Top 20 Biggest Churches In The World [2024]

The Church is a building used for public Christian worship. It is also used to describe a gathering of Christians.

It is worth mentioning that various churches have claimed to be the world’s largest church, but none of them have been confirmed by any reliable authority.

We did, however, conduct our research and discovered that the world’s biggest churches may be measured using a variety of parameters, including area, volume and capacity. As a result, no entity can determine which is the world’s largest church.

To give the public with factual information and not add to the already existing uncertainty, we compiled our list of the biggest churches in the world, based on their sitting capacity.

It is imperative to note that only enclosed church auditoriums are included on the list and the estimates are based on human seating capacity in a single service.

1. Hand of God Cathedral

Salvation Ministries‘ Hand of God Cathedral is the world’s biggest church in terms of seat capacity. The auditorium has a capacity of 120,000 seats and is located in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria.

The church, which is currently under construction, will serve as the headquarters for Salvation Ministries, a Pentecostal church led by Pastor David Ibiyeomie.

Salvation Ministries began with 34 members in 1997 and has since expanded to become one of the world’s largest churches, with over 1,000 satellite churches and 20,000 home cell centers worldwide.

2. The Ark (Winners)

Living Faith Church built the megachurch auditorium known as The Ark. With a seating capacity of 100,000, it ranks second among the world’s biggest churches.

The church, which is still under construction, will serve as the headquarters for Bishop David Oyedepo’s Living Faith Church Worldwide.

According to estimates, The Ark is located on around 1,000 hectares of land within the old Faith Academy campus on the grounds of the current church edifice and includes a 24-floor mission tower (International Headquarters Facility made up of two twin towers of 12 stories each).

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3. Glory Dome (Dunamis)

The Glory Dome is the Dunamis International Gospel Center‘s headquarters and the world’s second-largest church, with a seating capacity of 100,000. Pastor Paul Eneche‘s auditorium in Abuja, Nigeria, was opened in 2018.

In May 1996, the Dunamis International Gospel Center opened in Jos, Nigeria. The church today boasts hundreds of thousands of worshippers worldwide, as well as a network of churches in over twenty states of Nigeria and other countries such as the United Kingdom.

4. Champions Royal Assembly

Champions Royal Assembly is 80,000 seating capacity auditorium situated in Abuja, Nigeria.

Following the commissioning of the Abuja auditorium in 2015, the church led by Pastor Joshua Iginla is regarded as one of the world’s largest in terms of capacity.

The Champions Royal Assembly is a Prophetic and Deliverance Ministry with thousands of members from throughout the world.

Joshua Iginla, the founder pastor, is a prophet with a mission to teach God’s word, cure the sick, liberate the downtrodden, and break the bindings of wickedness.

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5. Temple of the Glory of God

The Temple of the Glory of God serves as the headquarters for the God is Love Pentecostal Church (IPDA), a Brazilian Pentecostal Christian denomination.

After being commissioned in 2004, the auditorium, which has a capacity of 60,000, is considered one of the world’s largest churches.

Temple of the Glory of God,  The Pentecostal Church is a global megachurch with 8,140 branches in over 30 countries.

The church follows a hardline Christian doctrine and isolates itself from society. Its members are prohibited from watching TV or playing soccer.

Men are not permitted to have beards, while women are not permitted to wear makeup or jewelry.

6. Faith Tabernacle (Winners)

Faith Tabernacle is one of the world’s oldest churches and the current headquarters of Living Faith Church Worldwide.

Bishop David Oyedepo is the presiding bishop of the 50,000-seat church in Ota, a Lagos suburb, which was commissioned in 1999.According to sources, the huge building took twelve months to finish.

The Living Faith Church Worldwide, better known as Winners Chapel, is an Evangelical Charismatic Christian denomination founded in 1981.

The church has evolved into a megachurch with thousands of branches in more than 65 countries.

According to the Guardian, Winners Chapel has over six million members spread throughout 147 countries.

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7. Milan Cathedral

Milan Cathedral, also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary, is the cathedral church of Milan, in Lombardy, Italy.

It is dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary (Santa Maria Nascente) and serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Milan,  currently Archbishop Mario Delpini.

The cathedral took approximately six centuries to build, beginning in 1386 and ending with the finishing touches in 1965. With a seating capacity of 40,000, it is the biggest church in Italy and one of the world’s biggest church, based on seating capacity as it has a seating capacity of 40,000..

8. International Gospel Centre

Another Nigerian cathedral on the list is the International Gospel Centre.

The church, which has a seating capacity of 35,000, was built in 2000 and was named one of the world’s largest churches in 2022.

The Word of Life Bible Church‘s headquarters is an auditorium in Delta State, Nigeria.

Word of Life Bible Church is a Pentecostal Christian megachurch led by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, which was founded in 1987 and today has over 70 congregations worldwide.

9. Graha Bethany Nginden

Graha Bethany Nginden, Widely known as the Bethany Church of God, is an evangelical megachurch in Indonesia that ranks among the world’s largest churches.

In 2000, the temple with a seating capacity of 20,000 was expanded to 35,000. In 2009, it was restored and expanded to a seating capacity of 35,000.

Pastor Abraham Alex Tanuseputra started the church in 1977; however, Abraham Alex Tanuseputra, who succeeded his father in 2012, now leads it.

In 2020, the church had an average weekly attendance of 140,000 people.

10. United Family International Church Chitungwiza

The newly built auditorium for the United Family International Church in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, ranks tenth among the world’s biggest churches in terms of seating capacity, with a capacity of precisely 30,000 people.

