Christian Churches and Organizations

The Christian branch of the directory is organized by tradition. Under each tradition stand its organizations and denominations, then their congregations, then the buildings where they meet.

In no particular order.

Anabaptist

Anabaptist churches, including Mennonites, the Amish, and Hutterites, practice believer's baptism, disciplined community, and nonresistance.

• Bruderhof — an intentional Christian community movement holding goods in common since 1920.
• Church of the Brethren — a Schwarzenau Brethren church joining Anabaptist and Pietist practice.
• Hutterites — communal Anabaptists who hold goods in common in colonies across North America.
• Mennonite Church Canada — the national Mennonite body of Canada.
• Mennonite Church USA — the largest Mennonite body in the United States.
• Old Order Amish — the traditional Amish churches, ordered in local districts without central government.

Anglican

The Anglican Communion gathers the churches that descend from the Church of England, joined by common prayer and their relationship with the See of Canterbury.

• Anglican Church in North America — a province formed in 2009 that is not in communion with the See of Canterbury.
• Anglican Church of Australia — the Anglican province of Australia.
• Anglican Church of Canada — the Anglican province of Canada.
• Church of England — the mother church of the Anglican Communion, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
• Church of Ireland — the Anglican church of Ireland, north and south.
• Church of Nigeria — the largest province of the Anglican Communion by membership.
• Church of Uganda — the Anglican province of Uganda.
• The Episcopal Church — the Anglican province of the United States and several other countries.
• Scottish Episcopal Church — the Anglican province of Scotland.

Baptist

Baptist churches baptize professing believers by immersion, hold the local church autonomous under Scripture, and govern themselves as congregations.

• American Baptist Churches USA — a mainline Baptist body rooted in the historic northern conventions.
• Baptist World Alliance — the global fellowship of Baptist churches and conventions.
• Cooperative Baptist Fellowship — a network of Baptist congregations formed in 1991.
• General Association of Regular Baptist Churches — a fundamentalist Baptist association formed in 1932.
• National Baptist Convention of America — an African American Baptist body formed in 1915.
• National Baptist Convention, USA — the largest African American Baptist body.
• Southern Baptist Convention — the largest Baptist body in the United States, a convention of autonomous congregations.

Catholic

The Catholic Church, in communion with the Bishop of Rome, is the largest Christian body in the world, ordered through dioceses and parishes under its bishops and the Pope. See the Catholic world view.

• The Eastern Catholic Churches — twenty-three self-governing churches in communion with Rome that keep the liturgies and disciplines of the Christian East.
• The Holy See — the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome and the central government of the Catholic Church, exercised through the Roman Curia.
• The Latin Church — the largest of the Catholic Church's twenty-four self-governing churches, ordered in dioceses under the Pope.

Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of self-governing churches in the Greek and Slavic traditions, holding the faith of the seven ecumenical councils and worshipping in the Byzantine liturgy.

• Bulgarian Orthodox Church — the autocephalous church of Bulgaria, centered in Sofia.
• Church of Greece — the autocephalous church of Greece, governed by its Holy Synod.
• Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople — the first see of the Orthodox communion, seated in Istanbul under the Ecumenical Patriarch.
• Georgian Orthodox Church — one of the oldest national churches, centered in Tbilisi.
• Orthodox Church in America — an autocephalous church in North America whose status is recognized by some Orthodox churches and not by others.
• Patriarchate of Alexandria — the ancient see of Egypt and Africa, seated in Alexandria and Cairo.
• Patriarchate of Antioch — the ancient see of Syria and the Middle East, seated today in Damascus.
• Patriarchate of Jerusalem — the church of the Holy Land, guardian of the holy places.
• Romanian Orthodox Church — the autocephalous church of Romania, the second largest Orthodox church.
• Russian Orthodox Church — the largest Orthodox church, centered on the Patriarchate of Moscow.
• Serbian Orthodox Church — the autocephalous church of Serbia and its diaspora.

Independent and Non-denominational

Independent and non-denominational churches are self-governing congregations and networks that stand outside the historic denominations.

• Acts 29 — a network of church-planting churches formed in 1998.
• Calvary Chapel — an association of evangelical churches that began in Costa Mesa, California, in 1965.
• Independent congregations — thousands of self-governing churches worldwide that carry no affiliation at all.
• Vineyard USA — a network of charismatic evangelical churches founded in the 1980s.

