Religious Resources in the Philadelphia Area

Welcome to the Religious Resources page. This page is designed to introduce you to some of the diverse religious organizations in Philadelphia, the “city of brotherly love.”

In 1681 William Penn, a Quaker, received land for a colony from a grant given by King Charles II of England. Penn's "Holy Experiment" in religious tolerance was the result. Pennsylvania was one of the few original colonies that would accept Jews, Catholics, Mennonites and Amish, and that spirit of religious diversity pervades Philadelphia’s culture today. Many of the world’s major religions find a welcoming home in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is proud to be the home of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, founded in 1795, the first Ashkenazic Jewish synagogue established in the Western Hemisphere. Philadelphia is also the home of the oldest Bible Society, the first Mennonite congregation, the first independent African-American Christian denomination, and the first Hindu temple to become a pilgrimage site in the United States.

A map of historic religious congregations in Philadelphia is available here. Census data on religious affiliations in Philadelphia here. While we have tried to avoid listing specific houses of worship, the links below provide either regional information or links to national organizations that can then refer you to the regional group. Finally, to discover what is happening this week in Philadelphia’s diverse religious and spiritual communities, check the weekly religion section, including the weekly interfaith calendar, in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Resources by Religion

• Afro-Caribbean Traditions
• Philadelphia Buddhist Association (P.B.A.)
• USAChurches.org – a directory which lists many Christian churches
• African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Amish (Anabaptist)
• Philadelphia Baptist Association
• Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
• Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
• Christian Orthodox
• Lutheran Children and Family Service
• Messianic Jewish Alliance of America
• Methodist Children and Family Services
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon)
• Nondenominational Churches in Philadelphia  
• Presbyterian
• Hindu
• International Society for Krishna Consciousness
• Islamic Centers
• Jain
• Jewish 
• Mennonite
• National African Religion Congress (NARC) 
• Pagan 
• Quaker
• Scientology
• Unitarian Universalist 
• University City Chinese Christian Church

Interfaith Resources

• Religious pluralism
• Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia 
• Interfaith Coalition to Promote the General Welfare 

Non-theist Organizations

Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia (educates on separation of church and state and promotes a nontheist lifestance.)

Resources on National Religions

The Pluralism Project at Harvard University – “On Common Ground: World Religions in America”
Includes a CD-Rom and other materials about religion in the United States.

This page is intended only to function as a clearinghouse of publicly-available information. Drexel has not itself investigated any of these resources and is not endorsing or encouraging you to visit or affiliate with any of them. The information has been obtained from the web only through a preliminary search; as a result, we do not guarantee the accuracy of the information that is provided. You should be sure to conduct your own investigation to ensure the quality and bona fides of each resource.

We recognize that, despite our best efforts, this resource is not comprehensive. We welcome your comments and suggestions for additional listings. Please send them to facultyaffairs@drexel.edu.