As used here, "religious body" is a technical term used in the taxonomic classification of religious groups. It is an organization, generally a subset of a broader, older religion. Note that some religious bodies descend from older religious movements, but represent relatively recent schisms, mergers, etc. The United Church of Christ, for example, is the primary religious body in which the older Congregationalist movement continues.
| Religious Body | Year Organized |
|---|---|
| ministry of Jesus | circa 30 A.D. |
| first known use of the phrase "Catholic Church" * | 107 A.D. |
| Coptic Orthodox | 451 |
| Islam * | 610 |
| East/West split formalized between bodies known today as Catholic Church / Eastern Orthodox Church * | 1054 |
| Veerashaivas (Lingayats) | c. 1150 |
| Sikhism | 1469 |
| Anglican Communion | 1534 |
| Moravian Church | 1727 |
| African Methodist Episcopal Church | 1787 |
| Episcopal Church A semi-autonomous church within Anglican Communion. 1789: U.S. church formally distinct from Church of England | 1789 |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 1830 |
| Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement followers of Alexander Campbell (Church of Christ/churches of Christ) merge with followers of Barton W. Stone, i.e., Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | 1832 |
| Tenrikyo | 1838 |
| Christadelphians | 1845 |
| Southern Baptist Convention | 1845 |
| Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod | 1847 |
| Ch'ondogyo | 1860 |
| Community of Christ (RLDS) | 1860 |
| Baha'i Faith | 1863 |
| Seventh-day Adventist Church | 1863 |
| New Apostolic Church | 1863 |
| Salvation Army | 1865 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 1870 |
| Union of American Hebrew Congregations (Reform Judaism) | 1873 |
| Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science) | 1879 |
| The Church of God (Seventh Day) | 1884 |
| Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) | 1886 |
| Christian and Missionary Alliance | 1887 |
| Ahmadiyya | 1889 |
| Unity Church / Unity School of Christianity | 1889 |
| Church of God in Christ | 1897 |
| Aglipayan Church | 1902 |
| Stone-Campbell movement formally splits into: Church of Christ / churches of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | 1906 |
| American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. | 1907 |
| Church of the Nazarene | 1908 |
| United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism | 1913 |
| Iglesia ni Cristo | 1914 |
| Assemblies of God | 1914 |
| National Baptist Convention of America | 1915 |
| Pentecostal Assemblies of the World | 1919 |
| Kimbanguist Church | 1921 |
| International Church of the Foursquare Gospel | 1923 |
| United Church of Canada | 1925 |
| Cao Dai | 1926 |
| Christian Churches and Churches of Christ (CC/CC) North American Christian Convention (NACC) was first organized in 1927 as the first step in separation from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a separation which was not fully formalized until 1968. | 1927 |
| United Free Church of Scotland | 1929 |
| Nation of Islam | 1931 |
| Worldwide Church of God | 1934 |
| Soka Gakkai | 1937 |
| Sathya Sai Baba | 1940 |
| United Pentecostal Church International | 1945 |
| Church of South India | 1947 |
| Wicca | 1951 |
| Unification Church | 1954 |
| Church of Scientology | 1954 |
| Aquarian Foundation | 1955 |
| United Church of Christ | 1957 |
| Unitarian Universalist Association | 1961 |
| Secular Humanistic Judaism | 1963 |
| Calvary Chapel | 1965 |
| ISKCON | 1966 |
| Christian Churches and Churches of Christ (CC/CC) Continues Stone-Campbell movement began in 1832. Shared a common history with the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) until 1968. | 1968 |
| Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar | 1968 |
| United Methodist Church | 1968 |
| modern GLBT movement began 28 June 1969 at Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, NYC | 1969 |
| Church of North India | 1973 |
| Vineyard Churches | 1974 |
| Uniting Church in Australia | 1977 |
| Universal Church of the Kingdom of God | 1977 |
| International Churches of Christ | 1979 |
| China Christian Council | 1980 |
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 1983 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 1988 |
| Falun Gong | 1992 |
St. Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.), an Apostolic Father of the Church, and the Bishop of Antioch, wrote the following letter as he was being taken in chains to Rome to be martyred. It is believed that in this letter, the words Catholic Church, were used for the first time. See the New Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) ref 830, note 307.Neither Catholics nor non-Catholics believe that this use of the term "Catholic Church" coincides with the foundation of the church. 107 A.D. should not be misconstrued to be the origin date of the Catholic Church.
Church of God (Cleveland, TN): As noted on its official website (http://www.churchofgod.cc/history.cfm), the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) began in 1886 as the Christian Union. In 1902, the name was changed to Church of God. In 1906 the first General Assembly was held. It is the oldest continuing Pentecostal denomination in the world, as it was organized even before the modern advent of Pentecostalism.
Many distinct denominations or denominational families which today can be found almost entirely within one religious body already listed above are now shown in the list below.
| Branch or Denominational Family | Year Started |
|---|---|
| schism that resulted in Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism being separate | 1054 |
| Lutherans | 1517 |
| Anglican | 1534 |
| Presbyterians | 1560 |
| Congregationalists | 1582 |
| Baptists | 1605 |
| Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) | 1654 |
| Amish | 1693 |
| Methodists | 1744 |
| Unitarianism | 1793 |
| Latter Day Saints | 1830 |
| Stone-Campbell Movement | 1832 |
| Adventists | 1846 |
| Pentecostals | 1901 |
| Evangelical Christians (contemporary form) | 1930s |