Editor’s Note: This is the first in a new series of articles examining and considering statistical data regarding the Presbyterian Church in America. 

The story of what Christ is doing in and through his church is about far more than numbers. But numbers are part of the story. 

• • The gospel writers don’t merely record how Jesus miraculously fed a crowd. They tell us he fed 5,000 (Mark 6:30-44).
  • Luke tells us “about 3,000 were saved” at Pentecost when he could have just said a multitude of souls (Acts 2:41).
  • We often refer to the disciples collectively as “the twelve” (Mark 3:16).

We can’t imagine any of these stories without their associated numbers because the numbers play an important role in telling us about God’s work. 

Counting isn’t wrong in itself. Placing confidence in your numbers is wrong, like when David ordered the people to be numbered, and God judged Israel for it (1 Chronicles 21:1-17). Elsewhere in the Old Testament, God instructed Moses to take a census of the people (Exodus 30). Collecting data isn’t the problem. Finding hope in your data is the problem. 

The work of Christ through the PCA is about far more than numbers but the numbers are an important part of the story. Every year, the Administrative Committee asks PCA churches to provide updated statistics on their church’s finances and membership. Providing the AC with data is not mandatory, which means the only numbers available to examine are those voluntarily provided. 

As of December 31, 2023, the PCA consisted of 1,645 particularized churches and an additional 289 mission churches, bringing the total number of PCA churches to 1,934. These churches are made up of 393,528 members (communicant members, non-communicant members, and teaching elders) who collectively gave and invested over $1 billion in ministry and missions. 

The average church has 158 communicant members, but in actuality, there’s a great variation in size. Churches range in total membership from one communicant member to over 5,000 communicant members.

In terms of members, which are listed on the chart below, the 50 largest churches in the PCA account for 76,320 members. Very few churches in the PCA qualify by definition as a megachurch, which is a church with over 2,000 in weekly attendance. 

However, there are some interesting facts about the 50 largest churches according to the most recent statistics:

• • The range of membership is from 763 to 5,116. 
  • Two of the three largest churches are Korean congregations, one on the west coast and one on the east coast. 
  • Tennessee is the most well-represented state on the list with eight churches. Florida is close behind with seven.
  • Birmingham and Nashville tied for being the cities with the most churches on the list with four each.
  • Fifteen of the 50 states are represented, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
  • At least four of the 50 churches are minority-led. 
  • Two churches on the list, Faith Presbyterian Church and Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, are located just 2.5 miles apart.

Based on available data, here are the fifty largest churches in terms of communicant membership:

*Correction: This article has been corrected to show that the membership statistics in the chart below reflect communicant members, not total membership.