New York, USA - Thomas Road Baptist Church, the Virginia megachurch founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, had the largest numeric growth recorded in a new list of the nation's fastest-growing churches.
In a special issue this month, Outreach magazine reported that the church in Lynchburg, Va., saw an increase in overall weekly attendance of 4,750 within the last year. The church ranked No. 9 on the magazine's list of fastest-growing churches because researchers averaged numerical and percentage growth of attendees to determine the rankings.
Thomas Road was listed No. 8 in the magazine's ranking of largest U.S. churches, with an average attendance of 17,445.
In a statement, the church said more than 1,000 people have joined the church since Falwell's death on May 15.
"The Thomas Road Baptist Church has not faltered since my father's passing because it has not faltered in its mission," said Jonathan Falwell, who now leads the church. "Dad founded this church in 1956 for the purpose of reaching the world with the Gospel of Christ. We have done this for 51 years, and I can assure this church will continue to pursue this exact same mission as long as I serve as its pastor."
Outreach, a church leadership magazine based in Vista, Calif., compiled the lists in partnership with Ed Stetzer, director of research at LifeWay Research, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention's LifeWay Christian Resources. The attendance figures are based on self-reported data from the churches cited.
The top five fast-growing churches listed are:
1. Iglesia Cristiana Segadores de Vida, Hollywood, Fla.
2. Community of Faith, Cypress, Texas
3. Valley Bible Fellowship, Bakersfield, Calif.
4. Community Christian Church, Naperville, Ill.
5. The ROC (Richmond Outreach Center), Richmond, Va.
The top five largest churches listed are:
1. Lakewood Church, Houston, Texas (47,000)
2. Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Ill. (23,500)
3. Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas (23,198)
4. Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif. (22,000)
5. LifeChurch.tv, Edmond, Okla. (19,907)