There are two basic ways to track down faith communities in your area. One way is to find all the faith communities in a relatively small geographic area; that’s the approach I took in an earlier post. The other way is to try to find representatives of as many different kinds of faith communities within, say, and hour’s drive of your location. In this approach, you only need to find one representative of each kind of faith community; so, for example, once you find one Roman Catholic church, you ignore the rest and move on to another kind of faith community.<\/p>\n
To carry out this second kind of search, you need some kind of general listing of different types of faith communities. But generating such a list proves to be a challenge.<\/p>\n
The biggest challenge is identifying types of Christian churches; Christianity is a wildly diverse religion, with hundreds of self-identified denominations. Believe me, you don’t want to be chasing down every single Baptist denomination. Instead, what’s needed is a higher-level taxonomy. Fortunately, the World Council of Churches provides a useful taxonomy, which we can accept as reasonably authoritative since it was developed by Christians to describe themselves. Obviously, those groups that do not belong to the World Council of Churches might not approve of it; but it provides a useful and reasonably good taxonomy. And we can take a similar approach for other religious groups: look at how Jews organize themselves, for example, for a basic taxonomy of Judaism.<\/p>\n
But then how do we choose still broader categories? What are the top-level divisions of religions? To answer this question, I mostly followed the broad divisions of religions used by Harvard’s Pluralism Project. This project, started by scholar Diana Eck, has been investigating religious diversity in the United States since the 1990s; and in the course of their work, they have developed a practical division of world religions.<\/p>\n
Combining these various taxonomies, I developed a general list of types of faith communities. Based on that list, I tried to track down one or two local faith communities for each major division within the taxonomy within an hour’s drive of our faith community, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto. The list proved to be a great help in tracking down more obscure faith communities: because I knew what I was looking for, I could do more effective Web searches.<\/p>\n
Even if you don’t live near Palo Alto, you may find my list of faith communities useful for tracking down different types of faith communities in your area. You’ll probably have to revise this list for your area; but it should prove to be a useful starting point. It took many hours to research this list; and I hope I save you some of those hours of research, so you can put your time into refining the list, and finding faith communities.<\/p>\n
The main thing I took away from this exercise: the United States has an absolutely amazing diversity of religious groups.<\/p>\n
Now, here’s the list (updated and corrected 11\/2; 11\/3; 11\/4; more additions and corrections 11\/8):<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
LIST OF FAITH COMMUNITIES IN AND NEAR PALO ALTO<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Baha’i faith communities<\/a> <\/p>\n General categories for world religions modified from that of the Pluralism Project (here<\/a>, and here).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n A: Baha’i faith communities<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in the nineteenth century as a reform of Islam. As of 2016, there are nine continental “Houses of Worship,” serving broad areas. Many local faith communities meet in members\u2019 homes.<\/p>\n Baha’i of Palo Alto <\/p>\n <\/p>\n B. Buddhist faith communities<\/strong><\/p>\n Buddhism may be divided up into schools; the schools often stay within linguistic boundaries, or within the boundaries of one of the historic East Asian nations. <\/p>\n B-1: Theravada<\/em><\/p>\n Therevada Buddhism uses as its core texts books in the ancient Pali language. Therevada Buddhism is strongest in Southeast Asia, particularly Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, etc. In the U.S., many Therevada Buddhist groups consist of immigrants from these areas. The Therevada Buddhist faith communities are separated here by dominant linguistic\/ethnic group.<\/p>\n B-1.a: Cambodian Therevada Buddhism:<\/p>\n B-1.b: Laotian Therevada Buddhism: Wat Lao Buddhaxinaram B-1.c: Myanmar\/Burmese Therevada Buddhism: Kusalakari Monastery B-1.d: Sri Lankan Therevada Buddhism: Buddhivara B-1.e: Thai Therevada Buddhism: Wat Buddhanusorn B-1.f: Western culture Therevada Buddhism: Vipassana movement: Insight Meditation Center of the Mid-Peninsula B-1.g: Therevada Buddhism originating in other countries<\/p>\n <\/p>\n B-2: Mahayana<\/em><\/p>\n The largest division of Buddhism, which includes a number of smaller subgroups. Mahayana Buddhists generally accept a larger number of sacred texts than do Therevada Buddhists. Mahayana Buddhism was historically strongest in China and Chinese-speaking countries, as well as Japan, Korea, etc. The various Mahayana schools of Buddhism spread across linguistic and national boundaries to some extent, especially in the United States; however, even in the U.S. Buddhist schools typically trace their lineages back