Multisite churches are expanding rapidly across the United States, attracting nearly one in 10 Protestant churchgoers, but their growth is increasingly outpacing the development of qualified leaders, according to a new national study. The report identified more than 1,800 multisite churches operating over 6,000 campuses nationwide, highlighting the growing influence of congregations that maintain multiple worship locations under a unified organizational structure.
The Episcopal Church continued to experience declining membership in 2025, with its total number of members falling by nearly half a million over the past decade, according to newly released denominational statistics. An analysis of the denomination’s 2025 Parochial Report showed that membership stood at approximately 1.425 million in 2025, compared with 1.917 million in 2015.
Nearly 80,000 people gathered with Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell and 2819 Church at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday for a large-scale evening of prayer and worship. Ed Newton, senior pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, attended the event, known as “ACCESS — That Powerful Hour of Prayer.” Free tickets for the gathering were claimed within eight hours.
A Christian pastor who has spent years building relationships with Muslims and a historian who has studied Islamic history and doctrine debated whether Islam’s theological and political teachings allow the religion to coexist with Western society. Roberts said he once feared things like Sharia, or Islamic law, but realized the U.S. Constitution wouldn’t allow it.
A Maryland appeals court has rejected a challenge brought by 37 churches against the United Methodist Church’s Baltimore-Washington Conference over property and financial requirements connected to leaving the denomination. A three-judge panel of the Appellate Court of Maryland unanimously ruled in 'The Methodist Church of Cape St. Claire et al. v. The Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, Inc., et al.'
U.S. Protestant pastors are delivering somewhat longer sermons than they did several years ago, while most churchgoers remain generally satisfied with the amount of time their pastors spend preaching, according to Lifeway Research. Four in five pastors, or 80%, said their typical sermon lasts less than 40 minutes. About half, or 52%, said they usually preach for under 30 minutes, while 28% reported messages lasting between 30 and 40 minutes.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has launched a humanitarian effort to bring at least 500 Nigerians home from South Africa. The first 100 returnees arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Sept. 24 after flying from Johannesburg.
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) marked its 180th anniversary with online gatherings. Founded in London in 1846, the WEA represents more than 650 million evangelicals through nine regional alliances spanning 160 countries. Hundreds of participants from more than 20 countries joined two Zoom events on Sept. 23, scheduled at different times to accommodate multiple time zones.
Chinese authorities have detained multiple pastors and church workers from Beijing Jiaquan Church, an independent house church that has operated in the capital for more than two decades. ChinaAid founder and President Bob Fu said his organization is “urgently concerned for the safety, health and legal rights of every Jiaquan pastor and church co-worker who has been taken away.”
Asbury Theological Seminary plans to leave the federal student loan program and stop processing Title IV loans beginning in May 2027. Title IV governs federal student aid under the Higher Education Act. The Kentucky seminary said the move reflects a desire to reduce student debt and concerns that a future administration hostile to its beliefs could use federal funding as leverage against the school.
Multisite churches are expanding rapidly across the United States, attracting nearly one in 10 Protestant churchgoers, but their growth is increasingly outpacing the development of qualified leaders, according to a new national study. The report identified more than 1,800 multisite churches operating over 6,000 campuses nationwide, highlighting the growing influence of congregations that maintain multiple worship locations under a unified organizational structure.
New York Times bestselling author and BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey has drawn mixed reactions from Christians after questioning whether believers should embrace Halloween festivities and consume horror-themed entertainment. During the Oct. 19 episode of her “Relatable” podcast, Stuckey addressed the different ways Christians approach Halloween, acknowledging that the subject involves personal convictions and differing interpretations of Christian freedom.
A federal appeals court has handed a legal victory to churches, synagogues and other religious organizations challenging the Trump administration’s decision to permit immigration enforcement operations at places of worship. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed a lower court’s decision rejecting the religious groups’ request for a preliminary injunction.
Soaring food costs are jeopardizing the health and futures of millions of children worldwide, with families in vulnerable communities increasingly unable to afford nutritious meals, according to a new report from the Christian humanitarian organization World Vision. The report found that approximately 35.5 million children experienced acute malnutrition worldwide in 2025, including nearly 10 million who suffered from severe acute malnutrition.
ChatGPT receives approximately 70 million religion-related requests every week, with questions about Islam accounting for the largest share, followed by Christianity, according to a recent analysis released by OpenAI, the developer of the artificial intelligence chatbot.
