The state of Texas is home to more than 2700 churches, which makes it the second most religious state in the country. But how many of these churches are actually in Texas? We took a look at data from Statista to answer this question. As it turns out, over 3/4 of all churches in Texas are located outside of the Lone Star State. This includes churches in both California and Florida. So if you’re looking for a church to attend, don’t just limit your search to the Houston area. And if you’re looking for a place to worship, be sure to check out all of the options available in Texas!
Texas has more than 28,000 churches
Texas has more than 28,000 churches. The vast majority of these churches (about 24,700) are Protestant, with the Catholic Church accounting for a little over 1,000 churches. There are also about 900 mosques in Texas.
Protestant Churches are the Most Popular in Texas
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, Protestant churches are the most popular in Texas. In 2017, 61 percent of Texans identified as Protestant, which is up from 55 percent in 2000. The largest Protestant denomination in Texas is the Southern Baptist Convention, which has over 870,000 members. Other popular Protestant denominations include the Presbyterian Church (USA), with over 500,000 members; and the United Methodist Church, with over half a million members. Catholic churches are also present in Texas, but they account for a smaller percentage of the population. In 2017, just under one-third of Texans identified as Catholic, which is down from about one-half of Texans who identified as Catholic in 2000. The largest Catholic denomination in Texas is the Catholic Church of the United States of America, with over 1 million members.
Catholic Churches Make Up a Large Part of the Texas Church Population
The Catholic Church is a large part of the Texas church population. In 2004, Catholics made up 36% of all Texans who identified with a religion. This percentage has remained relatively stable over the past few decades.
A number of factors contribute to the Catholic dominance in the Texas church population. The state is home to a large Mexican population, many of whom are Catholic. Additionally, Catholicism remains the predominant faith in many rural areas of Texas.
However, the Catholic Church does not enjoy a monopoly on religious life in Texas. Protestant churches also play significant roles in the lives of Texans. Evangelical Protestantism is by far the largest religious denomination in Texas, accounting for almost one-third of all Texans who identify with a religion. Baptists and Methodists each account for about one-quarter of all Texas Protestants.
The Growth of megachurches in Texas
The megachurch phenomenon is well-known in many parts of the country, but it’s still relatively new to Texas. In fact, only 12 out of the state’s 254 counties have a megachurch, according to research by 24/7 Wall St. That’s about 2% of all churches in Texas. But even within these dozen counties, there seems to be a lot of variation. For example, Dallas County has five megachurches while Nueces County has just one.
One reason for this discrepancy may be that Texans are less likely than people in other parts of the country to join churches that are much larger than their local congregation. Just 18% of Texans said they belonged to a church that had more than 1,000 members, compared with 31% of Americans overall.
So why are so few megachurches thriving in Texas? Part of the problem may be that big churches don’t always attract big congregations. Just 21% of churchgoers at Texas megachurches were rank-and-file members—the biggest group in most churches—compared with 32% nationally. And more diverse religious groups tend to form around smaller congregations rather than around mega-churches with mostly white followers.
Still, some observers say that Texas’ lack of large liberal Protestant denominations may also be a factor. Liberal Protestantism is more common among megachurches than among other types of Churches; 41% of all U.S. megachurches
Conclusion
There are an estimated 1,863 churches in Texas. This number is likely to grow as the state continues to develop and the population increases. While there are a variety of denominations represented in Texas churches, the majority of worshippers belong to Protestant faiths. Catholicism is the second most popular faith in the state, with Protestants making up nearly two-thirds of churchgoers.