Five of the 25 largest United Methodist churches in the United States are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.
I have long known that my home geography has an unusually high concentration of megachurches. Until this week, I had not realized just how heavily DFW is represented among the United Methodist Church’s largest congregations.
I learned this from Ryan Burge, who recently named the 25 largest United Methodist congregations based on membership reported by the denomination.
Five of those 25 are here in DFW.
Here are the five, along with my connection, if any, to each.
Highland Park United Methodist Church
Highland Park United Methodist Church is the largest United Methodist congregation in the country.
I have been on its campus a number of times for a variety of experiences over my decades in DFW.
In recent weeks, Highland Park UMC has been in the news repeatedly as tensions between the congregation and the Horizon Texas Conference have escalated. At issue are changes to the church’s governance structure and the conference’s response to those changes. Most recently, the congregation has identified leaving the denomination as one possible path forward.
Whatever ultimately happens, it is a significant development for the largest congregation in the United Methodist Church.
First United Methodist Church – Fort Worth
First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth is the denomination’s fourth-largest congregation. It is also the one I know best.
For the five years I lived in downtown Fort Worth, I could see this congregation from my residence. I walked over to worship there on numerous occasions.
Now, as the Interim Minister of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), I serve a congregation just a short walk away.
My most memorable and meaningful experience there was attending its Maundy Thursday service in 2018.
First United Methodist Church – Richardson
First United Methodist Church of Richardson is the denomination’s sixteenth-largest congregation.
I have a more limited connection with this congregation. My most recent experience there was attending worship in the summer of 2022.
Christ United Methodist Church – Plano
Christ United Methodist Church of Plano is the denomination’s twenty-second-largest congregation.
As someone who rarely finds myself in Plano, I have never had occasion to visit this congregation.
I have, however, visited First United Methodist Church of Plano and St. Andrew Methodist Church, the latter before it disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church.
First United Methodist Church – Hurst
First United Methodist Church of Hurst is the denomination’s twenty-third-largest congregation.
I have driven past its campus many times but have never visited.
So What?
I am a follower of the Way of Jesus who has served 11 congregations affiliated with four of the seven Mainline Protestant denominations.
The United Methodist Church is not among those four.
My own connections to the United Methodist Church include membership at Lake Cities United Methodist Church and service to a nonprofit now known as Mansfield Mission Center that was created by First Methodist Church of Mansfield before that congregation disaffiliated from the UMC.
While I am not an expert on United Methodist congregations, I do have an interest in what happens to large Mainline churches.
Most of what I write about Mainline Protestantism is about decline. That is, after all, the dominant story.
These five churches, however, offer a different story. They are outliers. They have managed to remain large enough to rank among the 25 largest United Methodist congregations in the country during a time when most Mainline churches continue to get smaller.
This makes me curious:
- What are these congregations doing that others aren’t?
- What can the rest of Mainline Protestantism learn from these large congregations?
- Although all five congregations are large, not all have experienced significant recent membership growth. How has each congregation’s membership changed over the last 5 years? last 25 years? How has their membership per capita in their community changed as the population has changed over the same time period?
Finally, if you were looking for a new church home, would you be more likely to start with a large congregation or a much smaller one?