The three great branches
Almost every Christian church belongs to one of three branches:
- Catholic. The largest single church in the world and in the US, led by the Pope and the bishops in communion with him. Worship centers on the Mass and the seven sacraments. What to expect at Mass.
- Orthodox. The Eastern churches (Greek, Russian, Antiochian, Serbian, the Orthodox Church in America and others), which separated from Rome in 1054. Ancient, chanted liturgy, icons and incense. What to expect at an Orthodox church.
- Protestant. The churches that came out of the Reformation of the 1500s and the movements that followed it. They stress the authority of the Bible and salvation by grace through faith, and they are very diverse.
The Protestant families
| Family | Roots | On a Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| Lutheran | Martin Luther, Germany, 1517 | Liturgy close to the Mass, hymns, weekly or frequent communion |
| Episcopal / Anglican | Church of England, 1530s | Book of Common Prayer, weekly Eucharist, robed clergy |
| Presbyterian / Reformed | John Calvin, Geneva, and John Knox, Scotland | Sermon at the center, hymns, governed by elected elders |
| Methodist | John and Charles Wesley, England, 1700s | Hymns, an open communion table, active social ministry |
| Baptist | English Separatists, 1600s | Preaching, believer's baptism by immersion, independent congregations |
| Pentecostal | Azusa Street Revival, Los Angeles, 1906 | Expressive worship, spiritual gifts, prayer for healing |
| Holiness / Nazarene | Methodist holiness movement, 1800s | Warm evangelical worship, altar prayer, holy living |
| Church of Christ | Restoration Movement, 1800s | A cappella singing, communion every Sunday |
| Seventh-day Adventist | Millerite movement, 1860s | Saturday Sabbath, Sabbath School, health emphasis |
| Non-denominational | Evangelical movement, late 1900s | Worship band, long practical sermon, casual dress |
Mainline and evangelical
American Protestants are often grouped another way too. Mainline churches (the ELCA, PC(USA), the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the American Baptist Churches and the United Church of Christ, among others) tend to be more liturgical and more progressive on social questions. Evangelical churches (the Southern Baptist Convention, the LCMS, the PCA, the Assemblies of God and most non-denominational churches) tend to be more theologically conservative and to stress personal conversion and evangelism. The same family name can sit on both sides, so a Presbyterian or Lutheran church may be either.
Other traditions in our directory
We also list Latter-day Saint wards, which consider themselves Christian but stand outside the historic creeds, and synagogues, which are Jewish, not Christian.
What really differs on a visit
- Liturgy or freedom: set prayers and an order that follows the church calendar (Catholic, Orthodox, Episcopal, Lutheran) or a looser order built around music and the sermon (Baptist, non-denominational, Pentecostal).
- Communion: every week or occasionally, and open to all or only to members. Each guide explains what visitors should do.
- Baptism: infants (Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian) or believers only, usually by full immersion (Baptist, Pentecostal, Church of Christ, non-denominational).
- Music: chant, organ and hymns, choirs, gospel, a praise band, or voices alone.