to a language or country, and they are so divided here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n B-2.a: Chinese Mahayana Buddhism<\/p>\n Tien Hau Temple Amitabha Pureland: Amitabha Buddhist Society of U.S.A. Chan Buddhism: The older tradition from which Japanese Zen Buddhism came. B-2.b: Indian Mahayana Buddhism<\/p>\n Triratna Buddhist Community: Founded by Dennis Lingwood, who was a Buddhist monk in India fro 25 years and took the name Sangharakshita, the Triratna Buddhist Community is now a world-wide movement. B-2.c: Japanese Mahayana Buddhism<\/p>\n Buddhist Church of America: Palo Alto Buddhist Temple Nichiren Buddhism: San Jose Myokakuji Betsuin Soto Zen: Kannon Do Zen Meditation Center B-2.d: Korean Mahayana Buddhism<\/p>\n Chong Won Sa Korean Buddhist Temple B-2.e: Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism<\/p>\n Chua Giac Minh B-2.f: Mahayana Buddhism originating in other countries<\/p>\n <\/p>\n B-3: Vajrayana Buddhism<\/em><\/p>\n Vajrayana Buddhism was historically centered on the region around the Himalayas; but there are schools in other countries, e.g., Japan.<\/p>\n Bodhi Path Buddhist Center Dechen Rang Dharma Center Karma Thegsum Choling Buddhist Meditation Center B-3.a: Japanese Vajrayana Buddhism<\/p>\n Shingon Buddhist International Institute B-3.b: Other Vajrayana Buddhist lineages<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shambhala International: See New Religious Movements with roots in Indian Religions<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n C. Christian faith communities<\/strong><\/p>\n The different divisions of Christianity is taken from the World Council of [Christian] Churches on its Web site here<\/a>. Christianity is a wildly diverse religion, and local faith communities may belong to a group not listed here; or belong to two or more groups; or in some other way not fit into these divisions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n C-1: African Instituted Churches (or African Independent Churches)<\/em><\/p>\n A loose grouping of Christian churches that were organized by Africans and for Africans, in response to white missionary work on the continent of Africa. Beliefs and organizations vary widely. A few AIC churches have started congregations in North America.<\/p>\n Celestial Church of Christ (Aladura): Oakland Parish The Church of the Lord (Prayer Fellowship) Worldwide: —<\/p>\n Zion Christian Church: —<\/p>\n <\/p>\n C-2: Anglican churches<\/em><\/p>\n C-2.a: The Anglican Communion: The Anglican church began in England, splitting from the Roman Catholic church c. 1530. At the 1930 Lambeth Conference of Anglican churches, it was agreed that the Anglican Communion is a \u201cfellowship, within the one holy catholic and apostolic church, of those duly constituted dioceses, provinces or regional churches in communion with the see of Canterbury.\u201d Local Anglican churches range from \u201chigh church\u201d or \u201cAnglo-Catholic\u201d congregations, where the services look a great deal like Roman Catholic services, to \u201clow church\u201d congregations, where the services are much simpler.<\/p>\n The Episcopal Church (USA): Originally the only Anglican denomination in the U.S., but recently some more conservative parishes have split away (see Convocation of Anglicans in North America below). <\/p>\n The Episcopal Church (USA): Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church <\/p>\n C-2.b: Convocation of Anglicans in North America (Church of Nigeria, Anglican): “The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) was established in 2005 as a pastoral response of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) for Nigerian Anglicans living in the United States and Canada. In 2006, CANA began welcoming biblically orthodox American and Canadian Anglican parishes and clergy … [T]he resulting Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is an emerging province in the Anglican Communion. CANA is a founding member of ACNA and enjoys close relationships with ACNA’s bishops, clergy, and congregations. The Diocese of CANA East was welcomed as a diocese in the ACNA in June 2013.” The “biblically orthodox” North American parishes referred to above split from the Episcopal Church (USA) primarily around ordination of women and lesbian and gay persons. The Province de l’Eglise Anglicane au Rwanda turned over jurisdiction of its North American parishes to CANA in 2015.<\/p>\n Anglican Church of the Pentecost <\/p>\n C-2.c: Continuing Anglican churches: These churches are outside the Anglican Communion. In the U.S., they typically have split from the Episcopal Church (USA) to retain more conservative liturgies or practices.<\/p>\n Anglican Province of Christ the King: St. Ann Chapel <\/p>\n C-3: Assyrian Church<\/em><\/p>\n Though similar to other Eastern Christian churches, services of the Assyrian Church of the East differ in details. The liturgy is typically given in Aramaic, an ancient predecessor to the Syrian language. <\/p>\n Mar Yosip Parish <\/p>\n C-4: Baptist churches<\/em><\/p>\n Baptists tend to value congregational independence, so services and beliefs may vary widely.<\/p>\n C-4.a: American Baptist: American Baptists split from Southern Baptists during the period leading up to the Civil War. American Baptist beliefs vary widely, with some very conservative congregations, and some congregations that are more liberal than conservative Unitarian Universalist congregations.