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The Largest Churches of Christ Communities
The Churches of Christ is a relatively loosely-organized religious body which is one of the descendants of the Stone-Campbell "Restoration" movement of the 1800s.
There are congregations in more than 80 countries, but they are centered in the southern U.S. states, particularly Tennessee and Texas. There are about 2 million members in about 15,000 congregations worldwide.
Churches of Christ members ranked second among all religious groups in the percentage of their adherents who believe in Biblical literalness [Source: Classifying Protestant Denominations, Tom W. Smith, October 1986, GSS Methodological Report No. 43. General Social Survey project directed by James A. Davis and Tom W. Smith. A later version of this paper was published in Review of
Religious Research, 31 (March, 1990), 225-245].
The Churches of Christ have traditionally considered themselves to not be Protestant. Scholars and other churches have always considered them Protestant, however. In recent years the Churches of Christ have emphasized this position less and have worked more closely with other Protestant denominations on matters of mutual interest. (The organization retains its staunch anti-Catholic position, however.)
Top 10 U.S. States with Highest Percentage of
Churches of Christ members in the Population, 1990
| State | Number | Percent |
| Tennessee | 219,996 | 4.51% |
| Arkansas | 86,502 | 3.50 |
| Alabama | 118,561 | 2.93 |
| Oklahoma | 85,193 | 2.71 |
| Texas | 380,948 | 2.24 |
| Kentucky | 58,775 | 1.59 |
| Mississippi | 40,533 | 1.58 |
| West Virginia | 25,134 | 1.40 |
| New Mexico | 19,780 | 1.31 |
| Missouri | 46,936 | 0.92 |
Top 10 U.S. States with Most
Churches of Christ members, 1990
| State | Number | Percent |
| Texas | 380,948 | 2.24% |
| Tennessee | 219,996 | 4.51 |
| Alabama | 118,561 | 2.93 |
| California | 92,154 | 0.31 |
| Arkansas | 86,502 | 3.50 |
| Oklahoma | 85,193 | 2.71 |
| Florida | 73,462 | 0.57 |
| Kentucky | 58,775 | 1.59 |
| Ohio | 47,949 | 0.44 |
| Missouri | 46,936 | 0.92 |
States on both lists (highest proportion and highest number): Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, and Missouri -- all Southern states.
Source: Churches and Church Membership in the United States, 1990, published by the Glenmary Research Center, P.O. Box 507, Mars Hill, NC 28754. Principle investigator: Church Growth Research Center, Church of the Nazarene, Kansas City, MO. This data source was obtained from the American Religion Data Archive.
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Webpage created 2 June 1999. Last updated 30 September 2005.