Many people visit a few churches. Some people visit many churches. I’ve been fortunate to visit an incredible number of congregations, including 75 in the Dallas – Fort Worth metropolitan area of Texas.
As I reflect on these diverse experiences, I begin with context.
- According to the U.S. Census, More than 8.1 million people now reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex after the region experienced the largest population growth of any metropolitan area in the country in 2023,
- According to my analysis of the regions three largest counties, “between 1980 and 2020, Mainline Protestants in the combined three county area declined from 13.5 % to 6.2% of the population. By comparison, the percentage of Evangelical Protestants was relatively flat (decreasing from 25.9% to 24.3%) while the percentage of Catholics nearly doubled (growing from 7.7% to 15.3%), and the percentage of Black Protestants grew the most dramatically (increasing from 0.8% to 3.5%).”
- I have resided in the D/FW area for all of my life except 2007-2015, when I lived in Southwest Florida.
The map below shows the locations of each congregation
When I first moved back to Texas in 2015 after nearly a decade away, my family resided in the Northern portion of the metro area. And, during those years, I visited the majority of the congregations shown on the map below, which are located in the Northern region of the D/FW area.
A few years later we moved to the Western portion of the metro area. Many of the visits shown on the map below came during the time we lived in downtown Fort Worth.
Finally, a couple of years ago we moved to the Central part of the D/FW metro area. Most of the visits shown on the final map below of the Eastern portion of the metro area have occurred most recently. Notably, during these years I’ve also served as the CEO of White Rock Center of Hope – a ministry serving the Eastern portion of this region.
Denominations
I’ve spent my entire life as a Mainline Protestant. This experience includes
- Being raised, confirmed, and called to ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
- Spending nearly 20 years serving 9 congregations that were affiliated with 4 Mainline denominations: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), and United Church of Christ
- Being ordained in the United Church of Christ
Given my own background it is likely not surprising that 80% of my visits have been to Mainline congregations, including
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): 9
- Episcopal Church: 6
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: 5
- Presbyterian Church (USA): 15
- United Church of Christ: 7
- United Methodist Church: 18
The remaining 20% include a theologically diverse group of congregations, including
- Anglican: 1
- Assemblies of God: 1
- Baptist (all Baptist traditions and denominations): 3
- Bible: 1
- Lutheran (LCMS): 1
- Non-denominational: 4
- Unitarian Universalist: 4
So What?
Following the Way of Jesus is a lifestyle lived in community.
While I’m thankful for my time visiting each of the 75 congregations included in this post, I’m mindful that in most I visited as a short-time guest. I’m grateful for the warm welcomes I received and the ways these communities nurtured my faith.
And, I realize there is no way I’d be able to share even a summary of these wide ranging experiences in a single blog post.
I’d love to hear about your experiences visiting other congregations and/or to receive an invitation to worship with you in your community of faith.
For further reading on this topic, check out
- Happy New Year! Celebrating Visits to 12 Churches (December 2023)
- Pandemic Worship: 10 Sacred Spaces (October 2021)
- Visiting 50+ Churches in Dallas – Fort Worth (February 2019)
- Perspective: Visiting Dozens of Churches (August 2016)
