Where We Worship : A Portrait of Religious Congregations in the Valley

How many churches are there in the San Fernando Valley? And temples, synagogues and otherreligious groups?

There has been no comprehensive data compiled until recently. The telephone book’s Yellow Pages and newspaper religious directories, for instance, are incomplete because they depend on the willingness of congregations to advertise in those media.

However, In-Depth Evangelism Associates (IDEA), a group based in Pasadena, has worked up a comprehensive list of religious congregations in the San Fernando Valley and other parts of Los Angeles County.

The first results for the Valley show that there are 840 worshiping groups from Agoura Hills to La Crescenta.

Valley Congregations

Nearly 70% of Valley congregations are Protestant. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches account for 6.7% of the congregations. Under the Roman Catholic parish system, however, thousands of Catholics are served by each parish; there are 35 parishes in the Valley. The Catholic / Orthodox number includes convents, which function as distinct religious groups.

Christian and metaphysical churches that fall into neither the Protestant nor Catholic / Orthodox category amount to 11.9% of the total. They include Mormon, Christian Science, Religious Science and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Thus, altogether nearly 88% of all Valley congregations fall within the broadest descriptions of Christianity. Protestant: 69% Other Christian: 12% Catholic / Eastern Orthodox: 7% Jewish: 4% Other religious or unclassified: 8%

Protestants in Los Angeles

Protestant churches overall in Los Angeles and Orange counties account for 80% of all religious congregations. IDEA has counted about 8,500 religious congregations of all kinds in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The percentage of congregations that are Protestant in the Southland: Norwalk / Whittier: 88% Central City: 83% San Gabriel Valley: 83% South Bay: 77% Orange County: 76% San Fernando Valley: 69% Westside: 56%

Valley Protestants

The Protestant classification includes Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal, Pentecostal and various other churches. These include many small congregations, some serving specific ethnic communities, and many groups that meet in rented quarters. Breakdown of Protestant congregations in the Valley: Pentecostal: 17% Methodist, Nazarene: 16% Baptist: 16% Presbyterian: 13% Lutheran / Episcopal: 11% Independent / Misc.: 19% Churches of Christ: 6% Adventist: f4%

Times Poll

Despite the preponderance of Protestant congregations, Catholics are only slightly less numerous than people who identify themselves as Protestant. A Los Angeles Times Poll of Valley residents, taken in December, 1991, showed that 32% of adults surveyed were Protestant and 28% were Catholic. All other Christian-related churches added another 6%.

Times Poll in 1991 of 1,237 adults: Protestant: 32% Roman Catholic: 28% No religion: 20% Jewish: 10% Other Christian: 5% Other religion: 4% Eastern Orthodox: 1% Don’t know: 1% Source: In-Depth Evangelism Associates; Researched by JOHN DART / Los Angeles Times