<\/p>\n First Baptist Church of Palo Alto C-4.b: National Baptist Convention: A historically Black denomination.<\/p>\n Jerusalem Baptist Church C-4.c: Southern Baptist: One of the largest Christian groups in the U.S. Some Southern Baptist congregations are aimed at specific ethnic groups, e.g., the congregations below are aimed at Korean-Americans.<\/p>\n Avenue Baptist Church Southern Baptist: Cornerstone Community Church C-4.d: Primitive Baptist: Primitive Baptists use no musical instruments in their services. (Primitive Baptist Universalists, sometimes called the \u201cNo-Hellers,\u201d constitute a sub-group of Primitive Baptists; they are not closely related to Universalists.) <\/p>\n Golden Gate Primitive Baptist Church <\/p>\n C-5: Disciples of Christ (Christian Church)<\/em><\/p>\n The Disciples of Christ seek to be inclusive of all Christians, and since they creeds as divisive they do not use creeds.<\/p>\n First Christian Church of Palo Alto <\/p>\n C-6: Evangelical churches<\/em><\/p>\n The World Council of Churches (WCC) Web site notes: “It took until the middle of the 1940s before a “new evangelicalism” began to emerge, which was able to criticize fundamentalism for its theological paranoia and its separatism. Doctrinally, the new evangelicals confessed the infallibility of the Bible, the Trinity, the deity of Christ, vicarious atonement, the personality and work of the Holy Spirit, and the second coming of Christ. These are the theological characteristics which are shared by the majority of Evangelical churches today in the world. The other distinctive feature is the missional zeal for evangelism and obedience to the great commission (Matthew 28:18-19).” The WCC further notes: “In regions like Africa and Latin America, the boundaries between ‘evangelical’ and ‘mainline’ are rapidly changing and giving way to new ecclesial realities.”<\/p>\n Within the U.S., the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is one body that promotes cooperation among Evangelical churches. For member denominations of the NAE, see this Web page<\/a>; most of these denominations are listed under other categories for the present listing.<\/p>\n See also: C-22: Non-denominational churches<\/p>\n <\/p>\n C-7: Lutheran<\/em><\/p>\n According to the Web site of the Lutheran World Federation<\/a>, “To be Lutheran is to be: Evangelical [i.e., they ‘proclaim the ‘good news’ of Christ’s life”]; Sacramental [i.e., they center their worship in both proclamation and celebration of the sacraments]; Diaconal [i.e., they believe in service to the world]; Confessional [i.e., they confess the Bible as the “only source and norm” for Christian life]; Ecumenical [i.e., they promote Christian unity].” Lutherans acknowledge their commonality with other Christians, and their uniqueness: “While the central convictions of the Lutheran tradition are not uniquely ours, its distinctive patterns and emphases shape the way in which we respond to the challenges and questions we face today.”<\/p>\n ELCA: Grace Lutheran Church ELCA: First Lutheran Church Missouri Synod: Trinity Lutheran Church <\/p>\n C-8: Methodist churches<\/em><\/p>\n Methodism grew out of the reform movement started by John and Charles Wesley. “The Wesley brothers held to the optimistic Arminian view that salvation, by God’s grace, was possible for all human beings. … They also stressed the important effect of faith on character, teaching that perfection in love was possible in this life.” — World Council of Churches Web page on Methodist churches<\/a>. The Wesley brothers wrote hundreds of hymns, some of which are among the most popular English-language hymns. <\/p>\n African Methodist Episcopal: St. James AME Church African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion): University AME Zion church Christian Methodist Church: Lewis Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church United Methodist Church: First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto <\/p>\n C-9: Holiness movement churches<\/em><\/p>\n Began as a reform movement within American Methodism in the early nineteenth century. “Instead of only some especially gifted persons in the church entering into a carefully disciplined life of holiness, all believers were to do this; they were to present themselves to God as living sacrifices in the midst of the regular routines of life.” — World Council of Churches Web page on Holiness churches<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Salvation Army grew out of this movement, but it has a unique structure and mission, and is listed separately below.<\/p>\n Church of God (Anderson, IN): New Beginnings Church of God Church of the Nazarene: Crossroads Community Church The Christian Holiness Partnership (CHP) is an international organization which facilitates cooperation between Holiness churches. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n C-10: Moravian and Historic Peace Churches<\/em><\/p>\n A grouping of churches that all have a historic commitment to non-violence and peacemaking. “In 2013, the Moravian and Historic Peace Churches, including Mennonites, Brethren, — and Friends (Quakers), decided to be represented in the governing bodies of the WCC as one confessional family and gather as such during confessional meetings at WCC events.” — World Council of Churches Web page on Historic Peace Churches<\/a>.