List of Protestant Denominations in America

Our comprehensive list of Protestant denominations organizes America's diverse Protestant bodies by theological tradition, providing founding dates, membership figures, and key doctrinal stances. Originating in the sixteenth-century European Reformation, Protestant churches emphasize the supreme authority of Scripture, salvation through faith alone, and local or representative forms of church governance.

What makes a church Protestant?

To understand any catalog of Protestant churches, one must first recognize what unites them. The Protestant movement originated in 1517 when German monk Martin Luther protested against corruption in the medieval Catholic Church. Similar reform efforts quickly spread across Switzerland, England, Scotland, and the Netherlands, creating several distinct theological currents.

Historically, Protestantism is defined by five foundational principles often called the five solas of the Reformation:

• Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone): The Bible is the ultimate and highest authority for Christian faith, practice, and doctrine, standing above human church tradition or papal authority.
• Sola Fide (Faith Alone): Believers are justified and reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ, rather than by personal merit, penance, or ritual good works.
• Sola Gratia (Grace Alone): Salvation is an unmerited gift of God's sovereign favor, not something earned or achieved by human effort.
• Solus Christus (Christ Alone): Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and humanity, eliminating the need for human priestly intercession to obtain forgiveness of sins.
• Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone): All worship, praise, and honor belong solely to God rather than to saints, Mary, or church leaders.

Protestants also affirm the universal priesthood of all believers, asserting that every Christian has direct access to God through Christ. While Protestant traditions differ on baptism, church hierarchy, and worship styles, they share these Reformation roots. To explore the broader concept of ecclesiastical bodies, see our guide on what is a Christian denomination.

How this list of Protestant denominations is organized

Because there are hundreds of distinct bodies across the United States, studying them alphabetically can feel overwhelming. This list of Protestant denominations is grouped by theological family, showing how newer movements branched out from older roots over five centuries. To see a visual breakdown of these historical splits, explore our family tree of Christian denominations.

Within each family, church bodies are presented with their founding date, reported membership with published source and year, and defining doctrinal distinctives. You can also view how these groups compare against Catholicism and Orthodoxy in our ranking of the largest Christian denominations in America.

Historic Reformation families: Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican

The three oldest branches of classical Protestantism arose directly from sixteenth-century European state churches, bringing formal liturgical orders, historical confessions of faith, and sacramental theology to the American colonies.

Lutheran Churches

Rooted in Martin Luther's teaching in Germany, Lutherans teach justification by grace through faith alone and view baptism and communion as true means of grace where Christ is present. Learn more in our overview of the history of the Lutheran church.

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA): Formed in 1988 through the merger of three Lutheran bodies, the ELCA reported approximately 2.9 million baptized members across roughly 8,600 congregations as of 2023. It represents the moderate-to-progressive mainline Lutheran tradition, ordaining women and maintaining full communion partnerships with other Protestant bodies.
• The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS): Founded in 1847 by German immigrants in Missouri, the LCMS reported roughly 1.8 million baptized members across about 5,900 congregations as of 2023. It adheres strictly to the sixteenth-century Book of Concord, practices closed communion, and limits pastoral ordination to men.
• Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS): Organized in 1850 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, WELS reported approximately 340,000 baptized members across about 1,200 congregations as of 2023. It represents a strict confessional stance, declining church fellowship with other Lutheran bodies that do not share complete doctrinal agreement.

Reformed and Presbyterian Churches

Shaped by French theologian John Calvin and Scottish reformer John Knox, Reformed churches emphasize God's absolute sovereignty, covenant theology, and representative governance by elected elders (presbyters). Read further in our guide to the history of the Presbyterian church.

• Presbyterian Church (USA) [PCUSA]: Created in 1983 by reunited northern and southern branches, the PCUSA reported roughly 1.1 million active members across approximately 8,200 congregations in 2023. It is the largest Presbyterian body in the country, known for its social engagement and mainline theological stance.
• Presbyterian Church in America (PCA): Formed in 1973 by conservative ministers and congregations withdrawing from southern Presbyterianism, the PCA reported approximately 390,000 members across roughly 1,900 churches in 2023. It maintains a firm commitment to the Westminster Confession of Faith and conservative biblical inerrancy.
• Reformed Church in America (RCA): Established in 1628 by Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (now New York), the RCA reported roughly 100,000 members as of 2023, representing one of the oldest continuous Protestant bodies on the continent.
• Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA): Founded in 1857 in Michigan by Dutch immigrants seeking confessional renewal, the CRCNA reported approximately 190,000 total members in the United States and Canada as of 2023.

