With a membership currently estimated at over 85 million members worldwide, the Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion in the world, after the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

With over 55, 000 missionaries worldwide, the church currently has a membership of over 14. 4 million and is ranked by the National Council of Churches as the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States.

In 1939, the Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal South, and the Protestant Methodist Churches voted to unite nationally and worldwide.

The Association of Vineyard Churches, also known as the Vineyard Movement, is a neocharismatic evangelical Christian denomination with over 1, 500 affiliated churches worldwide.

At this time, the International Churches of Christ administration, under the leadership of Andy Fleming ( a former missionary to Scandinavia and the Soviet Union ), began to formulate a plan for a massive reduction in the overhead of the worldwide organization.

This effort can be seen in the context of the worldwide ecumenical attitude that was manifested in the 1948 formation of the World Council of Churches, the 1950 formation of the National Council of Churches, the 1957 formation of the United Church of Christ, and the formation of the Roman Catholic Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity during the Second Vatican Council ( which occurred from 1962 to 1965 ).

Scientology organizations, like " Churches ," " Celebrity Centres " or " Missions ," derive their income from the worldwide sales of this " technology " in form of courses, books, etc.

* Christian City Churches, a worldwide Pentecostal denomination

Although most charges in the US now consist of a single church, the tradition of itinerancy is still alive and functioning today in US Methodism, as it is in most Methodist Churches worldwide.

There are Coptic Orthodox Churches worldwide in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Brazil, Bolivia, most Arab countries and in African countries, such as Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and the Congo among others.

Anglican clergy who join the Orthodox Church are reordained ; but Orthodox Churches hold that if Anglicanism and Orthodoxy were to reach full unity in the faith, perhaps such reordination might not be found necessary.

Churches also hold a one-hour Wednesday evening testimony meeting, with similar readings, after which, those in attendance are invited to share accounts of healing through prayer.

Churches of Christ hold to the priesthood of all believers.

He is regarded as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox / Eastern Catholic Churches as well as the Roman Catholic Church, who hold his feast day on September 26 ( those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, September 26 currently falls on October 9 of the modern Gregorian Calendar ).

While in the Roman Catholic Church, the Words of Institution are considered to be the moment of Transubstantiation ( when, according to religious tradition, the eucharistic elements would change from bread and wine into the actual Body and Blood of Christ ), the Eastern Orthodox Churches do not hold this belief.

In addition, they hold that it is not within any ( national ) Church's competence to use a General Holy Synod to bring about communion with a group, such as any of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, that had been anathematized by the Church as a whole.

It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran, and Old Catholic Churches that hold similar beliefs regarding the Real Presence.

Churches in Cuba are free to hold meetings in their church buildings or in homes, but not in public places.

A number of churches in the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association hold dual affiliation with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches.

" Old Calendarist Orthodox Christians hold that the participation of many local Orthodox Churches in the modern ecumenistic movement is theologically problematic.

Both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches hold that the Annunciation took place at Nazareth, but differ as to the precise location.

Some hold that the concept of the observance predates the Christian era, and that since Ember days have never been observed in the Eastern Churches, any pagan origins must lie in the west.

His license to preach was renewed on the condition that he would not bring " holiness " workers in to hold meetings in the Churches of God ( Winebrennarian ) without their consent.

Contemporary Churches of Christ, especially those that hold with the teachings of David Lipscomb, tend toward pacifist views.

Opposition within the component denominations, particularly the United Presbyterian Church, caused any plan for full merger to be put on hold, and a new name, seemingly implying that " uniting " is a presently-ongoing but perhaps long-term goal, was adopted, Churches Uniting in Christ.

It is one of the three Churches of the East that hold themselves distinct from Oriental and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Churches like the Black Church of Brasov still hold collections of rugs.

Some Christians ( including, but not limited to, many members of non-Protestant groups such as the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches ) do not hold to certain points of the Doctrinal Basis.

Churches of the International Baptist Convention hold as important the following beliefs — the triune Godhead, Jesus Christ as the only savior, the Bible as the inspired Word of God, personal faith in Christ, the priesthood of all believers, baptism by immersion for believers only and religious liberty.

