 Calvary Chapel South Bay Gardena CA JeŽ Gill CCSouthBay.org 1980 55 7,990 CedarCreek Church Perrysburg OH Ben Snyder CedarCreek.tv 1995 56 7,975 Ada Bible Church Ada MI JeŽ Manion AdaBible.org 1978 57 7,905 Vineyard Columbus Westerville OH Rich Nathan VineyardColumbus.org 1974 58 7,828 Faith Church St. Louis MO David Crank, Nicole Crank FaithChurch.com 2003 59 7,772 The Crossing Quincy IL Jerry Harris TheCrossing.net 1974 60 7,771 Grace Family Church Lutz FL Craig Altman GFCOnline.com 1994 61 7,617 Savannah Christian Church Savannah GA Cam Huxford SavannahChristian.com 1964 62 7,575 Bayside Community Church Bradenton FL Randy Bezet MyBayside.church 2002 63 7,490 Biltmore Church Arden NC Bruce Frank BiltmoreChurch.com 1889 64 7,388 Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park Orland Park IL Timothy Harlow ParkviewChurch.com 1951 65 7,329 Bellevue Baptist Church Cordova TN Steve Gaines Bellevue.org 1903 66 7,324 River Valley Church Apple Valley MN Rob Ketterling RiverValley.org 1995 67 7,276 Shadow Mountain Community Church El Cajon CA David Jeremiah ShadowMountain.org 1973 68 7,157 Cross Point Church Nashville TN Pete Wilson CrossPoint.tv 2002 69 7,097 Hope Presbyterian Church Cordova TN Rufus Smith HopePres.com 1988 70 7,009 Scottsdale Bible Church Scottsdale AZ Jamie Rasmussen ScottsdaleBible.com 1962 71 6,945 The Church of Eleven22 Jacksonville FL Joby Martin COE22.com 2012 72 6,881 Austin Stone Community Church Austin TX Matthew Carter AustinStone.org 2002 73 6,719 Real Life Christian Church Clermont FL Justin Miller Real.life 1961 74 6,697 Crossroads Christian Church Grand Prairie TX Barry L. Cameron CrossroadsChristian.org 1970 75 6,623 Water of Life Community Church Fontana CA Danny Carroll WaterOfLifeCC.org 1990 76 6,582 Long Hollow Baptist Church Hendersonville TN Robby Gallaty LongHollow.com 1977 77 6,579 Healing Place Church Baton Rouge LA Mike Haman HealingPlaceChurch.org 1993 78 6,509 CityChurch San Antonio TX David SaathoŽ CityChurchSA.com 1992 79 6,500 Cornerstone Church of San Diego National City CA Sergio De La Mora TurningTheHearts.com 1998 80 6,470 Reid Temple AME Church Glenn Dale MD Lee P. Washington ReidTemple.org 1969 81 6,449 Faith Promise Church Knoxville TN Chris Stephens FaithPromise.org 1995 82 6,340 Hope Fellowship Frisco TX John McKinzie HopeFellowship.net 2000 83 6,333 Sandals Church Riverside CA Matt Brown SandalsChurch.com 1997 84 6,255 Sun Valley Community Church Gilbert AZ Chad Moore SunValleyCC.com 1990 85 6,230 Faith Assembly of God Orlando FL Carl Stephens FaithAssembly.org 1975 86 6,178 EastLake Church Chula Vista CA Mike Meeks EastLakeChurch.com 1991 87 6,134 Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Chandler AZ Linn Winters CornerstoneOnline.com 1995 88 6,077 Voices of Faith Ministries Stone Mountain GA Gary Hawkins Sr. VoicesFaith.org 1994 89 6,024 Cherry Hills Community Church Highlands Ranch CO Shane Farmer CHCC.org 1982 90 6,010 The Church Without Walls Houston TX Ralph D. West ChurchWithoutWalls.org 1987 91 5,953 Traders Point Christian Church Indianapolis IN Aaron Brockett TPCC.org 1834 92 5,933 2|42 Community Church Brighton MI David Dummitt 242Community.com 2005 93 5,883 Real Life Church Valencia CA Rusty George RealLifeChurch.org 2000 94 5,800 Crossroads Christian Church Corona CA Chuck Booher CrossroadsChurch.com 1892 95 5,734 Elizabeth Baptist Church Atlanta GA Craig L. Oliver Sr. ElizabethBaptist.org 1928 96 5,728 Woodmen Valley Chapel Colorado Springs CO Josh Lindstrom WoodmenValley.org 1980 97 5,586 Eastview Christian Church Normal IL Mike Baker Eastview.church 1954 98 5,582 Westover Hills Assembly of God San Antonio TX Jim Rion WestoverHills.church 1986 99 5,579 Hosanna! Lutheran Church Lakeville MN Ryan Alexander HosannaLC.org 1980 100 5,533 Christ's Church of the Valley San Dimas CA JeŽ Vines CCVSoCal.com 1952

