Religion in Oregon
Not surprisingly, Oregon's religious environment most closely resembles Washington's. Oregon and Washington are notable for being the U.S. states with the highest proportion of religiously-unaffiliated and self-identified "nonreligious" residents. Only 1.2% of Oregonians describe themselves as agnostics (and a statistically negligable number are atheists). But about 17% of Oregonians classify themselves as "nonreligious" (while the U.S. average is only 7%; Washington is 14%).
As is the case everywhere in the U.S., the largest religion in Oregon is Christianity. The largest religious bodies in the state are the Catholic Church (the largest church in the United States), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a predominant church in the western U.S.) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ("ELCA", a predominant church in northern states).
Also, about 8.7% of Oregonians say they are Baptist, 5% say they are Methodist and 4% say they are Presbyterian. But many of these are unaffiliated, nominal or divided among different churches -- no Baptist, Methodist or Presbyterian religious bodies are larger than the Catholic, Latter-day Saint, or ELCA churches. The largest Baptist religious body in the state (and the country), the Southern Baptist Convention, claims 1% of the state's population as members (divided into conservative and moderate factions). In 1990 the Conservative Baptist Association of America reported more churches in Oregon than the SBC, but did not provide membership figures and is thought to have fewer members than the SBC. This organization currently has more affiliated churches in Oregon (180) than any other state except California.
In most of the country, Judaism is the second-largest religion (not counting the "nonreligious" segment). But it is likely that there are actually now more Buddhists (about 0.5%) than Jews in Oregon, a very unusual situation. Except for Hawaii, Oregon may be the only U.S. state in which Buddhism is the second-largest organized religion after Christianity.
An unusually high percentage of Oregonians describe themselves as Christians, but without denominational affiliation. In the 1990 Kosmin survey about 15% described themselves simply as "Protestant" but would not provide a denomination (U.S. average was 9.7%), and about 12% described themselves only as "Christian" (U.S. average was 4.6%), but would not provide a denomination. This indicates about 27% of Oregonians are unaffiliated Christians (perhaps some of these attend "nondenominational" community churches). The 1990 Glenmary study found only 32% of Oregonians were affiliated Christians (meaning, members of churches).
Oregon is known to practice a remarkably high level of religious tolerance. There is an active but small Neo-Pagan/Wiccan community, which accounts for an estimated 1/10 of one percent of the population (0.1%). Oregon ranks fifth among U.S. states in the percentage of its population which attends megachurches (1992 est.).
Summary: With regards to self-identification (regardless of official church membership), Christianity is the stated religious preference of about 75 to 79% of Oregonians. About 17% call themselves "nonreligious", 1.2% agnostic, and less than 1% each for Buddhists, Jews, Unitarian-Universalists, and Muslims. The largest and most influential specific churches are the Catholics and Latter-day Saints.