Lutheran

Lutheran churches follow the reform of Martin Luther, confessing justification by grace through faith, and are ordered by the Lutheran confessions.

• Church of Denmark — the established church of Denmark.
• Church of Norway — the majority church of Norway.
• Church of Sweden — the historic national church of Sweden and the largest Lutheran church in the world.
• Evangelical Church in Germany — a federation of Lutheran, Reformed, and United regional churches in Germany.
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — the largest Lutheran body in the United States.
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland — the majority church of Finland.
• Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod — a confessional Lutheran body centered in St. Louis.
• Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod — a confessional Lutheran body centered in Milwaukee.

Methodist and Wesleyan

Methodist and Wesleyan churches descend from John Wesley's revival, preaching holiness of heart and life through a connectional system of conferences.

• African Methodist Episcopal Church — the first African American denomination, founded in 1816.
• African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church — an African American Methodist body founded in 1821.
• Christian Methodist Episcopal Church — an African American Methodist body founded in 1870.
• Church of the Nazarene — the largest Wesleyan-Holiness denomination.
• Global Methodist Church — a Methodist body launched in 2022.
• The Salvation Army — a church born of Methodist revival, organized as an army of officers and soldiers.
• The United Methodist Church — the largest Methodist body in the United States, connectional in government.
• The Wesleyan Church — a Wesleyan-Holiness body formed in 1968.

Oriental Orthodox

The Oriental Orthodox churches are the ancient churches of Egypt, Armenia, Ethiopia, and Syria, separated from the imperial church after the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

• Armenian Apostolic Church — the national church of Armenia, led by the Catholicos of All Armenians at Etchmiadzin.
• Coptic Orthodox Church — the ancient church of Egypt, led by the Pope of Alexandria from Cairo.
• Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church — the church of Eritrea, autocephalous since Eritrean independence.
• Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church — the church of Ethiopia, one of the largest Oriental Orthodox bodies.
• Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church — the church of the Saint Thomas Christians of India, led by the Catholicos of the East.
• Syriac Orthodox Church — the West Syriac church, led by the Patriarch of Antioch from Damascus.

Other and Unknown

Churches whose tradition is not yet identified, or that do not fit the families above, are gathered here until they can be placed.

Pentecostal and Charismatic

Pentecostal and Charismatic churches emphasize the present work of the Holy Spirit, including speaking in tongues, divine healing, and prophecy.

• Assemblies of God — the largest Pentecostal fellowship in the world.
• Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) — the oldest Pentecostal body in continuous existence in the United States.
• Church of God in Christ — the largest Pentecostal body in the United States, rooted in the African American church.
• Church of God of Prophecy — a Pentecostal body headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee.
• Elim Pentecostal Church — a British Pentecostal movement founded in 1915.
• International Church of the Foursquare Gospel — the Pentecostal church founded by Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923.
• United Pentecostal Church International — the largest Oneness Pentecostal body, baptizing in the name of Jesus only.

Reformed and Presbyterian

Reformed and Presbyterian churches follow the reform centered at Geneva, confessing the sovereignty of God and ordered by elders in presbyteries and assemblies.

• Christian Reformed Church in North America — a Dutch Reformed body in the United States and Canada.
• Church of Scotland — the national church of Scotland, Presbyterian in government.
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — the largest Presbyterian body in the United States.
• Presbyterian Church in America — a confessional Presbyterian body formed in 1973.
• Presbyterian Church of Korea — the largest of the many Presbyterian churches of South Korea.
• Reformed Church in America — the oldest Dutch Reformed body in North America.
• United Reformed Church — a British church uniting Presbyterian and Congregational traditions.

Restorationist

Restorationist churches seek to restore the New Testament church directly, setting aside the creeds and denominations that came later.

• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) — the mainline body of the Stone-Campbell movement.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — the church founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Its members identify as Christians. Most historic churches do not recognize its doctrine of God or its baptisms, and it is also classed by scholars among the new religious movements.
• Churches of Christ — autonomous congregations seeking the New Testament pattern, without a central headquarters.
• Community of Christ — the second largest body of the Latter Day Saint movement, headquartered in Independence, Missouri.
• Independent Christian Churches — congregations of the Stone-Campbell movement that stand outside the Disciples' structures.
• Jehovah's Witnesses — a body arising from the Bible Student movement of Charles Taze Russell, directed from Warwick, New York.