An Outreach Magazine/LifeWay Research SPECIAL REPORT

Lists and Maps_10016.indd 113 8/30/16 7:08 AM THIS PRESENT IS NO GIFT Unfortunately, the only way to truly impact the present is to plan for the future. You’ve worked so hard to build a great community and to preach great sermons from week to week, but your congregation continues to dwindle. In fact, the young people aren’t engaged at all throughout the week, and you are experiencing a steady decline in giving and engagement as other causes and organizations compete for your members’ attention in a simple, convenient, and relevant way. While other churches are feeding their members relevant content, building community throughout the week, and al- lowing people to give as they feel led anytime and any- where using smart mobile technology designed around user experience, your church has rapidly become a Sunday-only Windows 95 experience. It’s almost cringe-worthy.

C’mon, don’t be cringe-worthy.

The End

Try Again. Choose the Future Path.

Return to Start. Click Here. BYThe Outreach REGION 100 Largest Churches

Total Churches 21 Total Churches 21 Total Attendance 207,113 Total Attendance 236,970 Average Attendance 9,863 Average Attendance 11,284

West Southwest

STATE CITY CHURCH RANK STATE CITY CHURCH RANK CA Bakersfi eld Valley Bible Fellowship 27 AZ Chandler Cornerstone Christian Fellowship 87 CA Chula Vista EastLake Church 86 AZ Gilbert Sun Valley Community Church 84 CA Corona Crossroads Christian Church 94 AZ Mesa Central Christian Church of Arizona 43 CA El Cajon Shadow Mountain Community Church 67 AZ Peoria Christ's Church of the Valley 7 CA Fontana Water of Life Community Church 75 AZ Scottsdale Scottsdale Bible Church 70 CA Gardena Calvary Chapel South Bay 54 NM Albuquerque Calvary Albuquerque 25 CA Granite Bay Bayside Church 22 TX Austin Austin Stone Community Church 72 CA Irvine Mariners Church 17 TX Dallas Watermark Community Church 29 CA Lake Forest Saddleback Church 5 TX Flower Mound The Village Church 36 CA National City Cornerstone Church of San Diego 79 TX Frisco Hope Fellowship 82 CA Porter Ranch Shepherd Church 50 TX Grand Prairie Crossroads Christian Church 74 CA Riverside Sandals Church 83 TX Houston The Church Without Walls 90 CA San Diego The Rock Church 24 TX Houston Houston's First Baptist Church 51 CA San Dimas Christ's Church of the Valley 100 TX Houston Second Baptist Church 13 CA San Jose Cathedral of Faith 49 TX Rockwall Lake Pointe Church 28 CA Valencia Real Life Church 93 TX San Antonio CityChurch 78 CA Vista North Coast Church 33 TX San Antonio Community Bible Church 26 CO Colorado Springs Woodmen Valley Chapel 96 TX San Antonio Oak Hills Church 44 CO Highlands Ranch Cherry Hills Community Church 89 TX San Antonio Westover Hills Assembly of God 98 CO Lafayette Flatirons Community Church 15 TX Southlake Gateway Church 4 CO Littleton Red Rocks Church 40 TX The Woodlands Woodlands Church 14

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regional&affiliation_10016.indd 116 8/30/16 7:23 AM TheBY Outreach REGION 100 Largest Churches