Religion in Oregon Links
- Center for the Study of Religion - at Portland State University
- Churches ad hoc: a divine comedy (photo essay featuring Oregon photos)
- Churches on the Oregon Coast
- Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
- Episcopal Diocese of Oregon
- Historic Oregon Churches
- Japanese churches/temples in Oregon - on the Japan-America Society of Oregon web site
- Medford Temple (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
- Oregon Portland Mission homepage
- Rajneesh-Oregon history: Osho, Bhagwan Rajneesh, and the Lost Truth
- Rajneesh-Oregon history: OSHO, Followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - at OCRT
- RogueWeb's Southern Oregon Churches
- Church of Scientology of Oregon
- Eckankar in Oregon
- Catholic Churches in Oregon
- Yahoo: Oregon - Religion links
- Atlas of Oregon Links - links to a wide variety of demographic, statistical and geographical data for Oregon
Membership of Religious Bodies, Oregon, 1990
(Source: Glenmary Research Institute; ARDA)
| Denomination | Churches | Adherents | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic Church | 199 | 279,650 | 9.84% |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | 228 | 89,601 | 3.15% |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 118 | 48,958 | 1.72% |
| Assemblies of God | 216 | 47,035 | 1.65% |
| United Methodist Church | 177 | 42,209 | 1.49% |
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | 135 | 38,086 | 1.34% |
| Christian Churches and Churches of Christ | 167 | 36,650 | 1.29% |
| Seventh-Day Adventists | 123 | 34,468 | 1.21% |
| Southern Baptist Convention | 120 | 31,260 | 1.10% |
| International Church of The Foursquare Gospel | 90 | 29,763 | 1.05% |
| Episcopal Church | 99 | 26,816 | 0.94% |
| Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod | 88 | 26,159 | 0.92% |
| Church of The Nazarene | 115 | 22,877 | 0.80% |
| Independent Charismatic Churches | 11 | 20,900 | 0.74% |
| American Baptist Churches in The U.S.A. | 61 | 16,912 | 0.60% |
| Independent Non-Charismatic Churches | 19 | 16,600 | 0.58% |
| Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) | 47 | 13,657 | 0.48% |
| Churches of Christ | 117 | 11,549 | 0.41% |
| Jewish Estimate | 10 | 10,691 | 0.38% |
| United Church of Christ | 38 | 8,898 | 0.31% |
| Black Baptists Estimate | 0 | 8,894 | 0.31% |
| Christian and Missionary Alliance | 34 | 7,272 | 0.26% |
| Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) | 46 | 5,148 | 0.18% |
| Friends | 41 | 4,396 | 0.15% |
| Mennonite Church | 30 | 4,119 | 0.14% |
| Free Methodist Church of North America | 34 | 3,494 | 0.12% |
| Unitarian Universalist Association | 16 | 3,252 | 0.11% |
| Pentecostal Church of God | 38 | 2,656 | 0.09% |
| North American Baptist Conference | 10 | 2,018 | 0.07% |
| Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) | 23 | 1,925 | 0.07% |
| Baptist General Conference | 11 | 1,860 | 0.07% |
| Evangelical Free Church of America | 10 | 1,795 | 0.06% |
| Salvation Army | 19 | 1,619 | 0.06% |
| Christian (Plymouth) Brethren | 13 | 1,474 | 0.05% |
| Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod | 9 | 1,247 | 0.04% |
| Christian Reformed Church | 7 | 1,056 | 0.04% |
| The Wesleyan Church | 12 | 1,030 | 0.04% |
| Lutheran Churches American Association Of | 4 | 833 | 0.03% |
| Mennonite Church The General Conference | 5 | 739 | 0.03% |
| Church of God of Prophecy | 16 | 544 | 0.02% |
| General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches | 4 | 522 | 0.02% |
| African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church | 3 | 518 | 0.02% |
| Evangelical Lutheran Synod | 7 | 514 | 0.02% |
| Church of God (Seventh Day) Denver, Colorado | 5 | 470 | 0.02% |
| Church of The Brethren | 6 | 424 | 0.01% |
| Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch (Archdiocese of The U.S.A. and Canada) | 1 | 400 | 0.01% |
| Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference | 2 | 382 | 0.01% |
| Missionary Church | 5 | 373 | 0.01% |
| Evangelical Methodist Church | 6 | 342 | 0.01% |
| Congregational Christian Churches Additional | 2 | 326 | 0.01% |
| Pentecostal Holiness Church, Inc. | 5 | 300 | 0.01% |
| Church of The Lutheran Brethren of America | 3 | 270 | 0.01% |
| Free Will Baptist, National Association Of, Inc. | 2 | 266 | 0.01% |
| Free Lutheran Congregations Association Of | 2 | 243 | 0.01% |
| Brethren in Christ Church | 2 | 212 | 0.01% |
| Baptist Missionary Association of America | 4 | 201 | 0.01% |
