South Carolina church is Southern Baptist Convention’s largest

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