Anglican and Episcopal Churches

Arising from the English Reformation under King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, the Anglican tradition preserves ancient liturgical orders and episcopal governance by bishops while embracing Protestant theology.

• The Episcopal Church: Organized in 1789 in Philadelphia following the American Revolution, the Episcopal Church reported roughly 1.4 million baptized members across about 6,700 parishes in 2023. It worships using the Book of Common Prayer and represents the American province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
• Anglican Church in North America (ACNA): Established in 2009 by former Episcopalians and Canadian Anglicans seeking traditional orthodoxy, ACNA reported approximately 125,000 members across about 1,000 congregations as of 2023.

Baptist and Anabaptist traditions: believer baptism and local autonomy

Rejecting the state-church model and infant baptism, Baptists and Anabaptists argued that only conscious, converted believers should be baptized. They champion the complete separation of church and state and the autonomy of the local congregation.

Baptist Churches

Baptists are distinguished by believer baptism by full immersion, congregational self-governance, and a strong evangelistic focus. Read our comprehensive article on the history of the Baptist church.

• Southern Baptist Convention (SBC): Founded in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, the SBC reported roughly 12.98 million members across about 46,900 cooperating churches in 2024 for its 2023 church year. It is the largest Protestant denomination in America, committed to the Baptist Faith and Message confession and cooperative mission funding.
• National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.: Formed in 1895, this body has historically reported an estimated 5.0 million to 7.0 million members across roughly 10,000 congregations, standing as the historic foundation of African American Baptist life.
• American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA): Tracing its heritage to early northern Baptist societies founded in 1814, ABCUSA reported approximately 1.1 million members across about 4,900 congregations as of 2023, balancing evangelical heritage with ecumenical partnerships and local congregation autonomy.
• Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC): Founded in 1961 by civil rights leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the PNBC reports an estimated 1.5 million members and emphasizes civil rights activism alongside Christian discipleship.

Anabaptist and Peace Churches

Originating during the sixteenth-century Radical Reformation in Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands, Anabaptists rejected infant baptism, military participation, and civic oath-taking.

• Mennonite Church USA: Formed in 2002 from the merger of two historic Mennonite conferences dating back to seventeenth-century European roots, this body reported approximately 50,000 members across about 500 congregations in 2023, emphasizing peacemaking, mutual aid, and simple living.
• Church of the Brethren: Established in 1708 in Schwarzenau, Germany, by Alexander Mack, this tradition settled in Pennsylvania in 1719. It reported roughly 80,000 members across about 900 congregations in 2023, practicing trine immersion baptism and community service.

Methodist, Holiness, and Pentecostal movements

A second major wave of American Protestantism focused on personal spiritual transformation, heartfelt revival, and the work of the Holy Spirit. Explore the roots of Methodism in our detailed guide on the history of the Methodist church.

Methodist Churches

Originating from the eighteenth-century revival movement led by John Wesley and Charles Wesley within the Church of England, Methodists emphasize prevenient grace, personal holiness, and organized connectional governance.

• The United Methodist Church (UMC): Created in 1968 by the merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren, the UMC reported approximately 4.5 million American members across about 22,000 congregations in 2024, following the departure of roughly 7,600 congregations during recent restructuring.
• African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME): Founded in 1816 in Philadelphia by Richard Allen after experiencing racial discrimination, the AME Church reports an estimated 2.5 million members across more than 7,000 congregations, representing the first independent Black denomination in America.
• African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion): Formed in 1796 in New York City, the AME Zion Church reports an estimated 1.4 million members and is celebrated for its historic abolitionist leadership, counting Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass among its members.
• Global Methodist Church: Inaugurated in 2022 as a confessionally orthodox Wesleyan body, the Global Methodist Church reported more than 4,500 member congregations worldwide by 2024, emphasizing traditional biblical ethics and regional accountability.

Holiness Churches

Arising from nineteenth-century Methodist revivals, the Holiness movement teaches that Christians should experience entire sanctification, a second work of grace enabling a life free from willful sin.