| Apostolic Lutheran Church of America | 3 | 197 | 0.01% |
| Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 1 | 166 | 0.01% |
| Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean) | 1 | 148 | 0.01% |
| Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church | 1 | 130 | 0.00% |
| Church of God in Christ (Mennonite) | 1 | 125 | 0.00% |
| Advent Christian Church | 3 | 107 | 0.00% |
| United Brethren in Christ | 1 | 106 | 0.00% |
| Apostolic Christian Church of America | 2 | 101 | 0.00% |
| Congregational Christian Churches, National Assoc Of | 1 | 83 | 0.00% |
| Conservative Congregational Christian Conference | 2 | 70 | 0.00% |
| Presbyterian Church in America | 1 | 42 | 0.00% |
| Seventh Day Baptist General Conference | 1 | 31 | 0.00% |
| Berean Fundamental Church | 1 | 30 | 0.00% |
| Reformed Church in America | 1 | 29 | 0.00% |
| Primitive Baptists Associations | 1 | 21 | 0.00% |
| Reformed Episcopal Church | 1 | 15 | 0.00% |
| Fire Baptized Holiness Church (Wesleyan) | 3 | 11 | 0.00% |
| Conservative Baptist Association of America | 178 | -- | 0.00% |
| Church of Christ Scientist | 47 | -- | 0.00% |
| Open Bible Standard Churches, Inc. | 27 | -- | 0.00% |
| Independent Fundamental Churches of America | 12 | -- | 0.00% |
| Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America | 2 | -- | 0.00% |
| Orthodox Church in America | 1 | -- | 0.00% |
| Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America | 1 | -- | 0.00% |
Other Oregon Religious Statistics
Note: Statistics listed below that are from the Kosmin/NSRI study are all from the National Study of Religious Identification. Data published in: Kosmin, Barry A. and Seymour P. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993), pg. 88-93. Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (In Percent). Based on self-identification of religious loyalty, using representative sample of 113,000 people in phone interviews, conducted by City University of New York.| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agnostic | Oregon | -- | 1.20% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Assemblies of God | Oregon | -- | 0.30% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| attendance - regular | Oregon | -- | 33.00% | -- | -- | 1997 | Stefoff, Rebecca. Oregon (book series: Celebrate the States). New York: Marshall Cavendish (1997), pg. 77. | "About one-third of Oregonians are regular churchgoers." |
| Baptist | Oregon | -- | 8.70% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Breitenbush Community | Oregon | 35 | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1991 | Melton, J. Gordon, Jerome Clark and Aidan A. Kelly. New Age Almanac; New York: Visible Ink Press (1991), pg. 372. | "The Breitenbush Community is a New Age community located in Detroit, Oregon... Approximately 35 community members now run Breitenbush as a worker-owned and operated business, and share a meditation and yoga practice..." |
| Brethren in Christ | Oregon | -- | -- | 2 units |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site | Counted congregations from their index |
| Buddhism | Oregon | -- | 0.50% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Christianity | Oregon | -- | 76.10% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990... Based on self-identification of religious loyalty, using representative sample of 113,000 people in phone interviews. Sum of % by state of 21 main groups Kosmin classified as Christian: Assemblies of God, Baptist, Christianity - no denomination supplied, Church of God - all denominations, Church of the Nazarene, Churches of Christ, Congregationalist, Episcopalian, Evangelical/Born Again, Jehovah's Witnesses, Latter Day Saints, Holiness/Holy, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Protestant - no denomination supplied, Catholic, Seventh-day Adventists |
| Christianity - affiliated | Oregon | 904,000 | 31.80% | -- | -- | 1990 | Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1997, 117th Edition. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce (Oct. 1997), pg. 70. [Original source: M. Bradley; N. Green, Jr.; D. Jones; M. Lynn; and L. McNeil; Churches and Church Membership in the United States, 1990. Atlanta, GA: Glenmary Research Center (1992)] | Table:"No. 87: Christian Church Adherents, 1990 "; "Christian church adherents were defined as 'all members, including full members, their children and the est. number of other regular participants who are not considered as communicant, confirmed or full members.' " |
