In their book The Great Dechurching, Jim Davis and Michael Graham identified a surprisingly mundane reason people stop going to church: relocation. Churchgoers move and don’t find a church in their new location, so they gradually dechurch altogether.
To help address this problem, The Gospel Coalition is pleased to announce the launch of our new-and-improved TGC Church Directory. For those struggling to find a good church after a geographical move, or for any other reason, we hope this resource will help connect believers to healthy communities where they can flourish in their faith.
History of TGC Church Directory
For most of our history, TGC maintained an online directory of evangelical churches that aligned with our confessional statement and vision for ministry.
This directory was conceived as a practical way to help individuals find trustworthy churches that had chosen to associate with TGC and its values. Instead of relying on Yelp, Google, or ChatGPT for local church recommendations, believers could geo-search for solid congregations through the TGC directory. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of users accessed the directory, one of the most-visited pages on TGC’s website.
Over time, the directory grew to more than 10,000 listed churches that had self-reported their alignment with TGC. But the directory’s growth led to decreasing confidence in its reliability.
Church Directory 2.0
In 2026, in an effort to improve the directory’s trustworthiness for TGC-affiliated users, we embarked on a comprehensive update.
In 2026, in an effort to improve the directory’s trustworthiness for TGC-affiliated users, we embarked on a comprehensive update.
We contacted all churches in the directory and asked them to reapply, a process that involved more pointed questions about TGC alignment and a more hands-on approval system. Going forward, we will also seek periodic updates from each church in the directory to keep the information current.
To offset the administrative costs of a more updated, accurate directory, all participating churches will now pay an annual administrative fee of $100. We believe this small fee is a reasonable investment for a service that provides critical tools and high-value visibility for subscribing churches.
Benefits for Churches Listed in TGC Church Directory
If your church isn’t already listed in the directory, consider applying today. The benefits for subscribing churches include the following:
- Premium Visibility and Trust: Your church will be visible to many Christians actively seeking a trustworthy place of worship in your particular part of the world.
- Unlimited Job Postings: Subscribing churches receive exclusive and unlimited job postings on the TGC Job Board. Churches will no longer be allowed to list openings unless they’re featured in the directory.
- Strategic Leadership Insights: Subscribing churches are invited to attend exclusive periodic online gatherings hosted by TGC. These sessions provide high-level, strategic insights on critical topics facing churches today.
- Discounts on TGC Conferences and Cohorts: Subscribing churches will be given a 10 percent discount on all TGC conferences and cohorts (including leadership training, financial stewardship workshops, Bible/theology seminars, and more).
- Connection to Like-Minded Churches. Inclusion in the directory can connect you with aligned churches in your area, enhancing TGC Regional Chapters, where pastors gather for support and encouragement.
TGC exists to help renew and unify the contemporary church in the ancient gospel. We want all our digital, conference, podcast, video, and cohort ministries to point people back to participation in biblically faithful, gospel-centered churches. We believe that providing a trusted church search tool is a vital part of our mission.
If you believe your church aligns with TGC’s beliefs and values, and you would like others to know of that alignment, we encourage you to submit your application so your church can be listed.