The church’s construction began in 2011, but was halted in 2013 and resume again in 2015, before eventually opening the auditorium in 2022

United Family International Church is both a non-denominational megachurch and a church network. The headquarters is located in Harare, Zimbabwe, with offices in Botswana, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Zambia.

The church is led by Emmanuel Makandiwa, who began it with a prayer session at Harare’s Anglican Cathedral on August 17, 2008.

11. Deeper Life Bible Church, Lagos.

The Deeper Life Bible Church in Lagos ranks eleventh among the world’s biggest churches.

The church’s $16 million building, with a seating capacity of 30,000, was commissioned in 2015 after 13 years of construction, according to Legit.ng.

The church is also the headquarters of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, a Pentecostal Christian denomination led by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi.

He founded the church in 1982, after being ejected from the Apostolic Church for preaching without credentials.

12. Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida

The Cathedral church of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida is a well-known Roman Catholic church in Aparecida, Brazil. The Church dedicated to Our Lady Aparecida, Brazil’s principal patroness, is the world’s second-largest Catholic church in terms of interior area, trailing only St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

With a seating capacity of 30,000, it ranks 12th among the world’s largest churches. The chapel was initially built in 1745. The church was reconstructed from 1960 until 1980, when Pope John Paul II consecrated it as Our Lady Aparecida.

13. Great Temple

The Great Temple Temple serves as the headquarters of the Evangelical Assembly of God Church.

With a seating capacity of 22,000, the church is one of the world’s largest. It is also one of Latin America’s largest religious temples. It is located in Cuiab, Brazil, and was completed in 1996 after eleven years of development.

The Evangelical Assembly of God Church is a network of approximately 144 autonomous, self-governing national church groups that make up the world’s biggest Pentecostal denomination.

The fellowship was established in 1914 in the United States. Through overseas missionary work and the establishment of links with other Pentecostal churches, the movement grew into a global phenomenon.

14. LSD Conference Centre Center

The LSD Conference Center is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints‘ (LDS Church) primary meeting hall in the United States.

The 21,000-seat capacity church was completed in 2000 and is regarded as one of the world’s biggest churches as well as one of the largest theatre-style auditoriums ever constructed.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian church that views itself to be the restoration of Jesus Christ’s original church.

The church has approximately 16.8 million members and 54,539 full-time volunteer missionaries, making it one of the largest in the world.

15. St. Peter’s Basilica

May 2018: Ornate golden interior of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Saint Peter’s Basilica is an Italian Renaissance and Baroque church in Vatican City, which is an independent microstate within Rome, Italy. It was constructed in the fourth century by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great.

Construction of the current basilica began on April 18, 1506 and was finished on November 18, 1626.

Its 20,000 thousand seating capacity makes it the largest Catholic church in the world, as well as one of the largest churches in the world in terms of seating capacity.

St. Peter’s is recognized as a pilgrimage site and for its liturgical services, which draw enormous crowds to the church.

16. Rio de Janeiro Cathedral

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian, also known as the Cathedral of St. Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro.

The cathedral serves as the See of the Metropolitan Archbishops of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

The church has a seating capacity of 20,000 people, making it one of the largest churches in the world. The building started in 1964 and finished in 1979.

It was dedicated to Rio de Janeiro’s patron saint, Saint Sebastian.

17. Cathedral of Córdoba

The Cathedral of Córdoba, also known by its ecclesiastical name of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Córdoba, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia.

It is also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba because it used to be a mosque.

The auditorium, which has a seating capacity of 20,000, ranks seventeen among the world’s biggest churches. The building continues to serve as the city’s cathedral, with Mass celebrated daily.

It is also one of Spain’s most important historic monuments and tourist attractions, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.

18.  Basilica of Our Lady of Peace

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is a Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Peace in Côte d’Ivoire’s administrative capital, Yamoussoukro.

Guinness World Records classifies it as the world’s biggest church, having eclipsed the previous record holder, Saint Peter’s Basilica, upon completion.

The basilica was built between 1985 and 1989 at a cost of approximately $175 million. With a seating capacity of 18,000, this church is one of the world’s largest.

Pope John Paul II dedicated the basilica on September 10, 1990, after receiving it as a gift from Félix Houphouët-Boigny on behalf of the Catholic Church. The cornerstone was set on August 10, 1985.

19. Calvary Temple

The Calvary Temple in India ranks nineteenth among the world’s biggest churches, with an 18 thousand seat capacity. The auditorium is used by Calvary Temple Foundation Church, a nondenominational church with 300,000 members in Hyderabad, India.

Dr. P Satish Kumar, a man of God, leads and operates the Calvary Temple Foundation Church. According to the Church Website, Dr. P Satish Kumar received a heavenly visitation from Jesus Christ and was chosen for a divine purpose: to serve humanity via divinity. In 1991, he gave up his entire life to help humanity.

20. Lakewood Church Central Campus

The Lakewood Church Central Campus is the main facility for Lakewood Church, a megachurch in Houston, Texas. With 16,000 seats,

it ranks 20th among the world’s biggest churches in terms of seating capacity. The building served as a multi-purpose sports arena for professional teams, most notably the NBA’s Houston Rockets, until Lakewood Church purchased it after it had been leased.

Lakewood Church is an evangelical Christian megachurch that is not affiliated with any one denomination.

It is one of the biggest congregations in the United States, with around 45,000 people attending each week.

This church has four English-language services and two Spanish-language services per week. Joel Osteen, a well-known evangelical pastor, leads Lakewood Church as senior pastor alongside his wife, Victoria, who serves as co-pastor.

Biggest Churches In The World

Here is a table of the 20 biggest churches in the world, based on their seating capacity.