FL Cooper City Potential Church 35 FL Coral Springs Church by the Glades 46 FL Ft. Myers First Assembly of God 47 FL Jacksonville Celebration Church 30 Total Churches 19 FL Jacksonville The Church of Eleven22 71 Total Attendance 199,549 FL Lutz Grace Family Church 60 Average Attendance 10,503 FL Miami King Jesus International Ministry 16 FL Orlando Faith Assembly of God 85 Midwest FL Palm Beach Gardens Christ Fellowship Church 8 WEST GA Alpharetta North Point Ministries 1 Total Churches 21 STATE CITY CHURCH RANK GA Atlanta Elizabeth Baptist Church 95 GA Lawrenceville 12Stone Church 19 Total Attendance 207,113 IA West Des Moines Lutheran Church of Hope 32 GA Savannah Savannah Christian Church 61 Average Attendance 9,863 IL Normal Eastview Christian Church 97 IL Orland Park Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park 64 GA Stone Mountain Voices of Faith Ministries 88 IL Quincy The Crossing 59 KY Louisville Southeast Christian Church 9 SOUTHWEST IL South Barrington Willow Creek Community Church 6 KY Nicholasville Southland Christian Church 31 Total Churches 21 IN Carmel Northview Church 53 LA Baton Rouge Healing Place Church 77 Total Attendance 236,970 IN Indianapolis Traders Point Christian Church 91 MS Brandon Pinelake Church 37 Average Attendance 11,284 IN Munster Family Christian Center 20 NC Arden Biltmore Church 63 KS Leawood The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection 41 NC Durham The Summit Church 42 NC Durham World Overcomers Christian Church 38 MIDWEST MI Ada Ada Bible Church 56 MI Brighton 2|42 Community Church 92 NC Matthews Elevation Church 11 Total Churches 19 MN Apple Valley River Valley Church 66 NC Raleigh Hope Community Church 48 Total Attendance 199,549 MN Centerville Eagle Brook Church 12 SC Anderson NewSpring Church 3 Average Attendance 10,503 MN Lakeville Hosanna! Lutheran Church 99 TN Cordova Bellevue Baptist Church 65 MO Ozark James River Church 39 TN Cordova Hope Presbyterian Church 69 SOUTHEAST MO St. Louis Faith Church 58 TN Hendersonville Long Hollow Baptist Church 76 TN Knoxville Faith Promise Church 81 Total Churches 37 OH Cincinnati Crossroads Church 10 OH Perrysburg CedarCreek Church 55 TN Murfreesboro World Outreach Church 52 Total Attendance 462,183 OH Westerville Vineyard Columbus 57 TN Nashville Cross Point Church 68 Average Attendance 12,518 TN Nashville Mount Zion Baptist Church 18 VA Vienna McLean Bible Church 34 NORTHEAST Total Churches 2 Total Attendance 21,139 Average Attendance 10,570

Total Churches 37 Total Attendance 462,183 Total Churches 2 Average Attendance 12,518 Total Attendance 21,139 Average Attendance 10,570 Southeast

STATE CITY CHURCH RANK Northeast AL Birmingham Church of the Highlands 2 STATE CITY CHURCH RANK AR Conway New Life Church 23 MD Glenn Dale Reid Temple AME Church 80 AR Springdale Cross Church 45 PA Manheim LCBC Church 21 FL Bradenton Bayside Community Church 62 FL Clermont Real Life Christian Church 73

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regional&affiliation_10016.indd 118 8/30/16 7:23 AM BY AFFILIATION The Outreach 100 Largest Churches