| Christianity - no denomination supplied | Oregon | -- | 11.70% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Church of God - all denominations | Oregon | -- | 0.00% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Oregon | 113,000 | -- | -- | -- | 1990 | *LINK* Hernandez, Romel. "Mormon temple will rise in Southern Oregon " in The Oregonian (Wednesday March 24, 1999), viewed online (www.oregonlive.com), 25 March 1999. | "Oregon has 130,000 [Latter-day Saints], an increase from 113,000 at the start of the decade. The church built its only other temple in the state -- a massive structure just off Interstate 5 -- in Lake Oswego a decade ago. " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Oregon | -- | 2.28% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (In Percent). Based on self-identification, using 113,000-person sample, phone interviews conducted by City U. of New York. Table has data for "Latter Day Saints, " meaning all Latter Day Saint denominations. But U.S. splinter Latter Day Saints (outside the main SLC-based church) number only about 125,000, primarily RLDS. 125,000 / 2,487,000 (Kosmin U.S. total Latter Day Saints) = 5%. Multiply state Latter Day Saint totals by 95% to get Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints estimates. |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Oregon | 126,000 | 4.00% | 263 units |
-- | 1995 | Deseret News 1997-98 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1996), pg. 188-408. | "Year-end 1995: Est. population [of country]; Members, [number shown in '# of adherents' column to left] " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Oregon | 130,000 | 4.00% | 271 units |
-- | 1997 | Deseret News 1999-2000 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1998), pg. 170-266. | Information from a variety of sources. Figures for year-end 1997. |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Oregon | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1997 | Stefoff, Rebecca. Oregon (book series: Celebrate the States). New York: Marshall Cavendish (1997), pg. 77. | "The church with the most members statewide is the... Catholic Church, followed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Oregon | 130,000 | -- | -- | -- | 1999 | *LINK* Hernandez, Romel. "Mormon temple will rise in Southern Oregon " in The Oregonian (Wednesday March 24, 1999), viewed online (www.oregonlive.com), 25 March 1999. | "The planned construction of a new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in either Medford or Central Point will serve Oregon's second-largest religious group after... Catholics. Oregon has 130,000 [Latter-day Saints], an increase from 113,000 at the start of the decade. " |
| Church of the Nazarene | Oregon | -- | 0.30% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Churches of Christ | Oregon | -- | 0.40% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Congregationalist | Oregon | -- | 0.10% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Episcopalian | Oregon | -- | 2.20% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Evangelical/Born Again | Oregon | -- | 0.40% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | This should not be taken as an indication that only 0.4% of Oregon's population consider themselves to be Evangelical/Born Again. Rather, this is the proportion who gave only this response when answering the survey, rather than identifying a denominational affiliation such as Baptist, Methodist, Quaker, Lutheran, Mormon, etc. |
| Fellowship of Christian Assemblies | Oregon | -- | -- | 3 units |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site | counted listings from church directory |
| Followers of Christ | Oregon | 1,200 | -- | -- | 1 country |
1998 | "Faith or Healing? " in Time (August 31, 1998), pg. 68-69. | "... the 1,200-member Followers of Christ church... seems to have originated in Kansas in the early 1900s. Its breakaway Oregon City branch was led by Walter White... who died in 1969... Like many fellow Pentecostals, the Followers... " |
| Grace Brethren | Oregon | -- | -- | 2 units |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site (viewed circa September 1998) | directory of churches [Grace Brethren -- historical branch of Schwarzenau Brethren] |
| Hinduism | Oregon | -- | 0.00% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Holiness/Holy | Oregon | -- | 0.00% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Independent Fundamental Churches International | Oregon | -- | -- | 10 units |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site | Counted listings on directory |
