Ethnic Churches | Nazarene Presence in the SoCal Megaregion (1895-2015)

Anaheim and Los Angeles districts have by far the highest concentration of ethnic churches.

60% (94 churches out of 157 total) of ethnic churches on the SoCal megaregion are on these two districts (Anaheim and Los Angeles). 

One-fifth of the ethnic churches have more than 75+ in worship attendance. Almost all of them are staffed with assigned senior pastors. Of note, though, one-third of unassigned churches are ethnic churches (19 out of 67 churches without an assigned senior pastor). 

The earliest organized ethnic congregation was Corcoran Spanish Church of the Nazarene in 1913 (now on the Central California district). There is, however, no reported membership, attendance or assigned pastor for this church. The most recent organized ethnic congregation was Hawthorne Hispanic Church of the Nazarene on the Anaheim District in 2015.

About 80% of ethnic churches are Hispanic but also include congregations from southeast Asia to eastern Africa (Swahili). 

There are only five ethnic churches on the Arizona District. This is of interest due to the Arizona Sun megaregion which anticipates nearly seven million more people to inhabit the stretch of interstate highway between Flagstaff to Nogales over the next three decades. 

The entire SoCal megaregion will grow by 15 million people (or the equivalent of five times more than the current population of Los Angeles estimated at five million people) by 2050. Add this number to the Arizona Sun megaregion, and this means 22 million more people in thirty three years.

My hunch is that this will not be a sudden and dramatic increase in birth rate, though I'm sure the good people of Arizona are up to the challenge, but rather more people--MANY, MANY MORE--moving into this area from the West and the South. 

Numbers reflect District Journals from the Church of the Nazarene reported in 2015.

Resources

• Raw Data for these six districts (link for spreadsheet)
• Nazarene Presence in the Southern California Megaregion (Organized and Closed Churches)
• Mission Centers and Large Churches | Nazarene Presence in the SoCal Megaregion (1895-2015)
• Pastors | Church of the Nazarene Presence in the SoCal Megaregion 1895-2015

• Women in Ministry | Nazarene Presence in the SoCal Megaregion (1895-2015)
• Megaregions and the Church of the Nazarene in North America
• Megaregion in the Making -- Beijing's Jing-Jin-Ji