Christian Denominations Explained
One faith in Jesus Christ, expressed through many traditions. Here is where the major ones came from, what they believe, and how they worship: a charitable overview, not a ranking.
A Christian denomination is a distinct family of churches that shares a name, a body of teaching, a style of worship, and a way of governing itself. Most belong to three great branches: Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. All confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and they differ mainly on authority, sacraments, and church structure.
Followers of Jesus have far more in common than they have differences. Choose any tradition below to read its full story: origins, beliefs, worship, church structure, and how it differs from the others. If a term is new to you, the Christian glossary explains it plainly. Curious which family feels closest to home? Try the tradition quiz, or find a congregation in our church directory.
Roman Catholic
The largest Christian church, which teaches that the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, continues the ministry Christ entrusted to the apostle Peter.
Founded: 1st-century Rome, according to Catholic teaching, in continuity with the apostles Peter and Paul
Eastern Orthodox
A communion of self-governing churches that sees itself as the continuation of the undivided Church of the apostles and the seven ecumenical councils.
Founded: 1st-century churches of the eastern Mediterranean; formally separated from Rome in the East-West Schism of 1054
Protestantism
The family of Christian churches that grew from the 16th-century Reformation, united by the authority of Scripture and salvation by grace through faith.
Founded: 16th-century Europe, beginning with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517
Lutheran
The first Protestant tradition, rooted in Martin Luther's 16th-century call to rediscover salvation as God's free gift received by faith.
Founded: 16th-century Germany, beginning with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517
Presbyterian
A Reformed Protestant tradition, shaped by John Calvin and John Knox, that is governed by elders and grounded in God's sovereign grace.
Founded: 16th-century Geneva and Scotland (Scottish Reformation, 1560)
Anglican
The tradition of the Church of England and its sister churches worldwide, joining catholic order and worship with Reformation teaching.
Founded: England, 1530s, under Henry VIII; Episcopal Church in the U.S. established 1785
Baptist
Protestant churches that baptize believers who profess faith in Christ and that prize the freedom of each local congregation and each conscience.
Founded: 17th-century England and the Netherlands, among English Separatists
Methodist
A Protestant tradition born in an 18th-century revival led by John and Charles Wesley, known for grace, holy living, and organized service to neighbors.
Founded: 18th-century England, from the revival led by John and Charles Wesley
Pentecostal
A Spirit-centered movement, born in early 20th-century America, that expects the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in Acts to be active in the church today.
Founded: Early 1900s, United States (Topeka, Kansas, 1901; Los Angeles, 1906)
Evangelical
A cross-denominational Protestant movement centered on the Bible, the cross, personal conversion and sharing the gospel.
Founded: 18th-century revivals in Britain and colonial America, rooted in the Reformation
Anabaptist
The Radical Reformation movement that baptized believers on confession of faith and gave rise to the Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites and Brethren.
Founded: January 1525, Zurich, Switzerland
Non-Denominational
Independent Christian congregations that hold to core Protestant faith without belonging to a historic denomination.
Founded: United States, growing especially from the mid-20th century onward
Christian Denominations: Common Questions
What does Christian denomination mean?
A Christian denomination is an organized body or family of churches that shares a name, a statement of beliefs, a pattern of worship, and a form of church government. The Southern Baptist Convention, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America are examples. Catholic and Orthodox Christians often describe themselves as one Church rather than a denomination.
What is the difference between the Christian denominations?
The main differences concern authority (Scripture alone, or Scripture with church tradition and teaching office), the sacraments (how many there are and what happens in baptism and communion), who may be baptized, and how churches are governed (by bishops, elders, or the congregation). Most traditions share the core beliefs summarized in the ancient creeds.
How many Christian denominations are there?
Counts vary widely because researchers define a denomination differently and many independent congregations belong to no wider body. Most Christians, however, belong to a few large families: Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and the major Protestant streams such as Lutheran, Reformed and Presbyterian, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal.
What do all Christian denominations have in common?
Nearly all Christian traditions confess one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, that he died and rose again, and that salvation comes by God's grace. Most affirm the Nicene Creed of the fourth century, and all read the Bible as Scripture, though they interpret parts of it differently.
Which Christian denomination should I join?
Start with what matters most to you: how worship feels, how a church understands baptism and communion, how it is governed, and whether its teaching rings true when you read the Bible. Visiting several local congregations is the best test. Our short denomination quiz can suggest which traditions to explore first.
Are Catholics and Orthodox Christians Protestant?
No. Protestantism describes the churches that came out of the sixteenth-century Reformation, such as Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and later Baptist and Methodist churches. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches are older branches that separated from each other in 1054, and neither is Protestant.
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