The Largest Churches in California
California's biggest churches by weekly attendance, plus the California churches with the largest online reach. Updated 2026.
Saddleback Church in Lake Forest is the largest church in California, with about 28K people attending weekly (Outreach 100 2025). Mariners Church (20.5K) and Bayside Church (20K) follow. Together, the 8 churches below draw more than 136K people every week. Measured by online reach instead, Bethel Church leads California with 14.21M combined followers in the Church Influence 100.
The Largest Churches in California by Attendance
Self-reported weekly attendance, most recent available figures. Linked churches have full Influence 100 profiles.
| Rank | Church | Weekly Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saddleback Church Lake Forest | 28K |
| 2 | Mariners Church Irvine | 20.5K |
| 3 | Bayside Church Roseville | 20K |
| 4 | Harvest Christian Fellowship Riverside | 15K |
| 5 | The Rock Church and World Outreach Center San Bernardino | 14.6K |
| 6 | Calvary Chapel Golden Springs Diamond Bar | 13K |
| 7 | North Coast Church Vista | 13K |
| 8 | Shepherd Church Porter Ranch | 11.7K |
Attendance sources per row as noted in our data (primarily Outreach 100 / Lifeway Research, 2025), self-reported by churches.
California Churches in the Influence 100
8 California churches made the 2026 Church Influence 100, ranked here by online reach.
The takeaway
Attendance tells you who fills buildings in California. Online reach tells you who California actually listens to, and the two lists rarely match. See how the whole country compares on the largest churches in America, or get your church's Influence Score to see where you stand.
Questions, Answered
What is the largest church in California?
Saddleback Church in Lake Forest is the largest church in California, with about 28K people attending weekly (Outreach 100 2025). Mariners Church (20.5K) ranks second and Bayside Church (20K) third.
What is the most influential church in California online?
Bethel Church (Redding, CA) has the largest online reach of any California church in the Church Influence 100, with 14.21M combined followers across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. It ranks #2 nationally. 8 California churches appear in the index.
How many megachurches are in California?
California has 8+ churches drawing well over the 2,000-attendee megachurch threshold; the 8 on this page alone draw over 136K people weekly. Nationally, the Hartford Institute for Religion Research counts more than 1,500 US megachurches.
Where do these attendance numbers come from?
Primarily the 2025 Outreach 100 list compiled with Lifeway Research, supplemented by church-reported figures where noted. Attendance is always self-reported; no independent body audits it. Online reach figures come from the REACHRIGHT Church Influence 100 and are measured from public platform counts.
Influence like this gets built on purpose.
Every church on this list posts consistently, in formats people actually watch. That's not luck. That's a system. We run that system for churches every week: sermon clips, graphics, carousels, captions, posted for you.