• Church of the Nazarene: Founded in 1908 through the union of several regional holiness bodies, the Church of the Nazarene reported approximately 600,000 members across about 4,700 congregations in the United States as of 2023.
• The Wesleyan Church: Formed in 1968 through the merger of the Pilgrim Holiness Church and the Wesleyan Methodist Church, this body reported roughly 140,000 members across about 1,500 congregations in 2023.
• The Salvation Army: Founded in London in 1865 and established in America in 1880, the Salvation Army functions both as a church denomination and a social service agency, reporting approximately 350,000 church soldiers and adherents in the United States in 2023.

Pentecostal Churches

Beginning around 1901 and expanding dramatically during the 1906 Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, Pentecostals teach that believers should seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit, accompanied by speaking in tongues, prophetic gifts, and divine healing. Read our overview of the history of Pentecostalism.

• Church of God in Christ (COGIC): Founded in 1897 by Charles Harrison Mason, COGIC has self-reported approximately 5.5 million to 6.5 million members across more than 12,000 congregations, serving as America's largest Pentecostal communion.
• Assemblies of God (USA): Formed in 1914, the fellowship reported approximately 3.0 million adherents and 1.8 million formal members across about 13,000 churches as of 2023, widely recognized for global missionary programs and contemporary worship.
• Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee): Originating in 1886 in the Appalachian region, this classical Pentecostal body reported approximately 1.2 million members across about 6,000 congregations in the United States as of 2023.
• International Church of the Foursquare Gospel: Founded in 1923 in Los Angeles by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, the Foursquare Church reported roughly 350,000 members across about 1,700 congregations in 2023.

Restoration Movement and Adventist church bodies

Two distinct nineteenth-century American movements sought to bypass European traditions entirely, returning to simple New Testament models or emphasizing end-times prophecy.

Restoration Movement (Stone-Campbell)

Beginning on the American frontier in the early 1800s under Barton W. Stone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell, this movement aimed to unite all Christians under the motto: Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.

• Churches of Christ: Distinctive for acappella singing without musical instruments, weekly communion, and complete congregational autonomy, this fellowship included roughly 1.1 million adherents across about 11,900 congregations in the 2020 U.S. Religion Census.
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): Organized as a formal denomination in 1968 from the progressive branch of the movement, the Disciples of Christ reported approximately 300,000 members across about 3,000 congregations in 2023, holding a mainline Protestant orientation.
• Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ: Remaining intentionally non-denominational while maintaining mutual fellowship through conventions, this group counted roughly 1.0 million adherents across about 4,800 congregations in the 2020 U.S. Religion Census.

Adventist Churches

Emerging from the nineteenth-century Millerite movement that anticipated the imminent second coming of Jesus, Adventists hold distinctive eschatological and health beliefs.

• Seventh-day Adventist Church: Officially organized in 1863 in Battle Creek, Michigan, the church reported approximately 1.2 million members across roughly 5,600 congregations in the United States as of 2023. Adventists worship on the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday), practice adult baptism, promote vegetarian and holistic health living, and value the prophetic writings of Ellen G. White.

Types of Protestant churches: mainline, evangelical, and independent

Beyond theological families, observers often classify types of Protestant churches into three sociological streams: mainline Protestantism, evangelical Protestantism, and independent non-denominational congregations.

Mainline churches include historic bodies such as the UMC, ELCA, PCUSA, and Episcopal Church. For an in-depth exploration of their cultural influence and theological perspectives, consult our article on mainline Protestant churches. Evangelical churches include bodies like the SBC, Assemblies of God, and PCA, which place primary focus on personal salvation and biblical authority.

In addition, independent non-denominational churches have expanded rapidly over the past three decades. The 2020 U.S. Religion Census counted roughly 21.1 million adherents in more than 44,000 independent congregations, making non-denominational believers one of the largest forces in contemporary American Protestantism.

Two other historic traditions with unique relationships to Protestantism include the Moravian Church, which predates the Lutheran Reformation by sixty years and emphasizes humble piety, and Unitarian Universalism, which grew out of early New England Congregationalism before developing into an open spiritual association.

A reference Protestant churches list and how to visit

Using this Protestant churches list can help visitors understand what to expect when exploring local congregations. While each tradition maintains its own heritage and governance, Protestant congregations generally welcome first-time visitors with open doors, offering guest guides and fellowship after services.

Whether you are drawn to the contemplative liturgy of an Episcopal parish, the practical exposition of a Baptist congregation, the rich hymns of a Lutheran sanctuary, or the modern praise of a non-denominational service, finding the right spiritual home begins with visiting in person. Use our directory to locate churches near you, view service schedules, and explore the diverse Christian communities in your neighborhood.