On Palm Sunday — one of Christianity’s most symbolic and celebratory feast days — congregations across Portland commemorate Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem by waving palm fronds in joyful procession.

At Highland Christian Center in Northeast Portland, children rush the stage waving palms high above their heads during a two-hour service filled with spirited singing, clapping and dancing. The sanctuary buzzes with life as nearly 300 worshippers join in.

Across town at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Portland, the same tradition unfolds with a more reverent tone. But the scene feels markedly quieter. While Highland has seen steady growth each year since 2020, First Presbyterian has watched its pews gradually empty.

Over the last 17 years, the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study has documented the consistent decline in Oregon’s Christian communities. Surveying more than 35,000 Americans across all 50 states, the study provides a detailed analysis of religious affiliation and spiritual practices nationwide.

In the initial 2007 study, 67% of adults in Oregon identified as Christians. By the most recent 2023-24 survey, that figure had dropped to just 43%.

Oregon’s decline diverges notably from the national pattern. Across the country, 62% of adults identified as Christians in 2023-24, compared to 78% in 2007. While the national trend seems to be leveling off, Oregon continues to see declining rates in Christianity.

While some churches in Oregon are struggling to keep their doors open, one branch of Christianity is quietly growing. Nondenominational churches — independent congregations not tied to a specific denomination — have seen a notable rise in recent years.

In Oregon, the share of adults affiliated with nondenominational churches grew from 7% in 2007 to 12% in 2023–24, with most of that growth occurring within the evangelical tradition. This increase comes even as overall Christian affiliation in the state continues to decline.

Highland Christian Center

Dr. Shon Neyland, senior pastor at Highland Christian Center, sees the shift to non-denominationalism as a way for churches to determine their own beliefs and become independent of any larger church governance while staying flexible enough to adapt to rapidly changing cultural landscapes.

Highland transitioned from the United Church of Christ, a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, to a non-denominational model in 2019, emphasizing evangelical values and community impact.

“The previous denomination did not align with some of those more conservative values or views,” Neyland said. “The Pentecostal denomination and the flair of this church didn’t line up with the United Church of Christ, and that was the primary change.”

The change occurred after an overwhelmingly positive vote within the congregation in 2019. According to Neyland, this shift gave the church much more autonomy and independence to determine their own beliefs and practices, without being restricted by a larger denomination.

“It just allows that body to determine their direction and be able to navigate the changing times,” Neyland said. “Highland’s vision is a 21st-century Ministry of Excellence. We want to be modern and relevant but not compromise the Gospel.”

Since 2020, Highland Christian Center has seen consistent growth within its congregation, with Easter attendance steadily climbing each year. After a pre-pandemic high of more than 800 attendees in 2019, numbers dropped significantly due to COVID-19, with around 200 people attending in 2021.

Attendance has since rebounded — rising steadily each year. Neyland said he expected 500 to 600 in 2025. Additionally, the church baptizes members monthly — 21 so far in 2025 — and welcomes an average of 20 new visitors each month, Neyland said.

India International Church

Across the city, another nondenominational church is seeing a similar pattern of growth. India International Church, based in Hillsboro, has begun to outgrow its current worship space and will be moving to a new facility in Cedar Hills in May.

“Cedar Hills Baptist Church has been praying about having an international church come and be the primary church there,” said Sudha Frederick Peethala, senior pastor at India International Church. “They realize that the demographics have changed in the past 15 plus years … they feel like we would be able to connect and reach out to more people just because of the surroundings that have changed.”

The church has followed a nondenominational model since it was founded in 1994 in order to welcome individuals from different religious and cultural backgrounds.

The congregation, made up primarily of Indians from South and Southeast India, often sees a rotating mix of temporary members and visitors, said Frederick Peethala. While the core group remains small — about 65 to 70 members — recently, the church has seen a noticeable increase in attendees from a wider range of cultural backgrounds.

“It’s starting to kind of look a little bit more colorful,” Frederick Peethala said about the most recent growth. “And that’s my vision personally as a pastor.”

Within the first quarter of 2025, the congregation has grown by three to four new members, Frederick Peethala said. For a smaller congregation, these new members represent a significant growth.

Moving forward, Frederick Peethala hopes to change the name of the church to be more welcoming to people of all cultural backgrounds.

Frederick Peethala is considering renaming India International Church to better reflect the congregation’s growing diversity and commitment to inclusivity. Potential new names, such as Northwest Community Church or Northwest International Church, aim to move away from the geographic and ethnic limitations implied by “India.”

The change is intended to create a more welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds — especially as the church prepares to move into a new facility in Cedar Hills — and to reflect its expanding community, which now includes members from countries like Ukraine and the Philippines.

First Presbyterian Church

In the Presbyterian denomination, Rev. Heidi Bolt, interim pastor and head of staff at First Presbyterian Church, views the decline in attendance not just as a challenge, but as a chance to reimagine the church’s role and message in a changing world.

“The church is always — and especially in this time of transition — looking at how we can make our message and our work relevant,” Bolt said. “(How to) make it make sense and translate it into a language that’s understandable.”

Like many mainline Protestant congregations, First Presbyterian has felt the effects of a broader denominational shift.

“The Presbyterian denomination is declining at about 3% to 4% per year, and that has been true for quite some time — probably a decade or more,” Bolt said.

From 2014 to 2024, the church’s membership dropped from 637 to 428. Still, its status as a historic landmark and its central downtown location help sustain it. These features draw a steady flow of visitors and community members who continue to engage with the space, even if they aren’t formal members.

St. Joseph Catholic Church

At St. Joseph Catholic Church in Salem, Rev. Jeffrey Meeuwsen said the congregation had remained steady — even after a fire in August 2023 damaged parts of the church and its connected school.

The congregation has held masses in the school gym since the fire, reaching capacity every week. While Catholic affiliation has dropped across Oregon, St. Joseph is preparing for one of its largest Easter confirmations in years.

“We’re gonna bring people into the church both Saturday night and Sunday night,” Meeuwsen said. “I think the full number was more than 50.”

Despite the disruption to their congregation following the fire, Meeuwsen said, the congregation remains engaged. Before the fire, weekend attendance typically ranged from 4,000 to 5,000 people, but now it’s closer to 2,000 to 3,000 due to space constraints.

He noted that these parishioners still consider themselves St. Joseph parishioners, even though they’re temporarily worshiping elsewhere.

“When I talk to the other parishes in the area, Queen of Peace and St. Vincent de Paul and St. Edwards, they all talk about, ‘We have St Joseph’s people at our church. They sit together,’” Meeuwsen said.