<\/p>\n C-10.a: Church of the Brethren<\/p>\n (closest church is in the Central Valley)<\/p>\n C-10.b: Mennonites<\/p>\n Mennonite Church USA: First Mennonite Church of San Francisco Old Order Amish: (closest community is in the Central valley)<\/p>\n U. S. Mennonite Brethren: Ethiopian Christian Fellowship C-10.c: Religious Society of Friends (Quaker)<\/p>\n Friends General Conference (FGC):<\/p>\n Local Quaker meetings that are affiliated with FGC are often (but not always) unprogrammed meetings — that is, they have silent meeting for worship. The closest affiliated monthly meeting is in Sacramento.<\/p>\n Friends United Meeting (FUM): Berkeley Friends Church Most Quaker meetings and Quaker churches affiliated with FUM are programmed meeting — that is, they have a sermon as well as unprogrammed time for spoken ministry. They tend to be more conservative theologically.<\/p>\n Other Quaker groups:<\/p>\n Pacific Yearly Meeting: Consists of liberal, unprogrammed meetings along the Pacific coast of North America, but is not affiliated with Friends General Conference.<\/p>\n Palo Alto Friends Meeting C-10.d: Unitas Fratrum, or Moravian Church<\/p>\n Moravian Church in America: Guiding Star Fellowship <\/p>\n C-11: New Church movement (Swedenborgianism)<\/em><\/p>\n Churches that draw inspiration from the writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg. “The life of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688\u20131772) was steeped simultaneously in the rational world of the physical sciences and a deep Christian faith.” — from the Web site of the Swedenborg Foundation<\/a><\/p>\n Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco <\/p>\n C-12. Old-Catholic churches<\/em><\/p>\n Catholic church bodies (mostly national churches) that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Clergy and bishops are permitted to marry; women may be ordained.<\/p>\n Ecumenical Catholic Communion: (closest church is in southern California)<\/p>\n Polish National Catholic Church: (closest church is in the Midwest)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n C-13: Orthodox Churches (Eastern)<\/em><\/p>\n Eastern Orthodox Churches are distinguished from the Roman Catholic Church in a number of ways. First, Eastern Orthodox Churches do not recognize the supremacy of the Pope. Eastern Orthodox churches are organized into independent national churches or language groups, each under the leadership of a Patriarch; the Patriarch of Constantinople has a position as “first among equals” but does not have supremacy over the other Patriarchs.<\/p>\n Eastern Orthodox differ from Roman Catholics in other ways. The Eastern Orthodox do full immersion baptisms of infants, and children are also confirmed as infants, thus allowing them to partake of the eucharist (take communion). Many Eastern Orthodox churches venerate icons, and some of the most beautiful objects in Orthodox churches are the icons, pictures of saints. Unlike Roman Catholic priests, Eastern Orthodox priests may marry; women may become diaconesses (but not priests).<\/p>\n C-13.a: Antiochian Orthodox (Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America of the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East)<\/p>\n The Antiochian Orthodox church “traces its roots to first century Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey), the city in which the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:26),” according to their Web site<\/a>. An excellent description of their services may be found here: http:\/\/www.antiochian.org\/content\/first-visit-orthodox-church-twelve-things-i-wish-id-known<\/p>\n Orthodox Church of the Redeemer C-13.b: Armenian Apostolic Church<\/p>\n St. Andrew Armenian Church C-13.c: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America<\/p>\n The services are meant to be full of beauty, with many beautiful ritual objects, elaborate vestments (ritual clothing for those who preside at the worship service), and beautiful music. “Worship is not simply expressed in words. In addition to prayers, hymns, and scripture readings, there are a number of ceremonies, gestures, and processions. The Church makes rich use of non verbal symbols to express God’s presence and our relationship to Him. Orthodoxy Worship involves the whole person; one’s intellect, feelings, and senses.” — description of worship on the Archdiocese Web site<\/a> Congregants stand for the entire 3-hour service.<\/p>\n Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church C-13.d: Orthodox Church of America<\/p>\n Originally Russian Orthodox, but became independent in 1970. The services are much like the Greek Orthodox services (see above).<\/p>\n Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church C-13.e: Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA (Russian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate)<\/p>\n These are the Russian Orthodox congregations that chose to remain under the administration of the Patriarch of Moscow, when the Orthodox Church of America was granted independence.<\/p>\n St. Nicholas Cathedral C-13.f: Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia<\/p>\n Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia split from the Russian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate after the Russian Revolution of 1917, when the latter pledged support to the Bolsheviks.