Old Ship Church (1681), Hingham, Massachusetts, the only surviving 17th-century Puritan meeting house in the US, and the oldest church building in continuous ecclesiastical use in the nation
The designation of the oldest church in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest Christian church congregation. There is a distinction between old church buildings that have been in continuous use as churches, and those that have been converted to other purposes; and between buildings that have been in continuous use as churches and those that were shuttered for many decades.
In terms of congregations, they are distinguished between early established congregations that have been in continuous existence (sometimes through great theological changes), and early congregations that ceased to exist. Some of these churches are located in areas that were part of the original Thirteen Colonies that made up the United States in 1776. Others were built in states that were later annexed, such as Louisiana and New Mexico. Sites on the list are generally from the First Period of American architecture or earlier.
To be listed here a site must:
be the oldest church in a state, territory, large city (top 50), or oldest of its type (denomination, architectural, etc.);
be freestanding (not a ruin or mound, as there are separate lists for those); and/or
be the oldest congregation of its type (denomination).
The oldest church built in the United States and in the unincorporated U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. The original cathedral was constructed from wood in 1521. It was destroyed by a hurricane and the current structure constructed in 1540, being reshaped in later centuries, the last time being in 1917. Building has been within the territory of the U.S. since 1898, when Puerto Rico was annexed from Spain.[1]
The oldest church built in the continental US. The original adobe walls and altar were built by the Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico under the orders of the Spaniards, but much of the structure was rebuilt in 1710. Building has been within the U.S. since 1848, when the US annexed New Mexico territory following the Mexican–American War.[2]
Only floor tiles and foundations remain from the first brick church (with a tower added sometime earlier or later). Oldest church in the original 13 colonies.
Oldest religious building in Queens County, New York City. The only surviving example in New York State of a typical 17th-century ecclesiastical frame structure of medieval design.[6]
Oldest active church building in Boston and a National Historic Landmark, the Old North Church (formal name: Christ Church in the City of Boston) is the location from which the famous signal lanterns are said to have been displayed for Paul Revere's midnight ride during the American Revolution.[7]
Oldest church in Texas. Oldest RC Cathedral in the contiguous United States. The church was named for Ferdinand III of Castile. In 1868, the cathedral was considerably enlarged in the Gothic style.
First church in Falls Church, Virginia and established by the colonial Virginia Assembly in May 1732 for the land north of the Occoquan River
Guinston Presbyterian Church
Airville, Pennsylvania
PA
1774
Presbyterian
Guinston has records dating back to 1753. It was officially incorporated in 1754 and one of three original members of the Associate Presbytery of Pennsylvania. The Historic Stone Meeting house was constructed in 1773–1774. Prior to that they met in homes and a log construction sanctuary.
Oldest church west of the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania. Originally a log building, it was replaced by a frame church in 1790, and then the existing stone church in 1852.
The oldest church in Middle Tennessee. Beech was organized as a Presbyterian church in 1798. The first Synod of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was constituted here on October 5, 1813. In 1828, the stone building was erected with three-foot thick walls, replacing the original meetinghouse.
LaMarsh Baptist church Mapleton, Il was established in 1838 in a barn until the church was built later that year (or following year). The church added a basement in the 1950s, and added the new church in 1997 (keeping the old church in its location). As of October 27, 2021, they will celebrate their 183rd Anniversary, being the 6th oldest church in Illinois, 49th oldest in the United States and the 224th oldest in the world.[citation needed]
Shield Chapel Methodist Church was established and built in Canton, Illinois, in 1840 and still exists today, 181 years later.
Wesley United Methodist Church was established and built in Canton, IL in 1895. It is still in operation today both in its oldest church and 2nd building across the street.
Oldest parish in continuous existence in the United States of America. Parish established September 8, 1565, as San Agustin de La Florida, by Spanish conqueror Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Parish records since 1594 available in the Archives of the Diocese of St. Augustine.[9]
Oldest church congregation on Cape Cod. Founded in 1616 in England by Rev. Henry Jacob by breaking with the Church of England. The second Pastor, Rev. John Lothropp, and 32 followers were imprisoned in 1632 by the Crown, and then released in 1634 on condition that they leave England. In 1639 Lothropp and 22 families found the town of Barnstable.[14]
Established in 1640, the first meeting house built in 1643 in Wayland, MA. Moved to Sudbury in 1708. Current location and name established February 17, 1890.