| Independent Restoration Branches | Oregon | -- | -- | 3 units |
-- | 1997 | *LINK* web site: "Algonac Restoration Branch " | "Directory of Restoration Branches: This is a list of the Restoration Branches that we know about... last updated 10/3/97 " |
| Islam | Oregon | -- | 0.10% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Oregon | -- | 1.10% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Judaism | Oregon | -- | 0.40% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Judaism | Oregon | 20,000 | 0.60% | -- | -- | 1995 | Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1997, 117th Edition. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce (Oct. 1997), pg. 70. [original source: American Jewish Year Book. New York, NY: American Jewish Committee (1995)] | Table: "No. 87: Christian Church Adherents, 1990, and Jewish Population, 1995 - States "; "The Jewish population includes Jews who define themselves as Jewish by religion as well as those who define themselves as Jewish in cultural terms. Data... based primarily on a compilation of individual estimates made by local Jewish federations. " |
| Latter Day Saints | Oregon | -- | 2.40% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Lutheran | Oregon | -- | 6.70% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| megachurches | Oregon | 23,800 | -- | 7 units |
-- | 1992 | *LINK* Thumma, Scott. web site: "Megachurches in the U.S. " (viewed Aug. 20, 1999; data collected 1992; last updated Aug. 19, 1999). Center for Social and Religious Research, Hartford Seminary. | Table, grouped by state, columns for city, state, "size " (avg. weekly attendance), etc. From study finding all U.S. megachurches (congreg. w/ "consistent weekly attendance of at least 2,000 persons "). |
| Mennonite | Oregon | -- | 0.20% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Methodist | Oregon | -- | 4.90% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Native North Americans | Oregon | 38,496 | 1.40% | -- | -- | 1990 | Utter, Jack. American Indians: Answers to Today's Questions. Lake Ann, Michigan: National Woodlands Publishing Co. (1993), pg. 18-19. | Table: "Indian population in each of the 50 states... "; From 1990 U.S. Census: figures include "Indian and Alaska Native Population [both Aleut and Eskimo]. |
| Neo-Paganism | Oregon | 4,000 | -- | -- | -- | 1992 | Berger, Helen A. A Community of Witches: Contemporary Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft in the United States. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press (1999), pg. 9-10. | Table: "Distribution of Neo-Pagans Participating in Neo-Pagan Census in U.S. "; Cols: State; Number [of Census participants]; % [of particpants]; Pg. xvi: "[Received] more than 2,000 responses... survey was distributed through Wiccan and Neo-Pagan organizations..., published in journals,.. Internet [and] at festivals. [unable] to guarantee that the survey was randomly distributed. "; Pg. 10: "...actual % by state are at best an approximation. "; Raw number presented here based on state % from this table, as a portion of estimated 200,000 [1992] U.S. total (pg. 9).; Oregon %: 2 |
| New Kadampa Tradition | Oregon | -- | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1999 | *LINK* official organization web site; web page: "Directory of NKT Centers for Asia, Australasia and America " (viewed 23 Jan. 1999). | counted listings on directory. |
| Nonreligious | Oregon | -- | 17.20% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Old Believers | Oregon | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (editor). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture and Daily Life: Volume 2 - Americas. Cleveland, Ohio: Eastword Publications Development, Inc. (1998), pg. 385. | "A very small group of Russian Americans belong to the Old Believers sect of the Russian Orthodox Church, following the teachings of the Church prior to changed that were made in 1654. These Old Believers live in intentionally isolated communities in Alaska and Oregon, speak only Russian, wear 17th century clothing and keep themselves separte from the rest of society. " |
| Oregon Pagan Association | Oregon | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1991 | Jade. To Know: A Guide to Women's Magic and Spirituality. Oak Park, Illinois: Delphi Press (1991), pg. 76. | "Oregon Pagan Association, c/o ASUO; EMU, Suite 4, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, Networking and ritual-oriented organization that enables Pagans and those interested in magick and the Goddess to contact each other... " |
