For the first time since OUTREACH magazine has compiled its annual report of the largest churches in America, all 100 churches (103 this year) had weekend attendance of 7,000 or higher. Leading the fifth yearly list again was Lakewood Church in Houston with 43,500, followed by Second Baptist Church in the same city with 23,659, and North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga., with 22,557.
The combined attendance of all 103 churches was 1,128,451, an increase of 111,527 from 2007.
Some well-known churches showed a drop in attendance from last year. Lakewood (Pastor Joel Osteen) dipped from 47,000 in 2007. Willow Creek Community Church (Pastor Bill Hybels) dropped from 23,500 to 22,500, moving them down to number four. Also, Saddleback Church (Pastor Rick Warren) went from 22,000 to 19,414, dropping them from fourth in 2007 to eighth this year.
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