The global church

Christianity in North America

North America holds one of the most varied Christian landscapes in the world. From the deeply Catholic culture of Mexico to the many Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox communities of the United States and Canada, the church here has been shaped by wave after wave of immigration, so that African, Latin American, Asian, and European Christians all worship side by side. It is diverse rather than uniform, and its faith is carried today by peoples from every continent.

A church of many peoples

Christianity in North America has never been one thing. Mexico is one of the great Catholic nations of the world. Canada holds historic Catholic and Protestant communities and a growing immigrant church. The United States is home to an unusually wide array of churches: Catholic and Orthodox, the historic Protestant traditions, a vast evangelical and Pentecostal presence, the historic Black churches, and countless others.

It is worth saying plainly that North American Christianity is not the measure of the faith elsewhere. It is one regional expression among many, itself made of many peoples, and it is a receiver as much as a sender: some of the most vital congregations on the continent today are Nigerian, Korean, Filipino, Ethiopian, Chinese, Brazilian, and Latino.

Diversity within diversity

Immigration has made the North American church a gathering of the global church in miniature. In a single city you may find a Coptic liturgy, a Korean prayer meeting, a Spanish-language Mass, a Ghanaian Pentecostal service, and an old New England congregation, all within a few miles. This is not the erasing of difference but its meeting.

The traditions here

North America holds nearly every tradition of the global church, brought by many peoples, and they are named here as one family, none above another.

The Catholic Church

The largest single communion, led by the Bishop of Rome, present on every continent and expressed through both the Latin rite and many Eastern Catholic churches.

Eastern Orthodoxy

The ancient churches of the Greek, Slavic, and other Eastern traditions, such as the Greek, Russian, Serbian, Romanian, and Antiochian Orthodox, keeping the liturgy and the councils of the first millennium.

Oriental Orthodoxy

The oldest churches of the East, including the Coptic (Egypt), Ethiopian and Eritrean, Armenian Apostolic, and Syriac Orthodox, each with its own ancient language, calendar, and rite.

Anglican and Episcopal churches

A worldwide communion born in England and now strongest in Africa, holding together sacramental worship and the open Bible.

Lutheran churches

Rooted in the Reformation of Martin Luther, strong in Germany and Scandinavia and, today, very numerous in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and across Africa and Asia.

Reformed and Presbyterian churches

The tradition of Calvin and the Reformation, from the Church of Scotland to large churches in Korea, Africa, and the Americas.

Baptist churches

Congregations gathered around believer's baptism and the local church, widespread across the Americas, Africa, and beyond.

Methodist and Wesleyan churches

Born in the revival of John Wesley, marked by warm-hearted faith and works of mercy, and now global.

Pentecostal and Charismatic churches

The fastest-growing stream, emphasizing the Holy Spirit, prayer, and healing, immense across Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Evangelical and nondenominational churches

A wide family centered on the Gospel, the Bible, and personal faith in Christ, crossing many denominations.

African Independent (Initiated) Churches

Thousands of churches founded and led by Africans, such as the Aladura and Zion and Kimbanguist churches, giving African expression to the faith in Christ.

Countless local expressions

House churches, village congregations, minority communities, and new movements, in every language under heaven, each a real part of the one Body.

This is not a ladder to be climbed but a family to be loved. The apostle prayed that all who follow Jesus would be one, as he and the Father are one, so that the world might believe.

Find community

Many of the most vital churches here are diaspora communities. Find the one that speaks your language, or a church near you.

Meet Jesus in your language

The Gospel has never belonged to one nation or one tongue. From the first day the Spirit came, people heard the wonderful works of God each in their own language, and that is still the heart of the church. Wherever you are, and whatever words you pray in, Jesus draws near.

More languages are opening over time. If your language is not here yet, the Gospel of John and an honest prayer in your own words are a good place to begin.

Frequently asked questions

Is North America religiously diverse?

Very. From deeply Catholic Mexico to the many Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox communities of the United States and Canada, and shaped by immigration, the church here gathers peoples from every continent.

Is American Christianity the standard for the faith?

No. North American Christianity is one regional expression among many, itself made of many peoples. The faith is ancient in Africa and Asia and grows fastest today in the global South.

How has immigration shaped the North American church?

Deeply. Some of the most vital congregations today are Nigerian, Korean, Filipino, Ethiopian, Chinese, Brazilian, and Latino, so the global church is gathered in miniature across the continent's cities.