Religion in Portland, Oregon
Portland has long had many churches, but today a growing share of residents say they have no religion. A Public Religion Research Institute survey found that 42% of Portlanders do not identify with any organized religion. Among the unaffiliated, 4% are atheists, 8% are agnostic, and 29% say their religion is “nothing in particular.”
Historically, Portland was mostly Christian. The first Protestant church in Oregon was built in Oregon City from 1842 to 1844, and the oldest surviving church building in the area is St. John’s Episcopal Church (the Oaks Pioneer Church). By 1890, Portland was said to have about one church for every 600 residents.
Various denominations have a long presence here. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) organized the Northwestern States Mission in Portland in 1897 to reach Latter-day Saints who had moved to Oregon. The LDS church later established meetinghouses and today operates temples and family-history centers in the region.
Catholic life is centered on the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, led by Archbishop Alexander King Sample. St. Mary’s Cathedral is the archdiocesan cathedral. The archdiocese oversees many parishes, several high schools, and religious orders such as the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon and the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. The Grotto, a Catholic shrine on Rocky Butte, is a well-known site. The archdiocese runs multiple Catholic high schools in and around Portland.
Other Christian denominations have a strong presence. The Episcopal Diocese of Oregon has Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland. The Lutheran Church began with St. James Lutheran in 1889, and Concordia University operated in Northeast Portland until 2020. The United Methodist Church has a long history in Oregon. Portland is home to Mannahouse Church, a large megachurch with multiple campuses and a Christian academy. Cedar Mill Bible Church is another large church near Beaverton. The area also hosts several Independent Pentecostal and Foursquare churches, including Beaverton Foursquare Church.
Portland also hosts a wide variety of other faith communities. The Apostolic Faith Church has its world headquarters here. There are Romanian Pentecostal churches serving a sizable Romanian community. Presbyterians are present in both the United Methodist and other Presbyterian bodies (PCUSA and PCA). Quakers are represented by five congregations, and George Fox University operates in the area. The city has ten Christian Science churches, and a building that once housed the First Church of Christ, Scientist has become a cultural center.
The LDS Church remains one of the larger denominations in Oregon, with a Portland Temple and multiple stakes in the region. In 2023, the church announced plans for a second temple serving the Portland metropolitan area. Portland also has four Community of Christ churches and about 45 Jehovah’s Witness congregations serving many languages.
Unitarian history in Portland began in the 1860s. A small chapel formed in 1867, and in 1979 the Unitarian church moved into a larger building adjacent to a former Nazarene church. The Nazarene congregation built a church in 1921 that later became a Hindu temple in 2020. The Unitarian Universalist faith continues to operate First Unitarian Church and Wy’east Unitarian Universalist Congregation, serving East Portland.
Today Portland remains a city of many faiths, with a mix of historic churches, new congregations, and diverse religious communities alongside a growing trend toward secularism.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:18 (CET).