CHURCH CITY STATE RANK CHURCH CITY STATE RANK AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL LUTHERAN Reid Temple AME Church Glenn Dale MD 80 Hosanna! Lutheran Church Lakeville MN 99 ASSEMBLIES OF GOD LUTHERAN – EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA (ELCA) Faith Assembly of God Orlando FL 85 Lutheran Church of Hope West Des Moines IA 32 First Assembly of God Ft. Myers FL 47 METHODIST – UNITED METHODIST James River Church Ozark MO 39 The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Leawood KS 41 River Valley Church Apple Valley MN 66 NONDENOMINATIONAL Westover Hills Assembly of God San Antonio TX 98 Ada Bible Church Ada MI 56 BAPTIST Bayside Community Church Bradenton FL 62 Elizabeth Baptist Church Atlanta GA 95 Calvary Chapel South Bay Gardena CA 54 Mount Zion Baptist Church Nashville TN 18 Cathedral of Faith San Jose CA 49 Sun Valley Community Church Gilbert AZ 84 CedarCreek Church Perrysburg OH 55 BAPTIST - CONVERGE WORLDWIDE Celebration Church Jacksonville FL 30 Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Chandler AZ 87 Christ Fellowship Church Palm Beach Gardens FL 8 Eagle Brook Church Centerville MN 12 The Church of Eleven22 Jacksonville FL 71 BAPTIST - SOUTHERN BAPTIST Church of the Highlands Birmingham AL 2 Austin Stone Community Church Austin TX 72 CityChurch San Antonio TX 78 Bellevue Baptist Church Cordova TN 65 Community Bible Church San Antonio TX 26 Biltmore Church Arden NC 63 Cornerstone Church of San Diego National City CA 79 Church by the Glades Coral Springs FL 46 Cross Point Church Nashville TN 68 The Church Without Walls Houston TX 90 Crossroads Church Cincinnati OH 10 Cross Church Springdale AR 45 EastLake Church Chula Vista CA 86 Elevation Church Matthews NC 11 Faith Church St. Louis MO 58 Houston's First Baptist Church Houston TX 51 Faith Promise Church Knoxville TN 81 Lake Pointe Church Rockwall TX 28 Family Christian Center Munster IN 20 Long Hollow Baptist Church Hendersonville TN 76 Flatirons Community Church Lafayette CO 15 NewSpring Church Anderson SC 3 Gateway Church Southlake TX 4 Pinelake Church Brandon MS 37 Grace Family Church Lutz FL 60 Potential Church Cooper City FL 35 Healing Place Church Baton Rouge LA 77 Saddleback Church Lake Forest CA 5 Hope Community Church Raleigh NC 48 Sandals Church Riverside CA 83 Hope Fellowship Frisco TX 82 Second Baptist Church Houston TX 13 King Jesus International Ministry Miami FL 16 Shadow Mountain Community Church El Cajon CA 67 LCBC Church Manheim PA 21 The Summit Church Durham NC 42 Mariners Church Irvine CA 17 The Village Church Flower Mound TX 36 McLean Bible Church Vienna VA 34 Woodlands Church The Woodlands TX 14 New Life Church Conway AR 23 CALVARY CHAPEL North Point Ministries Alpharetta GA 1 Calvary Albuquerque Albuquerque NM 25 Northview Church Carmel IN 53 CHRISTIAN - INDEPENDENT CHRISTIAN CHURCHES Oak Hills Church San Antonio TX 44 2|42 Community Church Brighton MI 92 Red Rocks Church Littleton CO 40 Central Christian Church of Arizona Mesa AZ 43 The Rock Church San Diego CA 24 Christ's Church of the Valley Peoria AZ 7 Scottsdale Bible Church Scottsdale AZ 70 Christ's Church of the Valley San Dimas CA 100 Shepherd Church Porter Ranch CA 50 The Crossing Quincy IL 59 Valley Bible Fellowship Bakersfi eld CA 27 Crossroads Christian Church Corona CA 94 Voices of Faith Ministries Stone Mountain GA 88 Crossroads Christian Church Grand Prairie TX 74 Water of Life Community Church Fontana CA 75 Eastview Christian Church Normal IL 97 Watermark Community Church Dallas TX 29 Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park Orland Park IL 64 Willow Creek Community Church South Barrington IL 6 Real Life Christian Church Clermont FL 73 Woodmen Valley Chapel Colorado Springs CO 96 Real Life Church Valencia CA 93 World Outreach Church Murfreesboro TN 52 Savannah Christian Church Savannah GA 61 World Overcomers Christian Church Durham NC 38 Southeast Christian Church Louisville KY 9 PRESBYTERIAN – EVANGELICAL Southland Christian Church Nicholasville KY 31 Cherry Hills Community Church Highlands Ranch CO 89 Traders Point Christian Church Indianapolis IN 91 Hope Presbyterian Church Cordova TN 69 EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH VINEYARD Bayside Church Granite Bay CA 22 Vineyard Columbus Westerville OH 57 EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH IN AMERICA WESLEYAN North Coast Church Vista CA 33 12Stone Church Lawrenceville GA 19

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regional&affiliation_10016.indd 120 8/30/16 7:23 AM BY CHURCH NAME The Outreach 100 Largest Churches