| Orthodox (Eastern Christian) | Oregon | -- | 0.20% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Pentecostal | Oregon | -- | 1.20% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Presbyterian | Oregon | -- | 4.20% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | Oregon | 27,962 | 0.89% | 135 units |
-- | 1995 | *LINK* official organization web page: Comparative Statistics; [original source for states pop. data: U.S. Bureau of the Census] | Table: "PCUSA Membership by State/Territory -- 1995 "; Columns: "Number of Members ", "Members as a Percent of State Population " and "Number of Congregations " |
| Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) | Oregon | 28,158 | 0.87% | 134 units |
-- | 1997 | *LINK* official organization web page: Comparative Statistics; [original source for states pop. data: U.S. Bureau of the Census] | Table: "PCUSA Membership by State/Territory -- 1997 "; Columns: "Number of Members ", "Members as a Percent of State Population " and "Number of Congregations " |
| Protestant - no denomination supplied | Oregon | -- | 14.70% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Ramakrishna Order | Oregon | -- | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site | Counted from "Ramakrishna Order Centers in the West " list |
| Catholic | Oregon | 296,000 | 11.00% | -- | -- | 1989 | Greeley, Andrew M. The Catholic Myth: The Behavior and Beliefs of American Catholics. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1990), pg. 112-114. [Original sources: Official Catholic Directory, based on parish-level reporting, and U.S. 1989 Statistical Abstract] | Table: "Catholic Population by State "; [Greeley (author) has conduced a somewhat detailed analysis, adding some adjustments to account for statistically observed undercount, plus some other factors.] |
| Catholic | Oregon | -- | 15.30% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Catholic | Oregon | 314,387 | 10.00% | 160 units |
-- | 1996 | 1998 Catholic Almanac: Our Sunday Visitor: USA (1997), pg. 432-437. | Tables: "Catholic Population of the United States " and "Percentage of Catholics in Total Population in U.S. ". Figures are as of Jan. 1, 1997. |
| Catholic | Oregon | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1997 | Stefoff, Rebecca. Oregon (book series: Celebrate the States). New York: Marshall Cavendish (1997), pg. 77. | "The church with the most members statewide is the... Catholic Church, followed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) " |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Oregon | -- | -- | 2 units |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Salvation Army | Oregon | -- | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1886 | McKinley, Edward H. Marching to Glory: The History of the Salvation Army in the Unites States of America, 1880-1980. San Francisco: Harper and Row (1980), pg. 24. | "In August, Mrs. Stillwell traveled north [from California] to open the work in Portland, Oregon. Major J. H. Britton arrived in October from New York to take command, so that Stillwell was able to join his wife in Oregon in December, when a new division was organized there. " |
| Scientology | Oregon | -- | -- | 3 units |
-- | 1983 | *LINK* linked to Brett Achorn's OPPOSING VIEW web site "Hard Data on Scientology " (1998) | Organization count based on very detailed analysis of incorporations, creations, closures, etc. |
| Scientology | Oregon | -- | -- | 2 units |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site (1998); section: "Global Locator for Scientology Organizations " | Counted listings of churches and missions in directory. (1) Church of Scientology of Portland, 323 S.W. Washington, Portland, OR 97204; (2) Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Portland, 709 S.W. Salmon Street, Portland, OR 97205 |
| Seicho-No-Ie | Oregon | -- | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site (1998) | worldwide directory of "Truth of Life Centers ": [directory link] "Truth of Life Center Portland, 1314 S.W. 57th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97221 " |
| Seventh-day Adventists | Oregon | -- | 1.10% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| Theosophical Society | Oregon | -- | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "Theosophical Society " | official organization directory |
