Falwell’s church continues fast-paced growth

Posted: 11/02/07

Falwell’s church continues fast-paced growth

By Adelle M. Banks

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Thomas Road Baptist Church, the Virginia megachurch founded by the late Jerry Falwell, had the largest numeric growth recorded in a new list of the nation’s fastest-growing churches.

Outreach magazine reported the church in Lynchburg, Va., saw an increase in overall weekly attendance of 4,750 within the last year.

The church ranked No. 9 on the magazine’s list of fastest-growing churches. Researchers averaged numerical and percentage growth of attendees to determine the rankings.

Thomas Road was listed No. 8 in the magazine’s ranking of largest churches in the United States, with an average attendance of 17,445.

In a statement, the church reported more than 1,000 people have joined since Falwell’s death May 15. His son, Jonathan Falwell, now leads Thomas Road Baptist Church.

Outreach, a church leadership magazine based in Vista, Calif., compiled the lists in partnership with Ed Stetzer, director of research at LifeWay Research. The attendance figures are based on self-reported data from the churches cited.

The top five fast-growing churches listed are:

1. Iglesia Cristiana Segadores de Vida, Hollywood, Fla.

2. Community of Faith, Cypress.

3. Valley Bible Fellowship, Bakers-field, Calif.

4. Community Christian Church, Naperville, Ill.

5. The ROC (Richmond Outreach Center), Richmond, Va.

The top five largest churches listed are:

1. Lakewood Church, Houston (47,000)

2. Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Ill. (23,500)

3. Second Baptist Church, Houston (23,198)

4. Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif. (22,000)

5. LifeChurch.tv, Edmond, Okla. (19,907)