CHURCH CITY STATE RANK CHURCH CITY STATE RANK

12Stone Church Lawrenceville GA 19 Houston's First Baptist Church Houston TX 51 2|42 Community Church Brighton MI 92 James River Church Ozark MO 39 Ada Bible Church Ada MI 56 King Jesus International Ministry Miami FL 16 Austin Stone Community Church Austin TX 72 Lake Pointe Church Rockwall TX 28 Bayside Church Granite Bay CA 22 LCBC Church Manheim PA 21 Bayside Community Church Bradenton FL 62 Long Hollow Baptist Church Hendersonville TN 76 Bellevue Baptist Church Cordova TN 65 Lutheran Church of Hope West Des Moines IA 32 Biltmore Church Arden NC 63 Mariners Church Irvine CA 17 Calvary Albuquerque Albuquerque NM 25 McLean Bible Church Vienna VA 34 Calvary Chapel South Bay Gardena CA 54 Mount Zion Baptist Church Nashville TN 18 Cathedral of Faith San Jose CA 49 New Life Church Conway AR 23 CedarCreek Church Perrysburg OH 55 NewSpring Church Anderson SC 3 Celebration Church Jacksonville FL 30 North Coast Church Vista CA 33 Central Christian Church of Arizona Mesa AZ 43 North Point Ministries Alpharetta GA 1 Cherry Hills Community Church Highlands Ranch CO 89 Northview Church Carmel IN 53 Christ Fellowship Church Palm Beach Gardens FL 8 Oak Hills Church San Antonio TX 44 Christ's Church of the Valley Peoria AZ 7 Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park Orland Park IL 64 Christ's Church of the Valley San Dimas CA 100 Pinelake Church Brandon MS 37 Church by the Glades Coral Springs FL 46 Potential Church Cooper City FL 35 The Church of Eleven22 Jacksonville FL 71 Real Life Christian Church Clermont FL 73 Church of the Highlands Birmingham AL 2 Real Life Church Valencia CA 93 The Church Without Walls Houston TX 90 Red Rocks Church Littleton CO 40 CityChurch San Antonio TX 78 Reid Temple AME Church Glenn Dale MD 80 Community Bible Church San Antonio TX 26 River Valley Church Apple Valley MN 66 Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Chandler AZ 87 The Rock Church San Diego CA 24 Cornerstone Church of San Diego National City CA 79 Saddleback Church Lake Forest CA 5 Cross Church Springdale AR 45 Sandals Church Riverside CA 83 Cross Point Church Nashville TN 68 Savannah Christian Church Savannah GA 61 The Crossing Quincy IL 59 Scottsdale Bible Church Scottsdale AZ 70 Crossroads Christian Church Corona CA 94 Second Baptist Church Houston TX 13 Crossroads Christian Church Grand Prairie TX 74 Shadow Mountain Community Church El Cajon CA 67 Crossroads Church Cincinnati OH 10 Shepherd Church Porter Ranch CA 50 Eagle Brook Church Centerville MN 12 Southeast Christian Church Louisville KY 9 EastLake Church Chula Vista CA 86 Southland Christian Church Nicholasville KY 31 Eastview Christian Church Normal IL 97 The Summit Church Durham NC 42 Elevation Church Matthews NC 11 Sun Valley Community Church Gilbert AZ 84 Elizabeth Baptist Church Atlanta GA 95 Traders Point Christian Church Indianapolis IN 91 Faith Assembly of God Orlando FL 85 The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Leawood KS 41 Faith Church St. Louis MO 58 Valley Bible Fellowship Bakersfi eld CA 27 Faith Promise Church Knoxville TN 81 The Village Church Flower Mound TX 36 Family Christian Center Munster IN 20 Vineyard Columbus Westerville OH 57 First Assembly of God Ft. Myers FL 47 Voices of Faith Ministries Stone Mountain GA 88 Flatirons Community Church Lafayette CO 15 Water of Life Community Church Fontana CA 75 Gateway Church Southlake TX 4 Watermark Community Church Dallas TX 29 Grace Family Church Lutz FL 60 Westover Hills Assembly of God San Antonio TX 98 Healing Place Church Baton Rouge LA 77 Willow Creek Community Church South Barrington IL 6 Hope Community Church Raleigh NC 48 Woodlands Church The Woodlands TX 14 Hope Fellowship Frisco TX 82 Woodmen Valley Chapel Colorado Springs CO 96 Hope Presbyterian Church Cordova TN 69 World Outreach Church Murfreesboro TN 52 Hosanna! Lutheran Church Lakeville MN 99 World Overcomers Christian Church Durham NC 38