<\/p>\n St. Herman of Alaska Traditional Russian Orthodox services are in Old Church Slavonic, an old language that is now only used for church services. In many Russian Orthodox services, everyone stands for the entire service (except those who are too old, or who have physical disabilities), and the services can last for 2-3 hours. While some people dislike standing that long, for others standing so long can bring on a meditative or ecstatic state of awareness.<\/p>\n C-13.g: Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America<\/p>\n St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church C-13.h: Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA<\/p>\n St. Michael Parish <\/p>\n C-14: Orthodox Churches (Oriental)<\/em><\/p>\n Each of the Oriental Orthodox Churches — Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Syriac, Armenian, etc. — is independent.<\/p>\n C-14.a: Armenian Apostolic Church (Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin)<\/p>\n St. Andrew Armenian Church C-14.b: Coptic Orthodox<\/p>\n One of the most ancient Christian traditions — probably the oldest still-existing Christian group, dating back about 1,900 years — the Coptic Orthodox church is based in Egypt, and the Eritrean and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches are its “daughter churches.” According to the BBC, “Coptic services take place in the very ancient Coptic language (which is based on the language used in the time of the Pharaohs), together with local languages. The liturgy and hymns remain similar to those of the early Church” (link<\/a>).<\/p>\n St. George and St. Joseph Coptic Orthodox Church C-14.c: Eritrean Orthodox<\/p>\n Eritrean Holy Trinity Orthodox Tewahdo Church of Santa Clara County C-14.d: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church<\/p>\n Debre Selam St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church C-14.e: Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church<\/p>\n “The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church traces its origins back to the work of the Apostle St Thomas in the south-west region of India (Malankara or Malabar, in modern Kerala). … During the Portuguese persecution, the Indians who wanted to maintain their eastern and apostolic traditions appealed to several Oriental churches. Thus started the connection with the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, in 1665. … in 1912, as a symbol of freedom, autocephaly and apostolic identity, the Catholicosate was established and an Indian Orthodox metropolitan was elected as the head (Catholicos) of the Malankara Church.” — World Council of Churches, Web page on Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church<\/a><\/p>\n See: C-23.a: Mar Thoma church <\/p>\n C-14.f: Syriac Orthodox<\/p>\n St. Thomas the Apostle <\/p>\n C-15. Pentecostal churches<\/em><\/p>\n Pentecostal churches trace their roots back to the Asuza Street Revival, which took place in 1906 in Los Angeles. The name comes from the story of Pentecost, in the New Testament book of Acts, in which the spirit of God came into the followers of Jesus after Jesus’ death. Thus Pentecostals emphasize the workings of the Holy Spirit in the lives of human beings. Currently, Pentecostalism is perhaps the fastest-growing Christian group.<\/p>\n Some Pentecostal churches may include time for spiritual experiences like speaking in tongues, divine healing, etc. Many Pentecostal churches do not have such activities, but they do believe that each person can have a direct experience of God. Many Pentecostal groups are rightly proud of their racial diversity.<\/p>\n C-15.a: “Holiness” churches<\/p>\n “The earliest Pentecostals drew from their Methodist and Wesleyan Holiness roots, describing their entrance into the fullness of Christian life in three stages: conversion, sanctification, and baptism in the Spirit. Each of these stages was often understood as a separate, datable, ‘crisis’ experience.” — World Council of Churches, Web page on Pentecostal churches<\/a><\/p>\n Church of God in Christ: Abundant Life Christian Fellowship Church of God (Cleveland, TN): Redwood City Church of God International Pentecostal Holiness Church: The Father’s House C-15.b: “Finished work” churches<\/p>\n “Pentecostals, from the Reformed tradition or touched by the Keswick teachings on the Higher Christian Life, came to view sanctification not as a crisis experience, but as an ongoing quest.” — World Council of Churches, Web page on Pentecostal churches<\/a><\/p>\n Assemblies of God: Pathway Church International Church of the Foursquare Gospel: Word of Life Foursquare Church Redwood City Hispanic Foursquare Church \/ Centro CO3 C-15.c: “Oneness” or “Jesus’ Name” churches<\/p>\n In the the baptismal formula, “Oneness” Pentecostals use “the formula ‘in the Name of Jesus Christ’ recorded in Acts (cf. Acts 2:38).” — World Council of Churches, Web page on Pentecostal churches<\/a><\/p>\n Pentecostal Assemblies of the World: Christ Temple Community Church United Pentecostal Church: First United Pentecostal Church <\/p>\n C-16:<\/em> Reformed churches<\/p>\n The Reformed tradition has its roots in the Swiss reformation of John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, etc. Worship services emphasize sermons and the spoken word. Communion may happen monthly, quarterly, or on some other schedule, but there will rarely be communion every week. “There is no stress on a special elite person or group that has received through direct revelation or by the laying on of hands extraordinary powers of authority. … The level of education required for the Presbyterian or Reformed minister is traditionally high.: — World Council of Churches, Web page on Reformed churches.