Alabama church ranks second largest in the nation

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December 26, 2017

An updated list of America’s megachurches puts the Church of the Highlands in Birmingham at second largest in the nation, with about 43,600 weekly visitors.

Why this matters: Religious devotion is declining around the country. More and more Americans are separating themselves from institutional religion, instead identifying as “spiritual” or as nothing at all. Despite this trend, religion continues to flourish in Alabama.

The details:

— The largest in Alabama, Church of the Highlands has congregations at 15 campuses all over the state, with two new campuses pending in Oxford and Mobile.

— Highlands also has an online service that streams sermons and worship services for those who can’t attend.

— At 43,600 weekly attendees, the church is slightly larger than Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.

— The largest church in the country is Life.Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, which has about 53,000 weekly visitors.

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