122 The 2016 Outreach 100

regional&affiliation_10016.indd 122 8/30/16 7:23 AM FUTURE-PROOF As the sun peeks over the horizon on the future path, you are greeted by a friendly traveler who hands you an iPhone. A mes- sage appears on the screen that says, “Flip the 80/20 Rule.” You tap the phone to unlock it, and your custom church app opens. The friendly traveler, in a wise, oracle-like fashion, begins to speak: “In a world where mobile is at the center of people’s lives, if they aren’t connecting with your church on their phone, you are missing out.” The traveler then points back at the phone, and as you look up, he’s gone. You look down at the phone again, and a new message appears: “echurch powered by Pushpay helps to engage your church with mobile technology. We have a strategy that simply engages the 80% of people who aren’t completely connected at your church, unlocking generosity from a changing generation.” You emerge from the future victorious, taking the first steps in connecting the the church to a bright future. Choose This Future for Your Church. Click Here.

Return to Start. Click Here. THE CHANGING FACE OF THE AMERICAN MEGACHURCH

Excerpt by Warren Bird

Megachurches face a series of unique challenges specific signs of no longer being as effective. Any church that to them, and this article explores five of those. All five cannot separate its mission from its methodology is challenges contain implications for churches of every size, certain to decline. from small to large. Challenge No. 4: Expanding via Multisites, Challenge No. 1: Overcoming Stereotypes Mergers and Church Planting Probably no type of church is more caricatured in public Multisite ministry has literally changed the face of the perception than the megachurch. The opulent lifestyles of church in America over the past 25 years. In 1990, there a very small number of megachurch pastors—especially were only about 10 churches in America that did ministry ones marked by moral failures and other scandals—get as one church on two or more campuses. As so often their own TV series. The logic is this: Media coverage happens with other innovations, multisite experimentation understandably is drawn to conflict and controversy, and happened around the edges in churches of all sizes, and disproportionately so to a high-visibility church, which then a number of megachurches embraced it, giving it often means a megachurch. visibility and added credibility. Now with each passing year, the typical church that Challenge No. 2: Breaking In becomes multisite has a slightly smaller size than the The larger the church, the harder it is to identify newcomers average church that went multisite the year before. This and intentionally pair them with a sponsor. Therefore, most is another example of helpful learning collaboration large churches put a lot of effort into establishing multiple between churches of all sizes. pathways for helping newcomers move from spectator to participant, from outsider to insider, from a perspective of Challenge No. 5: Pioneering Microtrends “that church” to “my church.” Most church leaders have seen a bell-curve drawing The way this typically happens is by being extremely that describes the adoption of a new idea. It starts with intentional about creating ways for people to develop innovators, then early adopters, then middle adopters friendships, and to get connected in small groups, teams, and, finally, late adopters. According to that theory, larger classes or other highly relational settings. As a result, organizations can create more space to play with innovation the healthiest megachurches grow bigger by intentionally than can smaller organizations. Leadership Network’s getting “smaller.” CEO Dave Travis applies this principle to churches: “Larger congregations have more resources, both people Challenge No. 3: Turning the Queen Mary and financial, to experiment and innovate. A failure is With a Single Oar usually not as disruptive as in a smaller church where the The bigger the church, the harder it is to change it. To consequences of failure tend to be much higher.” make things worse, the more a church’s leaders feel that they found a winning formula in the past, the more For Warren Bird’s entire article on megachurch trends, reluctant they are to mess with it, even when it shows order the full Outreach 100 annual report. ENGAGING A POST-CHURCH CULTURE

