Wikipedia:Notability (local churches and other religious congregations)

A local congregation may have multiple worship services in multiple locations, but if it is a local body under the same leadership, it shall be counted as one congregation. Nothing in these guidelines is intended to establish notability for denominations.

Some articles on congregations may be written in order to promote a congregation. Many Wikipedians are strongly averse to the use of Wikipedia for advertising, and Wikipedia articles are not advertisements is an official policy of long standing. Advertising is either cleaned up to adhere to the neutral point of view or deleted. In the latter case, it is listed at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion. If this proposed policy becomes accepted, the guidelines listed on this page may be applied by editors in deletion debates.

A good starting point is the primary notability criterion: having been the primary focus of multiple, non-trivial coverage in reliable sources independent of the subject.

General inclusion in a local article:

• Most congregations and places of religious worship are notable enough for mentioning on Wikipedia. In the majority of cases, it is enough to have a brief reference in the article on the area in which the church is located, as per WP:LOCAL. Notable and verifiable facts on the church/congregation (which are accurately sourced) may be included to improve the information about the local area.

For a church/congregation to have its own article:

• To have its own article, a congregation must be notable. Statements made in the article must be verifiable according Wikipedia’s Verifiability guidelines.
• Branches of a particular congregation or church, or on individual services, meetings or gatherings of a church/congregation should generally not have their own article, but should be included in the main church/congregation's article.

Guidelines

Local churches, parishes, and congregations should usually be considered to be notable if they meet one or more of the following criteria, as documented by references cited in the article:

1. The congregation has been the subject of multiple non-trivial published works whose source is independent of the church itself.
   • This can include:
     • Inclusion in third party published materials.
     • Media coverage that is non-trivial and deals specifically with the church as the primary subject of the article.
   • This should not include:
     • Internal documents, including reports, newsletters, press releases, magazines, newspapers and the like published or produced by the church itself, unless those works are notable in themselves (although such may be used as source material within the article itself). Materials not published by the local church itself, however, should be considered on a case by case basis.
     • A listing of churches and services in local newspapers or community information websites.
     • Works which would not meet Wikipedia's reliable source standards.
2. The congregation plays a significant role in, or has contributed significantly to, the life and affairs of a country or state, and/or its government or ruler(s). This should not be dependent on a country or state having an established church.¹
3. The congregation plays a significant role in, or has contributed significantly to, its city (in the case of a metropolitan or suburban church), or its regional area (in the case of a rural church).²
4. The congregation plays a notable or significant role within its denomination or religion. This only should apply if the denomination is notable in itself. It also should be documented by sources external to the individual church, but possibly internal to the denomination.
5. The congregation is notably large for its region, and has achieved notability in non-trivial sources for this.³
6. The congregation has, or has had, notable leaders or clergy, for whom the particular church has had a formative impact. For a church to fit into this category, the leader should be notable enough to meet WP:BIO, by non-trivial external coverage, and should have their own article. The involvement of the church in the person's life must not be trivial, and should be significantly discussed in their biography.⁴
7. The congregation has, or has had, notable members or worshippers, for whom the particular church was formative in their work or their life. These people must also be notable under WP:BIO and should ideally have their own article, and their involvement in the church. The church's involvement in their lives should not be trivial, and should be significantly discussed in their biography.
8. The congregation runs, or has run, a program, or programs, which are notable for their uniqueness, high success rate or high popularity. Such programs may include youth programs, charitable work, evangelistic programs, and music.⁵
9. The congregation runs or has run a notable school or college, has established some other notable churches, or runs or has run another notable enduring institution.⁵
10. The congregation's teachings or theology is considered unique or notably controversial. The teachings should be of the individual church, not its denomination.
11. The congregation building has particular architectural and/or historic significance.

Notes

^Note 1 : The Washington National Cathedral and Westminster Abbey would be examples of churches fitting this criteria.
^Note 2 : Most cities' main cathedrals of recognised denominations, for example, would fit in this category; churches such as Paradise Community Church in Adelaide, Australia, (from which the Family First Party, a notable political party in Australia with representation in its state Parliament and the Federal Parliament, evolved) would also fit into this category.
^Note 3 : The size needed to be notable will be dependent on the area, and discretion should be used in discussions regarding the country and area where the church is situated. Generally, most megachurches should be notable.
^Note 4 : All Souls Church, Langham Place would be an example of this, being formative in the ministry of notable theologian John Stott.
^Note 5 : Such notable programs will have been the subject of multiple non-trivial published works whose source is independent of the church. These criteria are intended to prevent situations where part of the church is notable but the church as a whole is not.