Oldest continually active Roman Catholic parish in the 13 colonies. Oldest Jesuit residence in the world to have been continuously occupied by that order. Current church building constructed 1798.
Oldest congregation in South Carolina and south of Virginia, formerly Episcopal, now the oldest congregation in the Anglican Church in North America. Present church building 1838
Oldest church of any denomination west of the Allegheny Mountains in the original 1783 boundaries of the US. At the time, this territory was part of New France, and this parish was founded by missionaries from Quebec. Historic log church constructed 1786 - 1799.
Chartered as part of the Church of England in 1729, St. James Parish is one of the oldest worshiping congregations in NC. The current church building was completed in 1839.
Christ Church was the first church established in the Province of Georgia, and is referred to as "the Mother Church of Georgia". The current building was completed in 1838.
After its former site on Summer Street burned in the Great Boston Fire of 1872, the current church complex was erected under the direction of Rector Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), one of the best-known and most charismatic preachers of his time.
The congregation is the oldest Methodist congregation in North America, founded in 1760 by Robert Strawbridge, one of John Wesley's earliest converts. Strawbridge began the first class (Methodist Society) meeting in his own home and the home of Andrew Poulson. Many services were held under a white oak tree; known as the Strawbridge Oak, located on the Poulson property. This began a congregation of Methodists which continues to meet to this day. A log meeting House was erected in 1763 named Poulson's chapel. The Methodist congregation met here until the first Stone Chapel Methodist Church was completed in 1783.
The congregation is the second oldest Methodist congregation in North America (oldest is Stone Chapel in New Windsor, Md), founded on October 12, 1766, as the Wesleyan Society in America (building built in 1841)
Oldest Episcopal congregation in Michigan (present building from 1907)
First Baptist Church in Canton Illinois was established in 1830, and still exist today celebrating there 190th anniversary in 2023.
LaMarsh Baptist church Mapleton, Il was established in 1838 in a barn until the church was built later that year (or following year). The church added a basement in the 1950s, and added the new church in 1997 (keeping the old church in its location). In October 2023 they celebrated their 185rd Anniversary, being the 6th oldest church in Illinois, 49th oldest in the United States and the 224th oldest in the world.[citation needed]
Shield Chapel Methodist Church was established and built in Canton, Illinois, in 1840 and still exists today, 181 years later.
Wesley United Methodist Church was established and built in Canton, IL in 1895. It is still in operation today both in its oldest church and second building across the street.
First Baptist Church, San Francisco, founded in 1849, sharing oldest Protestant church congregation with Old First Presbyterian Church (Baptist)
Old First Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, sharing oldest Protestant church congregation with First Baptist Church, founded in 1849 (Presbyterian)
Emmanuel Church in Coloma, oldest Protestant church building, built in 1855 (Methodist/Episcopal)
Trinity+St. Peter's Church (Episcopal), San Francisco, oldest Episcopal church congregation west of the Mississippi, founded 1849 as Trinity Church (Episcopal)
St. John's Church in Sacramento, Built in 1867 (Evangelical Lutheran)
Colorado
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Antonito, oldest church building and congregation, built in 1857 (Roman Catholic)
St. James Methodist Church in Central City, oldest Protestant[23] church in Colorado still used as a church, oldest Protestant congregation (1859) and oldest Protestant church in the state (1871) (Methodist)
Barratt's Chapel, oldest surviving church building in the United States built by and for Methodists (built in 1780), known as the "Cradle of Methodism" in America.
Chester-Bethel Church, established 1780, oldest Methodist congregation which has continuously gathered in the state of DE.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. Parish established September 8, 1565. Present church cornerstone laid in 1793, dedicated in 1797. Elevated to Cathedral when Diocese of St. Augustine was created in 1870. Became Basilica in 1976.
Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Augustine is Florida's second oldest Episcopal Church. It opened its doors in 1831. Trinity remains on its original site, and with its original steeple that was completed in 1837.
Memorial United Methodist Church (Fernandina Beach, Florida) Oldest continuous Methodist church in Florida. Established in 1822 by Elijah Sinclair. First building was on Broome and 6th Street in historic downtown Fernandina Beach. The congregation moved to larger, and their current, building in the 1920s at 601 Centre Street. Sister church to Trinity United Methodist Church.
Old Christ Church (Pensacola, Florida). Oldest church in Florida on its original foundation, incorporated by an act of the Territorial Legislature in 1829, built in 1832. The building was desecrated during the American Civil War, restored, deconsecrated in the past 20 years and is now owned and operated by The Old Christ Church Foundation and the University of West Florida Historical Trust. The congregation is now located in [new] Christ Church, 18 West Wright Street, Pensacola, built in 1905 (Episcopal).
Bethel Baptist Church (Lakeland, Florida) Bethel church congregation first met on this site in 1851 and has met continually since then. Performed baptisms in “Indian Pond” until the 1940s. A Sanctuary was Built in 1928. (Southern Baptist)
St. John's Episcopal Church (Tallahassee, Florida). St. John's is the mother church of the Diocese of Florida. It was founded as a mission parish in 1829, and the church's first building was erected in 1837. The Diocese was organized at St. John's in 1838 and Francis Huger Rutledge, who became rector of St. John's in 1845, was consecrated the first Bishop of Florida in 1851. The original church burned in 1879; a new church was built on the same site and consecrated in 1888, and it is still the parish's principal place of worship.[24]
Middleburg United Methodist Church (3925 Main Street, Middleburg, FL 32068), oldest Methodist Meeting House in the State of Florida. Historical Marker states it was founded on or before July 27, 1828, by Isaac Boring, with the first church erected in 1847. It was built mostly by the hands of slaves, who retained a pew in the back of the church. Services are still conducted every Sunday, and, on special occasions. Its sermons and musical sounds, and beauty, resonates from the wood planks, hand cut, and, pews hand crafted with peg and board design, and, the intricate chandeliers providing light from above. This church congregation celebrated its 192nd year in 2015, which dates it back to 1823...to the founding congregants. Originally, Methodist Circuit Riders would hold meetings in homes, until the original church was erected (1847). The church bell tolled for the first time on February 29, 1860, for the funeral of the son of George Branning, who had the bell shipped from where it was cast in New York.[25]
Saint Paul's Church (Episcopal) was built in 1751 at Fort Augusta. Located on the corner of 6th and Reynolds Streets and is the oldest congregation in Augusta.
Antioch Christian Church (Watkinsville, Georgia). The oldest Disciples of Christ congregation in Georgia, established in 1806.
Guam
Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica (Roman Catholic) is a structure located on the site where the first Catholic church in the United States territory of Guam was constructed in 1669. The current building was erected in 1959, after the destruction of the former church in WWII.
Hawaii
Mokuaikaua Church, oldest church congregation and building, founded in 1820, built in 1837 (Congregational)
Kawaiahao Church, oldest church congregation, founded in 1820, current structure dedicated in 1842 (Congregational)
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, oldest Catholic church congregation and building, founded in 1827, current structure dedicated in 1843 (Roman Catholic)
Flat Creek Missionary Baptist Church (East Carondelet), Established 1809. Due to its location (Flat Creek Bottom), the people in the area began referring to the church as Flat Creek Baptist Church, although the members officially named the church, "The Missionary Baptist Church of East Carondelet".
Shiloh United Methodist Church (Shiloh, Illinois) established 1807. Current building same location 1825.
Mulkeytown Christian Church, established 1818, is the oldest Independent Christian Church. It is now a part of the fellowship of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ or the "Independent Christian Church" a group which separated from the Disciples of Christ beginning in 1924. The oldest congregation still affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is Barney's Priarie in Mt. Carmel, established 1816.