Excerpt by Scott McConnell

Every year, LifeWay Research, in association with saw him. He embodied exactly who they were trying Outreach magazine, pulls together data from churches to reach. In fact, they started using him as a threshold across the country, seeking to identify and rank the test: Were the things they were doing reaching this nation’s fastest-growing churches. We also list the 100 kind of person? largest participating churches. These quantitative lists are only the tip of the iceberg. Each number represents Make it easy for your congregation. real people, real stories and real movement of the Holy If anyone has an excuse for having a complicated Spirit in their lives. ministry, it is megachurches. But when we interview As we gather numbers, we also look for patterns in the leaders of megachurches, something is markedly these stories that may be helpful to other churches. different from other interviews we do. We cannot get This year, as we looked through the surveys and more than two questions into the interview without the interviewed leaders, we saw a theme emerge: engaging church leaders articulating the church’s strategy. a post-church culture. We didn’t specifically ask for it and they didn’t call it strategy. They labeled these concise phrases Accept people where they are. as “vision,” “approach” or “heart.” But they could not Ricci Del Priore, a campus pastor at Parkview Christian describe their church or talk about evangelism without Church in Orland Park, Illinois (No. 64 Largest), sharing their simple, easy-to-remember strategy for describes the church’s heartbeat as going after people their church. who are far from God. Parkview pushes their people to connect with their neighbors they are already doing Prove the value you are offering. life with and invite them to church. Nationally, 1 in 4 unchurched adults has never Del Priore describes a conversation about a year regularly attended a Christian church. ago in which the senior pastor, Tim Harlow, caught a “They’re not attracted to the idea of church,” says glimpse of the culture he had worked hard to create. Roman Archer, executive pastor at Next Level Church After a service, a man in his 20s who had been in New England (No. 20 Fastest-Growing). “So, we’ve invited by a friend went up to the senior pastor and got to go in and relationally build trust and show them said, “This was my first time in church, but I need to we’re here to give back.” Next Level seeks to meet the tell you, I’ve never been a real religious guy. But this needs in the communities where it has campuses. The was really [good].” Only instead of saying “good,” he church wants to add value to people’s lives in such a used a phrase with an expletive. way that they become open to God. Really? He just swore in front of the senior pastor? Instead of being shocked or offended, the staff at For Scott McConnell’s entire article on the post- Parkview began referring to “Expletive Eddy” at every church culture, order the full Outreach 100 annual leadership team meeting. They knew him when they report. CANDID CONVERSATIONS OUTREACH 100 PASTORS SHARE THEIR UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE

Compiled by Meredee Berg Each year, we speak with several Outreach 100 pastors in an effort to collect their honest observations about the church, their ministries and their experiences. For this special issue, we collected their insights on everything from personal growth and stress management to staying humble in a high-profile position—as well as their thoughts on the future of the American church. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy your visit with these seasoned pastors.

and are planting vibrant flagship churches that have a vision for planting and mentoring other churches in that region. God is raising up an amazing crop of “An Amazing Crop young leaders. The core of the American church experience really of Young Leaders” hasn’t changed at all. The gospel still changes lives and small groups are still where the best discipleship STEVE STROOPE takes place and relational evangelism—one person Senior Pastor telling another person about Jesus—is still the best Lake Pointe Church Rockwall, Texas strategy for reaching people and has been the same since the early church. I am having more fun pastoring today than I have ever had before. I don’t really see it as high stress. Twitter: @SteveStroope If there is any key to both safeguarding and spiritual Website: LakePointe.org Founded: 1979 development, it is the people in your life. It is great Affiliation:Southern Baptist family connections and great friends who love you Locations: 9 enough to tell you the truth. Attendance: 12,185 The influencers in my life are too numerous to Growth in 2015: +1,286 (12%) name. Some of them have been mentors, but many of Fastest-Growing: 53 Largest: 28 them were writers who influenced my insights and my ideas through the written page. There are four areas of my life I make sure to protect and keep healthy: my spiritual tank, my physical tank, What I have learned about criticism is “consider the source.” The people who know the most about you and who love you the most deserve a greater consideration of their criticism. However, I have found there is usually a seed of truth even in the criticisms of your harshest critics. When it comes “Church Is Not About to praise, it’s the flip side of criticism. You should give it the same weight that you give constructive Competition” criticism—and also as you do with criticism, discern the credibility of the source. ROBERT MORRIS Founding Senior Pastor What concerns me is the tendency of certain Gateway Church Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas groups to see themselves as the spiritually elite— that somehow they have the best method, or the only theology, or the superior model, and a spirit my emotional tank and my mental tank. I fill my of disdain for the remaining body of Christ—which spiritual tank by reading God’s Word. I fill my physical makes them critical and in the process divides us. tank by eating right and exercising but also resting. I fill my emotional tank by spending time with loved I am most excited about young church planters who ones. Lastly, I fill my mental tank in several ways; one are going to the hardest places—spiritual wastelands— is by reading historical books. Many have influenced me along the way, including Olen Griffing and James Robison. I consider both of these men my spiritual fathers, and each has poured “The Importance of into my life. I’ve also been greatly influenced by Pastor Jack Hayford. He had a very nonconfrontational way of humbly presenting Scripture and his beliefs. Time With God” He caused me to start thinking about Scripture differently, and now he is a spiritual father to me and MILES McPHERSON Lead Pastor a spiritual grandfather to Gateway Church. The Rock Church San Diego, California When dealing with criticism and praise, I lean on the Word of God and am reminded of passages such as 2 Corinthians 10:12 and Luke 6:22-23. I know that I have learned the importance of spending time with as a pastor, everything I do should be for the Lord. It God at the start of every day in order to prepare my only matters that I hear God and obey what he says. heart to seek him all day. My personal devotion is the As I shepherd his sheep, I must lead as he’s called me foundation upon which I can make all the decisions I to lead. I have an audience of one—and that’s God. have to make and carry the stress of life.

