The Top 300?

36 Presbyterian churches make 'top 300' list

Lilly-funded research identifies examples of 'local church excellence'

[published here on 1-10-01]

by Jerry L. Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE, Ky.-- January 10, 2001 -- A Lilly Endowment-funded nationwide study of local church excellence has identified the 300 "outstanding Protestant churches" in the United States.

Of the top 300, 36 are Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations.

The two-year study, headed by Paul Wilkes, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, will be summarized in a book, Excellent Protestant Congregations: the Guide to Best Places and Practices, that will be published this spring by Westminster John Knox.

"We looked for churches that nurtured the spirit, welcomed and yet challenged, both preached -- and more importantly -- lived the Good News," Wilkes said. "These churches we found are simply wonderful places to be," he added. "They not only take care of their members and the newcomer, but reach out generously into the world."

The study also identified 300 excellent Roman Catholic parishes. Those results will be published in a separate volume by Paulist Press.

Many of the selected churches will send representatives to a nationwide conference called the "Pastoral Summit," May 30-June 1 in New Orleans.

The PC(USA) appeared to have the largest number of churches on the list, though 54 of the churches were listed as Baptist (of which there are numerous denominations).The list also included 31 United Methodist churches, 25 Episcopal churches, 20 Lutheran churches, 12 congregations of the United Church of Christ and 10 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregations.

Eight Assembly of God churches were on the list, as well as seven American Methodist Episcopal churches, six Presbyterian Church in America churches, five Free Methodist churches and four Reformed Church in America congregations.

A number of other churches, including the Church of God in Christ, the Foursquare Church, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Mennonite Church the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and the Alliance Church had one or two churches on the list.

Seventy "community" or independent churches were on the list.

The complete list of PC(USA) congregations on the list (alphabetical by state) are:

First Presbyterian Church, Fairbanks, Alaska

Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles

Young Nak Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles

Young Saeng Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles

Grace Presbyterian Church, Paramount, Calif.

Ingleside Presbyterian Church, San Francisco

San Francisco Network Ministries, San Francisco

Solana Beach (Calif.) Presbyterian Church

Torrance (Calif.) First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Denver

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.

Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta

Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, Decatur, Ga.

Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Atlanta

Trinity Presbyterian Church, Atlanta

Young Nak Presbyterian Church, Doraville, Ga.

Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago

First Presbyterian Church, Downers Grove, Ill.

Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis

Zionsville (Ind.) Presbyterian Church

Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, Baltimore

Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mount Kisco (N.Y.) Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church, New York City

Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, New York City

College Hill Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati

Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati

First Presbyterian Church, Portland, Ore.

First Presbyterian Church, Reading, Pa.

First Presbyterian Church, Gallatin, Tenn.

Bellevue Presbyterian Church, Nashville

Vienna (Va.) Presbyterian Church

Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, Gig Harbor, Wash.

Church of Mary Magdalene, Seattle

Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church, Spokane, Wash.

A note from your WebWeaver:

When churches do a "Top Ten" list, it seems we can't stop till we hit 300! The interesting thing to see when this study is published, though, will be the bases on which the selections were made. At first glance, the Presbyterian list seems to include congregations that might generally be considered right, left, and center, large and not-so large. But the brief description of what the survey was looking for does suggest that Witherspoon's focus on "whole Gospel congregations" might find some suggestive guidance in this study.

Please share your thoughts -- about these congregations, or why yours should have made the list, or whatever!