So, you’re new to Charlotte — or you’re not, but want a refresher — and you’re wondering: What’s the lay of the land here, spiritually speaking?
You’ve come to the right place because here are the 10 things you need to know to navigate the city’s faith scene:
(1) We are big into Elevation Church.
Big as in 10 (and counting) Charlotte area worship sites (they broadcast from the Ballantyne campus) and big as in more than 20,000 local worshipers every weekend. Elevation is one of the fastest growing evangelical churches in America. And Pastor Steven Furtick, with nearly 2.5 million Facebook followers, has online fans of his preaching around the world. Elevation Worship, which does the music at this hip Southern Baptist Church, has been nominated for Billboard and Dove awards for its original contemporary worship songs.
(2) We also have the biggest Catholic parish in the United States.
St. Matthew started small, in 1986, with Sunday Mass in a movie theater. Now the church has a flock of more than 10,000 families (or 35,000-plus people) — many of them transplants from the Northeast and Midwest. Every weekend, the church celebrates a total of 10 Masses on its main campus in Ballantyne and at its satellite in Waxhaw. Named for the patron saint of bankers, St. Matthew donates a prodigious amount of food to the poor and is led by a popular new pastor, the Rev. Patrick Hoare.
(3) We were first settled by Scots-Irish Presbyterians.
They built the area’s first seven churches in the 1750s, all of them Presbyterian. Now there are at least 700 churches in and around Charlotte. The Presbyterians no longer dominate, but they are still influential here and still have lots of churches — Myers Park Presbyterian is the largest. And their impact over the years can be seen in the universities they founded, including Johnson C. Smith, Queens and Davidson.
(4) We’re home to some major black churches.
The most major, in terms of numbers and preaching power: Friendship Missionary Baptist (Pastor Clifford Jones Sr. ran for president of the National Baptist Convention a few years ago) and The Park (Bishop Claude Alexander is also a national voice). The 1.4-million-member AME Zion Church, a major African-American denomination founded in the early 1800s, is headquartered in Charlotte. Little Rock AME Zion Church (led by Pastor Dwayne Walker) is a popular community meeting place here.
(5) We have a national model for Jewish communities.
The 54-acre Shalom Park is the center of Jewish life in Charlotte. Since its opening 32 years ago, the campus has been heralded around the country as a hub for Jewish worship, education and community. It’s where you’ll find Temple Beth El, a Reform congregation led by Rabbi Asher Knight, and Temple Israel, a Conservative congregation whose longtime leader is Rabbi Murray Ezring. Shalom Park also has a community center, a library, schools, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte.
(6) We have a road called Providence.
As in, another name for God. And it’s on this long road that you’ll find some of the city’s most prominent churches. Like its biggest Methodist church (Myers Park United Methodist, led by Pastor James Howell). And its biggest Episcopal church (Christ Episcopal, with Rector Chip Edens) And its biggest Lutheran church (Christ Providence, pastored by the Rev. Scott Suskovic).
(7) We are getting more religiously diverse.
Long known as “The City of Churches,” Charlotte is increasingly also becoming a city of mosques and temples. And English is no longer the only language you’ll hear at worship. Muslims in and around Charlotte pray in Arabic at about a dozen mosques. We have Vietnamese, Chinese and Cambodian Buddhist temples. And the Hindu Center of Charlotte is building a grand temple — complete with sandstone from India to dress its concrete walls.
(8) We have two Baptist churches that reflect the political divide.
On the right: First Baptist of Charlotte. It has hosted such national Republican figures as Sen. Ted Cruz. Its former pastor, the Rev. Mark Harris, is the GOP nominee for Congress in the N.C. 9th. On the left: Myers Park Baptist. Pastored by the Rev. Ben Boswell, it hosted the Rev. William Barber, leader of the national Poor People’s Campaign, who gave a blistering Bible-based critique of Donald Trump.
(9) Don’t forget our Pentecostals, Unitarians, Mormons, Baha’is and Orthodox Christians.
Pentecostals hungry for the Holy Spirit flock to Central Church of God, with its longtime leader, the Rev. Loran Livingston. Unitarians committed to social justice gather at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlotte, where the outspoken pastor is the Rev. Jay Leach. About 9,000 Mormons belong to two Charlotte area “stakes,” or groups of congregations. The local Baha’i community totals about 350 persons. And the best place to see awesome icons? Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, which also sponsors Charlotte’s popular Yiasou Greek Festival.
(10) And we’re where Billy Graham was born and is buried.
Born 1918 on a dairy farm near what is now Park Road Shopping Center, Billy went on to become a globetrotting evangelist and pastor to U.S. presidents. He died in February 2018 at 99, and is buried on the grounds of Charlotte’s Billy Graham Library. Three presidents — Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton — helped Billy dedicate the library in 2007. And a fourth president — Donald Trump — was there for his funeral this year. Adjacent to the museum-like library is the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, now led by his son Franklin.
This story was originally published July 30, 2018 12:41 AM.