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QUESTION:
Where can I find an extensive list of all Christian denominations and what they believe in?
-Seb :: Australia
ANSWER:
According to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there exist roughly 43,000 Christian denominations worldwide in 2012. That is up from 500 in 1800 and 39,000 in 2008 and this number is expected to grow to 55,000 by 2025.
Currently, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimates that a new Christian denomination is formed every 10.5 hours, or 2.3 denominations a day.
Wikipedia does a great job listing the largest denominations. Religion Facts compares the major denominations. And the Hartford Institute for Religion Research has links to hundreds of official denominational websites.
Here is a mashup of some their data. Since Church Relevance focuses primarily on Protestantism, I will elaborate on that data.
Catholicism – (1,200,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
- Roman Catholic Church (1,187,000,000) Click for beliefs.
Protestantism – (792,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
- Pentecostalism/Charismatic (612,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Assemblies of God (60,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> New Apostolic Church (11,200,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Foursquare Church (8,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Church of God in Christ (6,500,000) Click for beliefs. - Baptist (100,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Southern Baptist Convention (16,000,000) Click for beliefs. - Lutheranism (87,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (5,000,000) Click for beliefs. - Methodism (75,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> United Methodist Church (12,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> African Methodist Episcopal Church (3,000,000*) Click for beliefs. - Reformed Churches (75,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (3,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> United Church of Christ (1,000,000) Click for beliefs. - Non-Denominational Evangelicalism (40,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Calvary Chapel (25,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> The Vineyard (15,000,000) Click for beliefs. - Restorationism (20,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Seventh-day Adventists (17,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Church of Christ (5,000,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (1,000,000) Click for beliefs. - Anabaptism (4,500,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Mennonites (1,500,000) Click for beliefs.
>> Amish (250,000) Click for beliefs.
Eastern Orthodoxy – (230,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
Oriental Orthodox Church – (82,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
Anglicanism – (85,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
- Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. (2,400,000) Click for beliefs.
Nontrinitarianism – (36,000,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses (7,700,000) Click for beliefs.
- Mormonism (14,700,000) Click for beliefs.
Nestorianism – (600,000 adherents) Click for beliefs.
Obviously, there are significant theological differences between the main branches of Christianity – Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglicanism, Nontrinitarianism, and Nestorianism. In fact, many might argue that some denominations are not Christianity at all.
Keep in mind, there are also significant dogmatic differences among churches within each denomination. For example, I know Charismatic Catholics, and I know Charismatic churches that act like Baptists. I know there is a great deal of diversity in the United Methodist Church. And Presbyterians have been divided on homosexuality issues. The list could go on.
The End of Protestant Denominational Identity?
For Protestant churches, asking “What denomination are you?” seems increasingly irrelevant as more churches own their own unique theological DNA. The real question is:
What does your specific church believe?
Since denominations are losing their consistency, some suggest that multi-site churches are the denominations of the future. What do you think is the future of denominations?