Regular/Lighthouse Baptist Church (Griggsville) 1834
LaMarsh Baptist church Mapleton, Il was established in 1838 in a barn until the church was built later that year (or following year). The church added a basement in the 1950s, and added the new church in 1997 (keeping the old church in its location). As of October 27, 2021, they will celebrated their 183rd Anniversary being the 6th oldest church in Illinois, 49th oldest in the United States and the 224th oldest in the world. They still have a weekly service being held every Sunday Morning 10:30 am, Sunday Night at 6pm and Wednesday night at 7pm. They also have additional events such as prayer meetings (Sunday night at 5:30 PM), soul winning, VBS, and other activities.
Shield Chapel Methodist Church was established and built in Canton, Illinois, in 1840 and still exists today, 184 years later.
First Baptist Church of Elizabethtown, oldest Baptist church congregation in Illinois, possibly oldest Protestant church, founded in 1842 (Baptist)
Wesley United Methodist Church was established and built in Canton, IL in 1895. It is still in operation today both in its oldest church and 2nd building across the street.
Christ Church Cathedral, New Orleans, oldest Protestant church congregation in Louisiana, founded in 1818, current building completed in 1886. (Episcopal)
First Parish Congregational Church of York, Maine. Oldest church congregation,[26] (Congregational/United Church of Christ) founded before 1672, organized in the Congregational tradition by Shubael Dummer.[27]
First Church in Plymouth, oldest congregation founded 1620 (building 1899), (Puritan, Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist)
First Parish Church in Dorchester, organized March 20, 1630 (originally Puritan Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist)
First Church in Boston, organized August 27, 1630; Church Covenant signed July 30, 1630. (Originally Puritan Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist)
First Congregational Church of Marshfield, gathered in 1632 (same building since 1838) (Congregational) [1]
First Congregational Church, First Church in Roxbury, founded/built in 1632 (majorly rebuilt 4 times, but constantly in use) (Congregational, now Unitarian Universalist. Serves as headquarters for community outreach program "UU Urban Ministry"). Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry - Boston, MA
Newman Congregational Church. Founded in 1643 by the Rev. Samuel Newman in what was then Rehoboth, Massachusetts. (Now located in East Providence, Rhode Island.)
First Parish Congregational Church aka Stone Church by the Lake, founded in 1644, located in Wakefield. Has had 5 different meeting houses but has been continually in use.
Old Ship Church, built in 1681, is one of the oldest buildings in America. The congregation was gathered in 1635. It was originally a Puritan, Congregationalist congregation, but is now affiliated with the Unitarian Universalists.
La Mission Ste. Marie, Sault Sainte Marie, First Catholic congregation in the state, founded by Jacques Marquette in 1668. There have been 5 Catholic churches on this site since 1668. In 2018 St. Mary's parish celebrates its 350th anniversary.
Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church, oldest congregation (Roman Catholic) founded 2 days after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Detroit in 1701.
Mission Church, Mackinac Island, oldest church building, built 1829-30 (Congregational)
Central United Methodist Church, Detroit, First Methodist and First Protestant congregation. Established 1810. Their first church building was built in 1818. In 2010 they celebrated their 200th Anniversary.[29]
First Presbyterian Church (Stillwater, Minnesota), oldest Protestant congregation, founded December 8, 1849.
Missouri
In 1764, when Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau established the city of St. Louis, they dedicated a plot of land west of Laclède's home for the purposes of the Catholic Church. The earliest Catholic records suggest that a tent was used by an itinerant priest in 1766, but by 1770 a small log house was built on the site. This building, consecrated by the Reverend Pierre Gibault, on June 24, 1770, was expanded in 1776 to include a log church. The first bishop of the Diocese of St. Louis, Joseph Rosati, began construction of a new cathedral, now the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France. The cornerstone of the church was laid by Rosati during a ceremony on August 1, 1831. It is the oldest cathedral west of the Mississippi River.
