Religion in California: Churches and Denominations

The West

The history and practice of religion in California reveals one of the most culturally diverse faith environments in the modern world. Roman Catholicism forms the largest single religious communion, reinforced by historic Spanish missions and extensive Latin American immigration, while innovative evangelical networks, historic Protestant denominations, and flourishing Asian traditions shape communities from San Diego to Sacramento.

Demographics and Traditions in Religion in California

According to major demographic surveys, including the Pew Research Center 2014 Religious Landscape Study, Christianity encompasses approximately 63 percent of adult residents in California. Roman Catholicism represents the largest single faith communion, claiming roughly 28 percent of the adult population. With over ten million Catholic adherents statewide recorded in the 2020 US Religion Census, California possesses the largest Catholic population of any state in the nation. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles alone serves approximately four million Catholics, making it the most populous ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the United States, celebrated for its multilingual parish liturgies in Spanish, English, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean. Protestant traditions account for about 32 percent of adults, divided between evangelical congregations (20 percent), mainline denominations (10 percent), and historically Black churches (3 percent). California also leads the nation in religious pluralism: non-Christian faiths represent roughly 9 percent of adults, led by Jewish residents (2 percent), Buddhists (2 percent), Hindus (2 percent), and Muslims (1 percent). Approximately 27 percent of adult Californians identify as religiously unaffiliated, categorizing themselves as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular. To explore nationwide Protestant distributions, consult our comparative study on Baptist churches by state.

Church Directory Data for California

Our directory currently records 5,427 active congregations across California, reflecting the immense institutional scale of the Golden State. Baptist congregations form the largest category with 859 listings, comprising 15.8 percent of all recorded houses of worship. Catholic parishes hold the second position with 796 listings (14.7 percent), while Non-Denominational and independent evangelical congregations account for 741 listings (13.7 percent). Together with 595 Pentecostal assemblies (11.0 percent), evangelical and charismatic churches form a dominant presence in suburban valleys and urban corridors. Historic Protestant traditions maintain deep roots statewide: Presbyterian and Reformed congregations record 479 listings (8.8 percent), followed by Lutheran bodies with 461 listings (8.5 percent) and Methodist churches with 334 listings (6.2 percent). Episcopal and Anglican parishes contribute 211 listings (3.9 percent), Seventh-day Adventists record 180 listings (3.3 percent), and the Church of the Nazarene maintains 178 listings (3.3 percent). Other recorded faith groups include Churches of Christ (144 listings), Jewish synagogues (130 listings), independent Christian assemblies (91 listings), and Eastern Orthodox parishes (73 listings), alongside metaphysical, Latter-day Saint, and Mennonite fellowships.

Churches in California in our directory, by denomination

Denomination	Churches listed	Share
Baptist	859	16%
Catholic	796	15%
Non-Denominational/Evangelical	741	14%
Pentecostal	595	11%
Presbyterian/Reformed	479	9%
Lutheran	461	8%
Methodist	334	6%
Episcopal / Anglican	211	4%
Adventist	180	3%
Holiness / Church of the Nazarene	178	3%
Church of Christ	144	3%
Jewish	130	2%
Christian	91	2%
Orthodox	73	1%
Metaphysical	50	1%
Mormon/Latter Day Saints	42	1%
Independent Fundamentalist	40	1%
Mennonite	15	0%
Brethren	8	0%

Cities with the most churches

All 5,427 churches in California

Worshipers and researchers looking for congregational contacts can review our statewide catalog of churches in California, or explore specific denominations through our targeted directories for Baptist churches in California, Catholic churches in California, and evangelical churches in California.

Spanish Franciscan Missions and Colonial Settlement

The historical foundations of California's religious life were established along the Pacific coast during the late eighteenth century. Beginning in 1769 with the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcalá by Franciscan friar Junípero Serra, Spanish authorities developed a chain of twenty-one missions stretching north along El Camino Real to Sonoma. These adobe compounds served as agricultural plantations, trade workshops, and centers of Christian instruction aimed at converting Indigenous peoples such as the Tongva, Chumash, and Ohlone. Despite widespread controversy regarding colonial coercion and native depopulation, the missions established an enduring architectural and cultural legacy that permanently defined California's geographical identity. Following Mexican independence in 1821 and the secularization of church estates in the 1830s, mission lands were subdivided into private cattle ranchos, yet Catholic devotion endured through parish priests and family shrines. The 1848 California Gold Rush brought a dramatic influx of prospectors and immigrants from across the world: Irish and Italian miners established urban Catholic parishes; German and Scandinavian immigrants erected Lutheran churches; and Chinese laborers constructed Taoist and Buddhist joss houses throughout the gold fields and in San Francisco's Chinatown, introducing non-Western religious practice to the American frontier. In the twentieth century, California transformed into a premier incubator for modern Christian revivals. In April 1906, African American preacher William J. Seymour led the Azusa Street Revival in downtown Los Angeles, sparking the modern Pentecostal and Charismatic movements that subsequently swept across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. In the 1920s, Aimee Semple McPherson built Angelus Temple in Echo Park, utilizing radio broadcasts and theatrical presentations to establish the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. During the late 1960s, Southern California birthed the Jesus People movement through Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa and the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, pioneering contemporary praise music, casual worship styles, and modern church planting movements that redefined American evangelicalism.

