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May 03, 2012 | Luke Blount

More Muslims and Mormons than Episcopalians in Houston

Did you know that if you visited Houston, you would be more likely to meet a Mormon or a Muslim than an Episcopalian? Despite having a rich tradition in Houston and the oldest congregation at Christ Church Cathedral (dating back to 1839), the Episcopal Church now ranks slightly behind Mormons in population and well behind Muslims according to the Association of Religion Data Archives. With about 39,000 adherents, the Episcopal Church is the seventh most popular faith in Harris County.

 

The Catholic Church represents the most popular faith in Houston with 741,896 adherents, followed by the Southern Baptists Convention (579,759), Non-Denominational Evangelicals (348,461), the United Methodist Church (182,624), Islam (117,148), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints [Mormonism] (44,472), and the Episcopal Church (39,041). Click here to view the report from ARDA, which is compiled every 10 years.


However, Houston is not alone in the recent boom of Mormons and Muslims. From the Houston Chronicle's Belief Blog:


The Mormon-Muslim boom is going on across the country, and experts attribute the growth to LDS organization strategy and post-9/11 converts to Islam, the Religion News Service wrote.

 

During the period, Catholicism, the most popular faith in the Houston area, grew by about 20 percent. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s rapid ascent and continued growth was most recently noted during Cardinal Daniel DiNardo’s ad liminia visit with the pope. Southern Baptists grew by 20 percent, and Methodists by 7 percent.

 

A number of other Protestant denominations saw membership fall slightly, including the Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).