In 1791 St. Charles Borromeo was founded as a log cabin on the banks of the Missouri River and has been rebuilt 3 times. St. Charles Borromeo is also the namesake of St. Charles. (Roman Catholic)
In 1799, the first Protestant sermon and baptism by immersion west of the Mississippi River was performed in Randol Creek near Dutchtown.[30]
In 1806, the Bethel (Baptist) Church was formed in Cape Girardeau County, now Jackson.[31] Fee Fee Baptist Church in Bridgeton, oldest Protestant church congregation, founded in 1807 (Baptist)
Around 1816, settlers started meeting together in homes for worship on the Missouri River near the present village of Rocheport 12 years after Lewis and Clark camped there in 1804. In 1837, they were chartered as the Rocheport Christian Church. The present building, built in 1847, has been in continuous use since that time. The church building and congregation have survived Missouri River floods and infestations of termites. The congregation continues with weekly Sunday School and Holy Communion. Sunday worship is held on the first Sunday of each month. A Bluegrass Worship service is held at 5 p.m. on the First Saturday night each month. In 2015, the church was named the Missouri Rural Church of the year. (Disciples of Christ)
In 1832, The Presbyterian Church in Potosi, Missouri, the oldest Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi River to be in continuous service was organized. It is also the oldest Presbyterian church still standing west of the Mississippi River.[32] (Presbyterian)
Christ Church Cathedral, St Louis, is the oldest Episcopal Church congregation in Missouri, founded in 1819 (Episcopalian)[33]
Mississippi
Woodville Baptist Church, oldest church building, built in 1809 (Baptist)
Jersey Settlers, Adams County, oldest Protestant congregation, 1772, Reverend Samuel Swayze
Salem Baptist Church, Jefferson County, oldest Baptist church congregation, 1791
St. Mary's Mission, oldest church congregation, founded in 1841 (Roman Catholic)
First Baptist Church in Stevensville, possibly oldest Protestant church building, built in 1882 (Baptist)
Melville Lutheran Church, oldest Lutheran congregation, founded in 1885, church building still in use (Lutheran)
Dry Creek Bible, Belgrade, oldest continually active Protestant church, established November 1884
Nebraska
First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, oldest church building, built in 1856 (Presbyterian)
Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church of Fontanelle, oldest continuous Lutheran church in the US west of the Mississippi River, built in 1860 (Lutheran–ELCA)[34]
Nevada
First Presbyterian Church of Carson City, oldest church building, built in 1864 (Presbyterian)
New Hampshire
First Parish Church in Dover, oldest congregation founded in 1632 (Congregational/United Church of Christ)
Newington Meeting House is the oldest church building in New Hampshire (1717, Congregational).
Old Bergen Church, oldest church congregation, founded in 1660 (Reformed)San Miguel Mission claims to be the oldest church building within a US state, though it is likely that little of the original 1610 remains.
New Mexico
San Miguel Mission, oldest church building, built in 1610 (Roman Catholic)
Wheat Swamp Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Kinston, Established 1760.
St. Patrick Catholic Church (Fayetteville, NC), established-parish August 6, 1821, church August 11, 1821.
North Dakota
First Presbyterian Church of Bismarck, oldest congregation, founded in 1873 (Presbyterian)
Glencoe Presbyterian Church, oldest church building used by original congregation, built in 1885 (Presbyterian)
First Congregation, Assumption Catholic Church in Pembina, 1818
Ohio
Covenant-First Presbyterian Church, (Cincinnati, Ohio), organized October 16, 1790, is the oldest Presbyterian congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains.
First Congregational Church of Hudson, founded in 1802
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, North Canton Ohio Founded in 1806. Is one of the oldest congregations in the state of Ohio that is still meeting today. The church was also mentioned in an exhibit at the McKinley Presidential Museum in North Canton, Ohio as one of the oldest churches in the state.[36][37]
Mt Carmel Baptist Church (Kenwood, OH) was founded in Sycamore Twp., in Hamilton County on July 20, 1822, with twenty-five members. The original building was located at the corner of Kugler Mill and Kenwood Rd. The Sycamore Township Cemetery is the old Mt. Carmel Baptist Church cemetery that sat next to the original church. The congregation still meets today at 8645 Kenwood Rd. in Sycamore Twp.