Historic Sanctuaries and Celebrated Architecture

California contains an extraordinary collection of sacred landmarks that reflect its diverse religious heritage. Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo in Carmel, founded by Father Serra in 1770 and serving as his burial site, preserves authentic stone architecture, quaint gardens, and colonial liturgical artifacts. In downtown Los Angeles, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rafael Moneo and dedicated in 2002, stands as a post-modern masterpiece capable of seating three thousand worshipers beneath soaring alabaster windows and majestic bronze tapestries depicting Christian saints. In Orange County, Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, originally constructed as the Crystal Cathedral by architect Philip Johnson for televangelist Robert H. Schuller, features an all-glass reflective exterior containing over ten thousand panes of glass; it was consecrated in 2019 as the cathedral seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. In San Francisco, Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill showcases splendid French Gothic architecture, Castiglioni stained glass, and historic walking labyrinths. Religious diversity is further exemplified by the historic First Sikh Gurdwara in Stockton, established in 1912 by Punjabi immigrants, and the ornate Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, one of the largest Buddhist monastic compounds in the Western Hemisphere.

Geographic Centers of Congregational Life

Congregational listings reflect the immense size of California's metropolitan regions. Los Angeles leads the state with 383 listings in our directory; researchers exploring churches in Los Angeles will discover an unmatched collection of historic downtown sanctuaries, expansive Hispanic Catholic parishes, African American Baptist institutions, and multicultural evangelical congregations. San Diego ranks second with 192 listings; our directory of churches in San Diego features active coastal fellowships, historic mission churches, and growing suburban ministries near the international border. In the state capital, our guide to churches in Sacramento records 124 congregations along the Central Valley corridor. Across the Bay Area, San Francisco accounts for 120 listings and San Jose records 106 listings, highlighting the historic Catholic, Presbyterian, and Asian congregations that anchor northern California's largest urban centers.

Regional Comparison with Surrounding Western States

Placing California within the wider context of religion in the West underscores its position as the demographic and cultural anchor of the region. Unlike northern neighbor Oregon, examined in our analysis of religion in Oregon, where religious non-affiliation reaches upwards of thirty-five percent and church membership remains low, California maintains a substantially higher rate of religious adherence driven by its vast Catholic and immigrant communities. When contrasted with desert neighbors explored in our surveys of religion in Nevada and religion in Arizona, California displays far lower Latter-day Saint population percentages, yet maintains much larger Asian Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh populations. Furthermore, California continues to function as an ecclesiastical trendsetter for the entire nation, exporting megachurch ministry models, contemporary worship music, and multicultural outreach strategies that shape congregations across the American West.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the most common religion in California?

Christianity is the most common religion in California, representing about 63 percent of adult residents. Roman Catholicism is the largest single branch at roughly 28 percent of the state population, followed by diverse evangelical Protestant denominations comprising 20 percent and mainline Protestant bodies at 10 percent.

What is the largest denomination in California?

The Roman Catholic Church is by far the largest single denomination in California, with over 10.8 million adherents statewide and 796 parishes in our directory. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles alone serves approximately four million Catholics, making it the largest Catholic diocese in the United States.

What was the Azusa Street Revival in California?

The Azusa Street Revival was a historic multi-racial Christian gathering that began in 1906 in downtown Los Angeles under African American pastor William J. Seymour. Marked by spiritual gifts and speaking in tongues, it sparked the worldwide Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, which now include hundreds of millions of believers.

Why does California have so many Spanish missions?

Spanish Franciscan friars led by Father Junípero Serra established twenty-one missions along El Camino Real between 1769 and 1823, stretching from San Diego to Sonoma. The Spanish built these missions to convert native populations and secure the Alta California frontier, leaving an enduring cultural and architectural legacy.

How does religion in California compare to other states?

California features greater religious diversity than almost any other state, hosting major populations of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Jewish residents alongside its large Catholic majority. It has also produced influential modern church models, including Calvary Chapel, the Vineyard Movement, and Saddleback Church.

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