Churches usually hold the week long events during the summer, though the lengths of such programs may vary, and they are sometimes held during other times of the year.

The Lutheran Churches of the Reformation, hold to Brief Statement of 1932, which states that ' the Pope is the very Antichrist '.

Rather, the independent congregations are a network with each congregation participating at its own discretion in various means of service and fellowship with other congregations ( see Sponsoring church ( Churches of Christ )).

Traditional Mennonite and German Baptist Brethren Churches such as the Church of the Brethren churches and congregations have the Agape Meal, footwashing and the serving of the bread and wine two parts to the Communion service in the Lovefeast.

In Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, Palm Sunday – known as Shaa ' nineh in Arabic-is perhaps the best-attended service in the Christian Calendar, among the Orthodox, Catholic ( Latin rite and Eastern rite ), Maronite and Anglican Churches, perhaps because it is notably a family occasion.

Other congregations specialize in a particular theology or religious practice ( UU Christian Churches in New England, for instance, or congregations which focus on the spiritual practice of justice and service ).

Myrrh is mixed with frankincense and sometimes more scents and is used in almost every service of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and traditional Roman Catholic Churches.

In the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches, the Matins service for Good Friday is called Matins of the Twelve Passion Gospels, and is remarkable for the interspersing of twelve readings from the Gospel Book detailing chronologically the events of the Passion — from the Last Supper to the burial in the tomb — during the course of the service.

A comparable service, with a wholly different ritual form and texts, exists in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches.

In the Orthodox Church and Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, however, hermits live a life not only of prayer but also of service to their community in the traditional Eastern Christian manner of the poustinik.

Churches for the worship of God are to be erected and separated from all unhallowed, worldly, and common uses, that men may reverence the Majesty of God and show forth greater devotion and humility in His service.

Rather, the independent congregations are a network with each congregation participating at its own discretion in various means of service and fellowship with other congregations ( see Sponsoring church ( Churches of Christ )).

A Constitution was adopted, containing the following preamble: " Whereas, in the providence of God, the time has come when it seems fitting more fully to manifest the essential oneness in the Lord Jesus Christ as their God and Saviour of the Churches of the Baptist order and faith throughout the world, and to promote the spirit of fellowship, service and co-operation among them, while recognizing the independence of each particular church and not assuming the functions of any existing organization, it is agreed to form a Baptist World Alliance, extending over every part of the world.

In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, and in many older Protestant denominations, the Alleluia, along with the Gloria in excelsis Deo, is not spoken or sung in liturgy during the season of Lent, instead being replaced by a Lenten acclamation, while in Eastern Churches, Alleluia is chanted throughout Lent at the beginning of the Matins service, replacing the Theos Kyrios, which is considered more joyful.

The Buddhist Churches of America, the North American branch of Japanese Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, has created a service for Buddhist burials at sea, primarily for military service members.

In the usage of the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, the Great Doxology is one of the high points of the festal Matins service.

Among the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, the Lauds (; Slavonic: Chvalitnyi ) or " Praises " does not form a separate service, but is an integral part of Matins, coming near the end of the service, after the Canon and Exapostilarion ( Hymn of Light ).

Pidgeon was a supporter of the temperance movement, home missionary service and later in life, was one of the driving forces behind the formation of ecumenical organizations such as the Canadian Council of Churches in 1945 and the World Council of Churches in 1946.

During his service as an Anglican Bishop he was also chair of the Churches ' Unity Commission and president of the Conference of European Churches.

More specifically, in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, this idea of vocation is especially associated with a divine call to service to the Church and humanity through particular vocational life commitments such as marriage to a particular person, consecration as a religious, ordination to priestly ministry in the Church and even a holy life as a single person.

The Phoenix Prize for spiritual art arose from the winding up of the Christian Media Association ACT Inc., an incorporated body in the Australian Capital Territory, that for some 30 years had been a forum for the Christian church organisations of the ACT Churches Council to provide a single voice in the media, principally to provide video advertisements on local, commercial television channels that were played in the nature of public service announcement.