Home Chapel, dedicated in 1870 It is the first permanent chapel ever constructed by the U.S. Government at the National Home for the Disabled Volunteer Soldier, Dayton, Ohio.
The Church in Aurora, The original church was Congregational, formed in 1809, shortly after Aurora was founded.[38][39]
Beaver United Church of Christ, located in Beavercreek, Ohio was founded in 1809 as a German Reformed Church, and is still meeting today.
Brunswick United Methodist Church (Brunswick, OH), founded in 1817 and is the oldest church in Medina County and the second oldest in the Western Reserve. It is still in use today and was expanded in 2002.[40]
Holy Assumption Orthodox Church in Marblehead, Ohio. Oldest Orthodox church building in Ohio, built in 1906.
Cortland Christian Church, Disciples of Christ was founded in 1828 with the current building built in 1853. It is the second-oldest DoC church in Ohio and the 4th oldest DoC congregation in the U.S.
Oklahoma
Wheelock Church, oldest church building, built in 1846 (Presbyterian)
Ottawa Indian Baptist Church founded in March 1840, built in Oklahoma in March 1860
Oregon City United Methodist Church, oldest Protestant church, founded in 1844 (Methodist)
Pennsylvania
Christ Church, Philadelphia, "The Nation's Church", founded 1695, a place of worship for the Founding Fathers and final resting place of five signers of the Declaration of Independence including Benjamin Franklin.[41]The Merion Friends Meeting House was built in 1695, making it the second-oldest Friends meeting house in the United States
St. Peter's in the Great Valley, founded as an Anglican church about 1700. Construction of existing building started in 1744. Changed from Anglican to Episcopalian after the Revolutionary War.
Upper Octorara Presbyterian Church, founded in 1720 and built by Arthur Park and his sons as well as other kinsmen near present-day Parkesburg. Present church has been having worship and service for 300 years, and has been serving the purpose of God in our generation.[43][bettersourceneeded]
Middle Octorara Presbyterian Church, founded in 1727 by Arthur Park and other kinsmen. Its members built and worshipped in a log structure located in what is now our Old Cemetery. The present church building was constructed in about 1800 with bell towers and narthex being added in 1914. In 1953, construction began on a new educational building to replace the chapel previously used for Sunday School classes. This new building was expanded and modified over the years with a complete renovation taking place in 1999–2000.[44]
Christ Lutheran Church (York), built in 1743 (Lutheran).
Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church (Philadelphia) – Founded in 1876 as a small group of church goers and built on land in Germantown on 230 W. Coulter Street off of Wayne Avenue.
Sinking Creek Baptist Church, oldest church building, oldest congregation and building, founded in 1772 (Baptist)
Beech Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the oldest church in Middle Tennessee, Founded in 1798 by Thomas Craighead. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church, founded in 1810, constituted its first Synod there on October 5. 1813.
Suggs Creek Cumberland Presbyterian, First Confession of Faith of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was adopted in 1814, Suggs Creek church founded in 1800 (Cumberland Presbyterian)
Double Springs Baptist Church (Sullivan County), Founded in 1786 by Jonathan Mulkey
St. John's Cathedral (Knoxville, Tennessee) Established in 1826 (35 years after the founding of Knoxville). In May 1844, with 25 communicants, St. John's became the first mission from Eastern Tennessee to be admitted to the Diocese of Tennessee.