<\/p>\n C-16.a: Congregational<\/p>\n In congregational churches, each congregation is quasi-independent; there is la relatively flat ecclesiastical hierarchy. Congregations join together in local associations to provide mutual support and guidance; congregations also belong to national bodies or associations of congregations. <\/p>\n National Association of Congregational Christian Churches: Grace North Church United Church of Christ: See: C-21. United and Uniting Churches<\/p>\n C-16.b: Presbyterian<\/p>\n Presbyterians are governed by “courts,” groups or committees consisting of pastors and ruling elders “presbyters”). In the local congregation the “court” is called the “session”; at the regional level, the “court” is called the “presbytery”; the national or highest level, various presbyteries come together in a “synod.” This is a somewhat more formal structure than that of Congregational churches.<\/p>\n Presbyterian Church USA: First Presbyterian Church A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO): Menlo Park Presbyterian C-16.c: Reformed<\/p>\n Governed in much the same way as Presbyterian churches.<\/p>\n Reformed Church in America: New Hope Community Church Originally named the Reformed Dutch Protestant Church.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n C-17. Restorationist churches<\/em><\/p>\n A grouping of loosely related churches, which in some way seek to restore the Christian church to earlier norms.<\/p>\n Latter-Day Saint movement, or Mormon churches: Founded by Joseph Smith, as a movement to restore Christianity to what it was during the time of Jesus and his followers. Most churches in the Latter-Day Saints movement accept the Book of Mormon, as revealed to Joseph Smith, as a scripture on a part with the Bible.<\/p>\n Community of Christ: Formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.<\/p>\n Community of Christ San Jose Congregation Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon): The largest and best-known Mormon group. Local groups are lay-led (i.e., there are no professional clergy). Members in need can rely on their local Ward (or congregation) for food, financial support, etc.<\/p>\n Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints in Palo Alto <\/p>\n Jehovah’s Witnesses: “As Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, we strive to adhere to the form of Christianity that Jesus taught and that his apostles practiced.” — Jehovah’s Witnesses Web site<\/a> Jehovah’s witnesses have many distinctive beliefs and practices, e.g., they do not celebrate Christmas or Easter; do not see Jesus as God; have communion only once a year; etc. <\/p>\n Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall <\/p>\n C-18: Roman Catholic<\/em><\/p>\n The Roman Catholic Church is perhaps the most familiar Christian body to many in the U.S., with its distinctive hierarchical organization, and its distinctive worship service, called the “mass.”<\/p>\n St. Thomas Aquinas Parish This parish has two other locations:<\/p>\n Our Lady of the Rosary Church St. Albert the Great Church There has been a long tradition in the U.S. of ethnic Catholic churches, where a Catholic church is formed to meet the needs of an ethnic group, often with at least some masses in a language other than English, and\/or cultural references. Religiously, these are Roman Catholic churches; but with great differences in music and worship style (i.e., in the emotional dimension of religion). In many cases, now a single Catholic church will offer masses aimed at several different ethnic groups in several languages.<\/p>\n St. Joseph Parish St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church C-18.a: Eastern Catholic Churches<\/p>\n Eastern Catholic Churches are churches that were once affiliated with Oriental Orthodox or Eastern Orthodox Churches, but are now affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Eastern Catholic Churches typically have worship services that are more like Orthodox services than they are like Roman Catholic services.<\/p>\n St. Elias the Prophet Melkite Greek Catholic Church <\/p>\n C-19: The Salvation Army<\/em><\/p>\n A Christian church with a unique organizational scheme, and a unique mission. The Salvation Army organizes itself on quasi-military lines, with the church hierarchy adopting military authority and titles. The mission of the church is strongly oriented to social justice, including help for the needy, disaster preparedness and relief, etc.<\/p>\n The Salvation Army: Redwood City Salvation Army <\/p>\n C-20: Seventh Day Adventist church<\/em><\/p>\n Seventh-Day Adventists hold worship services on the seventh day, i.e., Saturday. They grew out of the Millerite movement of the early nineteenth century.<\/p>\n Seventh Day Adventist: Seventh Day Adventist Church of Palo Alto <\/p>\n C-21: United and Uniting Churches<\/em><\/p>\n C-21.a: United Church of Christ: Formed in 1957 as a merger of the Congregational Christian Church and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. The United Church of Christ is quite liberal, ordaining women, supporting same-sex marriage, etc. <\/p>\n First Congregational Church of Palo Alto C-20.b: International Council of Community Churches<\/p>\n Havenscourt Community Church <\/p>\n C-22: Non-denominational churches<\/em><\/p>\n These are local faith communities that, for one reason or another, decline to affiliate with a larger denomination.<\/p>\n Peninsula Bible Church Stanford Memorial Church