| Undenominational Church of the Lord | Oregon | -- | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1975 | Melton, J. Gordon (ed.). The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Vol. 1. Tarrytown, New York: Triumph Books (1991), pg. 216. Chapter: Holiness Family; section: 19th Century Holiness. | "Membership: At last report (1970s) there were 3 congregations: Placentia, California; Chillicothe, Ohio; and Sheridan, Oregon. There are less than 100 members. " |
| Unification Church | Oregon | -- | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1959 | Finke, Roger and Rodney Stark. The Churching of America, 1776-1990. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press (1992; 3rd printing 1997), pg. 241. | "...the first American converts to the Unification Church were gathered in Eugene, Oregon, during 1959. " |
| Unitarian/Unitarian Universalist | Oregon | -- | 0.40% | -- | -- | 1990 | Kosmin/NSRI | |
| United Church of God | Oregon | -- | -- | 10 units |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site | Counted the churches in their listing. |
| Unity Church | Oregon | -- | -- | 20 units |
-- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site (viewed 1998) | Counted the churches in their directory. |
| Urantia Book Readers, Fellowship of | Oregon | -- | -- | 16 units |
-- | 1997 | *LINK* official organization web site (1998) | directory: "1996-1997 International Study Group Directory for readers of The Urantia Book " |
| Walla Walla | Oregon | 1,000 | -- | -- | -- | 1995 | Legay, Gilbert. Atlas of Indians of North America. Hauppauge, New York: Barron's (1995), pg. 72. | "Walla Walla... The Umatilla reservation in Oregon has a combined population of 1,000 (including Umatilla, Cayuse, and Walla Walla). " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Oregon - south | 12,000 | -- | -- | -- | 1999 | *LINK* Hernandez, Romel. "Mormon temple will rise in Southern Oregon " in The Oregonian (Wednesday March 24, 1999), viewed online (www.oregonlive.com), 25 March 1999. | "Now, Southern Oregon's 12,000 church members won't have to trek to Portland to attend temple. 'It will be a tremendous blessing,' Baird said. " |
| Bible Temple | Oregon: Portland | 2,500 | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1992 | *LINK* Thumma, Scott. web site: "Megachurches in the U.S. " (viewed Aug. 20, 1999; data collected 1992; last updated Aug. 19, 1999). Center for Social and Religious Research, Hartford Seminary. | Table; "size " is avg. weekly attendance. Study finding all U.S megachurches.; Indep. cong. in Portland, OR; pastor Dick Iverson. |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - temples | Oregon: Portland | -- | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1996 | Deseret News 1997-98 Church Almanac. Deseret News: Salt Lake City, UT (1996), pg. 435-436. | Table: "Temples of the Church "; Portland |
| Native North Americans | Oregon: Portland | 13,603 | -- | -- | -- | 1990 | Utter, Jack. American Indians: Answers to Today's Questions. Lake Ann, Michigan: National Woodlands Publishing Co. (1993), pg. 22. | Table: Metropolitan statistical areas with highest Indian populations. Data from 1990 U.S. Census.; "Portland, OR - into Vancouver, WA "; Includes Alaska natives. |
| New Beginnings Christian Center | Oregon: Portland | 2,000 | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1992 | *LINK* Thumma, Scott. web site: "Megachurches in the U.S. " (viewed Aug. 20, 1999; data collected 1992; last updated Aug. 19, 1999). Center for Social and Religious Research, Hartford Seminary. | Table; "size " is avg. weekly attendance. Study finding all U.S megachurches.; Indep. cong. in Portland, OR; pastor Larry Huch. |
| New Hope Community Church | Oregon: Portland | 5,200 | -- | 1 unit |
-- | 1992 | *LINK* Thumma, Scott. web site: "Megachurches in the U.S. " (viewed Aug. 20, 1999; data collected 1992; last updated Aug. 19, 1999). Center for Social and Religious Research, Hartford Seminary. | Table, grouped by state, columns for city, state, "size " (avg. weekly attendance), etc. From study finding all U.S. megachurches (congreg. w/ "consistent weekly attendance of at least 2,000 persons "); an independent, pastor Dale Galloway. |
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This collection and organization of data regarding religion in Oregon is copyright © 2002 by Adherents.com. Page created June 2000. Last updated 4 March 2002.