McMahan Chapel in St. Augustine, the oldest Protestant church congregation in Texas, founded in 1833 (Methodist)
Old Pilgrim Two Seed-in-the-Spirit Church, oldest Baptist Church in Texas, founded in 1834 (Baptist)
San Felipe United Methodist Church, the oldest Protestant church building in Texas, built in 1838 (Methodist)
Ysleta Mission, possibly the oldest continuous congregation, founded in 1680 (Roman Catholic)
Our Lady of Loreto Chapel, at the Presidio La Bahia, Goliad, founded in 1779 (Roman Catholic)
First Presbyterian Church at San Antonio, the first Protestant church in San Antonio, founded in 1846 (Presbyterian)
First Montgomery Baptist Church in Montgomery, Texas, founded in 1850 (Baptist)
Chinn Chapel United Methodist Church in Copper Canyon, founded in 1877 (Methodist)
United States Virgin Islands
Frederick Lutheran Church, of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, built in 1666. It is the oldest continuous Lutheran church in the western hemisphere (Lutheran - ELCA)
Lord God of Sabaoth Lutheran Church, of Christiansted, St. Croix, began worshipping in 1734 and the building built in 1750 (Lutheran - ELCA)
St. Luke's Church, oldest surviving church building in Virginia, built 1685–1686; this date, however, is controversial. Local oral history dates the building as 1632. National Historic Landmark.[49] (Anglican Circa 1685–1804, Episcopal Circa 1804–1836, Historic Church Museum 1953–present).
St. Peter's Church (New Kent, Virginia), The Episcopal parish was established in 1679, the current brick building was begun in 1701. Services were first held in the building by 1703. The "stump" tower was added by 1740 to house a bell and provide a meeting place for the Vestry,
Bruton Parish Church (Williamsburg, Virginia), established in 1674 by the consolidation of two previous parishes in the Virginia Colony. The church remains an active Episcopal parish. The building was constructed 1711-15 and was designated a National Historic Landmark.
Slash Church or Slash Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), oldest wooden frame church building in Virginia, built in 1729
The Falls Church, The Episcopal parish was established in 1732 and the brick meeting house preserved on site dates to 1769
Augusta Stone Church, (Presbyterian), oldest Presbyterian church in Virginia. The wood meeting house was built in 1740, and was replaced with the current stone church (still in use) in 1749. The stone church was used as both sanctuary and a repose from Indian attacks. It is listed in the Augusta County Historical Register.[50]
Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church (Abingdon, Virginia), organized in 1772 and was founded by Rev. Charles Cummings
Jerusalem Christian Church (1791), King William Virginia, oldest congregation affiliated with the Christian Churches and churches of Christ. It was once affiliated with the Disciples of Christ.
Old Chapel Church also known locally as the "Snow Creek Chapel", was built in 1769 as a chapel of ease for the Church of England parish in what is today Penhook, Virginia. One of the oldest churches in the southwestern portion of the state.
Independence United Methodist Church, (1783), Emporia Virginia. Originally was Independence Methodist church until many of the Methodist churches joined with the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1968.
Washington
Claquato Church, the oldest church and the oldest standing building in Washington State. Built in 1857. Originally housed a Methodist Episcopal congregation.
Tumwater Methodist Church, 219 W. B Street in Tumwater, Washington. Built in 1872 and added to the National Register in 1984. Currently houses St. James Anglican Church.
An episcopal polity is a hierarchical form of church governance in which the chief local authorities are called bishops. The word "bishop" here is derived via the British Latin and Vulgar Latin term *ebiscopus/*biscopus, from the Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος epískopos meaning "overseer". It is the structure used by many of the major Christian Churches and denominations, such as the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Church of the East, Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist churches or denominations, and other churches founded independently from these lineages.
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
Open communion is the practice of some Protestant Churches of allowing members and non-members to receive the Eucharist. Many but not all churches that practice open communion require that the person receiving communion be a baptized Christian, and other requirements may apply as well. In Methodism, open communion is referred to as the open table, meaning that all may approach the Communion table.
Austin Organs, Inc., is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Hartford, Connecticut. The company is one of the oldest continuously-operating organ manufacturers in the United States. The first instruments were built in 1893 with the Austin Patent Airchest, and many remain in fine playing condition to this day.
Ecclesiastical polity is the government of a church. There are local (congregational) forms of organization as well as denominational. A church's polity may describe its ministerial offices or an authority structure between churches. Polity relates closely to ecclesiology, the theological study of the church.