Many churches have become apathetic toward One of my biggest influences has been Mike reaching the lost. Unfortunately, not enough churches MacIntosh, pastor of Horizon Christian Fellowship, who offer a safe place for people to come and deal with hurts set the foundation for my faith journey and understanding and issues while experiencing true spiritual growth. of how to trust and mobilize people to do the work of the ministry. Horizon Christian Fellowship had countless What excites me is how many new churches are ministries, most led by volunteers, and that was a game being planted and started every week. Church is not changer for me to see, experience and be a part of. It about competition. Any time I hear about a new church played a critical role to inspire me to start a Bible study at starting up in our area, I celebrate! There are plenty my house, which turned into me becoming a youth pastor of lost and hurting people in every community seeking and eventually, a pastor. purpose, significance and eternal answers. The church has opportunities to reach new people every day, There’s always a little truth in criticism and praise so whether it’s our church or the church down the street. I ask God how he wants to use it in my life to make me more like him. Online church is more popular now than ever before, and I see that growing even bigger in the future. I’m concerned about the marginalization of the church’s Yet, even with online church, people today crave an power and the lack of powerful challenges to society to come authentic experience and relationship with God as back to God. I’m excited for the opportunity to reap the they deal with the reality and pressures of life. Church harvest as our culture unfortunately reaps what it has sown. is a place for people to come who need to be saved, healed and set free, so they can be discipled, equipped, Due to our lack of faith in God, we are experiencing empowered and released to serve. People are looking more violence and division, and as a result, people are for real, authentic relationships, with God and others. living in fear more than ever before. They’re not interested in being entertained by a Sunday morning performance. What’s compelling to those who Twitter: @MilesMcPherson are seeking God and their purpose and meaning in life Website: SDRock.com Founded: 2000 is entering into the presence of the Lord. Affiliation:Nondenominational Locations: 5 Twitter: @PsRobertMorris Attendance: 13,501 Website: GatewayPeople.com Largest: 24 Founded: 2000 Affiliation:Nondenominational Locations: 6 For more Candid Conversations with Outreach 100 Attendance: 28,399 pastors, order the full Outreach 100 annual report. Largest: 4 YOUR GENEROUS JOURNEY AWAITS: The future is happening all around you. Mobile technology is a big part of daily life and the way people stay connected to the things they care about. echurch powered by Pushpay serves more than 4,000 churches with custom apps and giving technology, unlocking connection and driving generosity from a changing generation.

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Outreach100.com is your portal to the American Outreach100.com also includes links to features about Megachurch experience. It includes the listings of large-church trends, interviews with megachurch the country’s 100 fastest-growing churches, with a leaders and transferrable ideas for churches of all landing page for each, introducing the church profile sizes. It’s the place where we’re trying to make sense as well as the vital stats on numerical and percentage of America’s large-church phenomenon, particularly growth, denominational affiliation, basic information highlighting the shifting trends and growth patterns— about the leadership and links to the church website principles applicable to churches of all sizes. and Twitter presence. These church landing pages also aggregate other stories about the church that At Outreach100.com you will also discover how you appear anywhere on the magazine’s website. This can obtain your own copy of the 164-page full report typically includes more detailed church stories, tell- of the country’s fastest-growing churches. ing the transformational stories behind the numbers, and interviews with the leadership. More information is being added all the time. Ideas, Innovations and Resources TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR COMMUNITY AND CHANGE THE WORLD

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