\nB: Buddhist faith communities<\/a>
\nC: Christian faith communities<\/a>
\nCC: Post Christian communities<\/a>
\nincluding Unitarian Universalism
\nD: Confucian communities<\/a>
\nE: Daoist faith communities<\/a> (Taoist)
\nF: Hindu faith communities<\/a>
\nG: Islamic faith communities<\/a>
\nH: Jain faith communities<\/a>
\nI: Jewish faith communities<\/a>
\nJ: Native religions and cultural traditions<\/a>
\nK: New Religious Movements<\/a>
\nincluding Humanism and Neo-Paganism
\nL: Orisa devotion<\/a>
\nM: Other traditions<\/a>
\nN: Zoroastrian<\/a>
\nO: Sikh<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\nMeets in members’ homes.
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\n14671 Story Rd., San Jose
\nNo Web site, phone: 408-926-8000. Yelp page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n40174 Spady Street, Fremont
\nWeb site<\/a> Facebook page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n402 Knowles Ave., Santa Clara
\nResident monks. Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n36054 Niles Blvd., Fremont
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n108 Birch Street, Redwood City
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nThis center intends to separate Buddhist meditation from Asian cultural forms.<\/p>\n
\n125 Waverly Place, San Francisco
\nNo Web site, phone: 415-986-2520.
\nThe oldest Buddhist temple in the U.S.; dedicated to the goddess Tien Hau (according to this NY Times article, 10 October 2008<\/a>).<\/p>\n
\n650 S. Bernardo Avenue, Sunnyvale
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nIn Pure Land Buddhism, entering the \u201cPure Land\u201d is equivalent to attaining enlightenment.<\/p>\n
\nHeart Chan Meditation Center
\n4423 Fortran Court #130, San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\nSan Francisco Buddhist Center
\n37 Bartlett St., San Francisco
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2751 Louis Rd, Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nThe Buddhist Church of America was founded over 100 years ago by Japanese immigrants to the U.S. Theologically fairly liberal.<\/p>\n
\n3570 Mona Way, San Jose
\nListing on denominational Web site<\/a> | Phone: 408-246-0111<\/p>\n
\n1972 Rock St., Mt. View
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nZen Buddhism (Chan Buddhism in Chinese) emphasizes direct practice through a form of meditation called zazen. It is the most familiar form of Buddhism to most Americans, to the point that many Americans assume that all Buddhists are like Zen Buddhists.<\/p>\n
\n719 Lakehaven Drive, Sunnyvale
\nFacebook page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n763 Donohoe St., East Palo Alto
\nWeb site 1<\/a> Web site 2<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2179 Santa Cruz Ave, Menlo Park
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nKarma Kagyu lineage, as taught by Shamar Rinpoche<\/p>\n
\n1156 Cadillac Ct., Milpitas
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nNyingma tradition, lineage of H.H. Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche<\/p>\n
\n677 Melville Avenue, Palo Alto, CA
\nNo Web site, phone 650-967-1145<\/p>\n
\nNorthern California Koyasan Temple
\n1400 U St., Sacramento
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\n4001 Webster Street, Oakland
\nPage on denominational Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nThe Episcopal Church (USA) oversees the vast majority of Anglican churches in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\n475 Florin Rd., Sacramento
\nApparently a new church plant, using another church’s building. Web page on denominational Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n541 Melville Ave, Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n680 Minnesota Ave., San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n305 N. California Ave., Palo Alto
\nAccording to the Web site, “a welcoming, inclusive community of faith.” Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n398 Sheridan Ave., Palo Alto
\nA historically Black church. Web site<\/a> <\/p>\n
\n398 Sheridan Ave., Palo Alto (in Jerusalem Baptist Church, above)
\nA new “church plant” with a Korean-American pastor. Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n701 E. Meadow Dr., Palo Alto
\nSelf-described as “mostly comprised of Korean-Americans.” Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2950 Niles Canyon Road, Fremont
\nWeb site<\/a> | Facebook page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2890 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n3149 Waverly St., Palo Alto
\nAccording to their Web site, “an inviting and diverse Christian community.” Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n600 Homer Ave., Palo Alto
\nAccording to their Web site, “we welcome people diverse in sexual orientation and gender identity.” Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1295 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto
\nNo Web site.<\/p>\n
\n1916 E. San Antonio St., San Jose
\nFacebook page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n3549 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1363 Turlock Lane, San Jose
\nFacebook page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1425 Springer Rd., Mountain View
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2490 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n290 Dolores St., San Francisco
\nWeb site<\/a> <\/p>\n
\n2545 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara
\nPage on denominational Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1600 Sacramento St., Berkeley
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n957 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMeeting location: 957 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto (Palo Alto Friends Meeting)
\nPage on denominational Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2107 Lyon Street, San Francisco
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n380 Magdalena Ave., Los Altos Hills
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nThis congregation was originally affiliated with The Episcopal Church (USA), but beginning in 1960, “disturbed by the controversial teachings of Bishop Pike, which strayed from traditional Christian theology,” they eventually discovered the Antiochian Orthodox church and changed affiliations (as told on their Web site<\/a>).<\/p>\n
\n11370 S. Stelling Rd., Cupertino
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1260 Davis St., San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1220 Crane St., Menlo Park
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2005 15th Street, San Francisco
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n161 N. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n18870 Allendale Ave., Saratoga
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n345 7th St., San Francisco
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n11370 South Stelling Rd., Cupertino
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n395 W. Rincon Ave., Campbell
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n403 S. Cypress Ave., San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a> (mostly in English)
\nWeb site<\/a> (mostly not in English)<\/p>\n
\n1565 Lincoln Ave San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1921 Las Plumas Ave., San Jose
\nWeb page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2440 Leghorn St., Mountain View
\nA mega-church with average attendance of approx. 4,500 people per week. (An historically Black denomination, now racially diverse.) Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2798 Bay Road, Redwood City
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n133 Bernal Rd., San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1305 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n7160 Graham Ave., Newark
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n3399 Bay Rd., Redwood City
\nFacebook page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n884 San Carrizo Way, Mountain View
\nNo Web site, phone: 650-965-7396<\/p>\n
\n878 Boynton Ave, San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2138 Cedar St., Berkeley
\n<\/a>Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1140 Cowper St., Palo Alto
\nKnown as a liberal church with a social justice orientation. Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n950 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park
\nRecently broke with Presbyterian Church USA to join a more conservative Presbyterian group. Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2190 Peralta Blvd., Fremont
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n990 Meridian Ave., San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n3865 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto
\nThey host the annual Christmas creche<\/a>. 650-494-8899 No Web site<\/p>\n
\n4243 Alma Street, Palo Alto
\n650-493-3020 No Web site<\/p>\n
\n3290 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a>
\n(English mass at 10:30 a.m.)
\n(Latin mass with Gregorian chant at 12:30 p.m.)<\/p>\n
\n3233 Cowper St., Palo Alto, CA 94306
\n(Spanish mass at 9:30 a.m.)<\/p>\n
\n1095 Channing Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301 <\/p>\n
\n582 Hope St., Mountain View
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nThis parish has masses in English, Spanish, Tamil; and bilingual English\/Spanish.<\/p>\n
\n5111 San Felipe Rd., San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nServices in the Igbo language. <\/p>\n
\n4325 Jarvis Ave., San Jose
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n660 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City
\nIn addition to other services, worship Sundays at 11:00 a.m. Web site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n786 Channing Ave., Palo Alto
\nNo Web site<\/p>\n
\n1985 Louis Rd., Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a><\/p>\n
\n1444 Havenscourt Blvd., Oakland
\nFacebook page<\/a><\/p>\n
\n3505 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
\nWeb site<\/a>
\nEvangelical Christian; theologically, historically associated with premillennial dispensationalism.<\/p>\n
\nWeb site<\/a>