The Meneely Bell Foundry was a bell foundry established in 1826 in West Troy, New York, by Andrew Meneely. Two of Andrew's sons continued to operate the foundry after his death, while a third son, Clinton H. Meneely, opened a second foundry across the river with George H. Kimberly in Troy, New York in 1870. Initially named the Meneely Bell Company of Troy, this second foundry was reorganized in 1880 as the Clinton H. Meneely Company, then again as the Meneely Bell Company. Together, the two foundries produced about 65,000 bells before they closed in 1952.
Christianity in Omaha, Nebraska has been integral to the growth and development of the city since its founding in 1854. In addition to providing Christian religious and social leadership, individually and collectively the city's churches have also led a variety of political campaigns throughout the city's history.
Roosevelt Organ Works was an American manufacturer of pipe organs. It was founded by Hilborne Roosevelt (1849–1886) and his younger brother, Frank Roosevelt (1862–1895), in 1872. It operated in New York City, with branches in Baltimore and Philadelphia. The brothers built some of the largest organs in the United States during their career, and many today are still prized for their quality and tone. The company was in operation until 1893.
Religion in Atlanta, while historically centered on Protestant Christianity, now involves many faiths as a result of the city and metro area's increasingly international population. While Protestant Christianity still maintains a strong presence in the city, in recent decades Catholic Christians have gained a strong foothold due to migration patterns. Atlanta also has a considerable number of ethnic Christian congregations, such as Korean Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches, the Tamil Church Atlanta, Telugu Church, Hindi Church, Malayalam Church, Ethiopian, Chinese, and many more traditional ethnic religious groups. Large non-Christian faiths are present in the form of Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism. Overall, there are over 1,000 places of worship within Atlanta.
In Christianity, the ordination of women has been taking place in an increasing number of Protestant and Old Catholic churches, starting in the 20th century. Since ancient times, certain churches of the Orthodox tradition, such as the Coptic Orthodox Church, have raised women to the office of deaconess. While ordination of women has been approved in many denominations, it is still a very controversial and divisive topic.
Protestantism is the largest grouping of Christians in the United States, with its combined denominations collectively comprising about 43% of the country's population in 2019. Other estimates suggest that 48.5% of the U.S. population is Protestant. Simultaneously, this corresponds to around 20% of the world's total Protestant population. The U.S. contains the largest Protestant population of any country in the world. Baptists comprise about one-third of American Protestants. The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest single Protestant denomination in the U.S., comprising one-tenth of American Protestants. Twelve of the original Thirteen Colonies were Protestant, with only Maryland having a sizable Catholic population due to Lord Baltimore's religious tolerance.
Christianity in Taiwan constituted 3.9% of the population, according to the census of 2005; Christians on the island included approximately 600,000 Protestants, 300,000 Catholics and a small number of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A federated congregation or federated church is two or more congregations that are affiliated with different denominations that acts as one local church congregation. Federated congregations are distinguished from dual affiliated congregations, where the congregation as a whole is affiliated with more than one denomination. Federated congregations are also distinguished from union congregations, which are formed by separate congregations that cooperate, but exist as separate entities affiliated with separate denominational bodies.
Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the city of Houston, Texas. In 2012, Kate Shellnutt of the Houston Chronicle described Houston as a "heavily Christian city". Multiple Christian denominations originating from various countries are practiced in the city; among its Christian population, the majority are either Catholic, Baptist, or non/inter-denominational.
Historically, Portland has been a religious city. In modern times, however, it has become the least religious city in the United States.
↑ Elizabeth W. Field, Blessed by God: The History of Christ's Church, Rye, New York, 1695–2000 (Phoenix Publishing, 2001).
↑ Charles W. Baird, Chronicle of a Border Town: History of Rye, Westchester County, New York, 1660–1870, including Harrison and the White Plains till 1788 (Anson D. F. Randolph and Co., 1871).
↑ "First Parish Church". Meeting House History. First Parish Congregational Church of York. 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
↑ Farmer, John (1838). "Memoirs of Ministers". In E. Cornelius; etal. (eds.). Quarterly register and journal of the American education society. The American quarterly register.
↑ The Historical Discourse Delivered in the Occasion of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Upper Octorara Presbyterian Church, Chester County, Pennsylvania September 14, 1870, by J. Smith Futhey, Esquire.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
