A South Carolina church with multiple campuses tops the list of the largest SBC churches in the nation, according to Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
NewSpring Church, based in Anderson, has more than 27,000 people in attendance each Sunday at its 10 South Carolina campuses.
Second Baptist Church of Houston, Texas, was ranked second with 26,022 weekly worshipers, and Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., was third with 22,055.
Each year, Rainer compiles a ranking of SBC churches that have an average worship attendance of 1,000 or more. He publishes the information at thomrainer.com. This year’s list includes 23 churches located in South Carolina.
Rainer said the numbers are reported by the churches and have not been verified. He said all churches on the list have met the requirements to be a part of the SBC.
The churches on the list represent the top 1 percent in attendance in the SBC, he said; conversely, 99 percent of churches are not on the list. At least 27 churches were of “sufficient size” to be included on the list but did not submit a report, Rainer said.
Below are the South Carolina churches included on the list, followed by their average worship attendance:
NewSpring Church, Anderson — 27,158
Grace Church, Greenville — 5,000
Spartanburg First Baptist Church — 3,400
Rock Springs Baptist Church, Easley — 2,500
Shandon Baptist Church, Columbia — 2,250
Cedar Creek Baptist Church, Aiken — 2,125
Columbia First Baptist Church — 2,100
North Spartanburg First Baptist Church — 2,000
Simpsonville First Baptist Church — 1,984
Taylors First Baptist Church — 1,831
True North Church, North Augusta — 1,650
Boiling Springs First Baptist Church — 1,508
Foothills Community Church, Seneca — 1,500
Alice Drive Baptist Church, Sumter — 1,338
Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church, Moore — 1,291
Cornerstone Community Church, Orangeburg — 1,250
Brushy Creek Baptist Church, Taylors — 1,161
Old Fort Baptist Church, Summerville — 1,101
Fort Mill First Baptist Church — 1,100
Millbrook Baptist Church, Aiken — 1,036
North Augusta First Baptist Church — 1,013
Clearview Baptist Church, Travelers Rest — 1,000
Rock Hill First Baptist Church — 1,000