WHAT ARE THE MAJOR PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS? FOUNDERS, WHERE & WHEN THEY BEGAN?

Did God Establish Many Churches?

👉 No. God did not establish many churches.
According to the Bible, Christ established only one Church:

• Matthew 16:18 – “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
  → Jesus said “my church” (singular), not “my churches.”

• Ephesians 4:4–5 – “There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
  → Paul identifies the Church with one body, not thousands.

• Colossians 1:18 – “And he is the head of the body, the church.”
  → Christ is the Head, and His Church is the Body. One Head cannot have thousands of rival bodies.

Why Are There Thousands of Christian Sects Today?

There are already more than 40,000 Christian denominations worldwide (according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity). This division is a human development, not God’s plan.

A concise guide to major Protestant denominations—who founded them, where and when they began—plus brief distinctives and authoritative references.

Quick Overview Table

Family / Denomination	Founder(s)	Where	When
Lutheran	Martin Luther	Wittenberg, Saxony (Germany)	1517 Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Church of England / Anglican	King Henry VIII (royal supremacy)	England	1534 Parliament UK NewsEncyclopedia Britannica
Reformed (Calvinist)	John Calvin	Geneva, Switzerland	1530s (Institutes 1536) Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Presbyterian (Church of Scotland)	John Knox (Calvinist influence)	Scotland	1560 Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Anabaptists (Swiss Brethren)	Konrad Grebel, Felix Manz, others	Zürich, Switzerland	1525 Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Mennonites	Menno Simons (built on Swiss Brethren)	Low Countries	1530s–1540s Encyclopedia Britannica
Amish	Jakob Ammann (Mennonite split)	Switzerland/Alsace	c. 1693 Encyclopedia Britannica
Baptists	John Smyth (English Separatist)	Amsterdam, Netherlands	1609 Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Quakers (Society of Friends)	George Fox	England	1650s Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Methodism	John Wesley (within Anglicanism)	England (Bristol/Oxford)	1730s–1739 Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Salvation Army	William Booth	London, England	1865 (name 1878) Encyclopedia BritannicaThe Salvation Army USA
Restoration Movement (Stone–Campbell; Disciples/Churches of Christ)	Barton W. Stone; Thomas & Alexander Campbell	Kentucky; Pennsylvania/Virginia (USA)	1801–1832 (union 1832) Encyclopedia Britannica+1Wikipedia
Plymouth Brethren	John Nelson Darby & others	Dublin → Plymouth (UK)	1830s (Plymouth 1831) Encyclopedia Britannica
Adventist family → Seventh-day Adventist Church	From Millerites (William Miller)	USA	Movement 1830s; SDA 1863 Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Pentecostal movement	(early: Charles Parham; catalytic: William J. Seymour)	Los Angeles, USA (Azusa Street)	1906 Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Assemblies of God (Pentecostal)	Union of Pentecostal ministers	Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA	1914 Encyclopedia Britannica
Jehovah’s Witnesses (Restorationist / non-Trinitarian)	Charles Taze Russell (precursor: Bible Students)	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA	1870s (name adopted 1931) Encyclopedia BritannicaWikipedia

❗️Note: Some entries are families (e.g., “Reformed,” “Anabaptist,” “Pentecostal”) that include many denominations worldwide. Dates signify catalytic beginnings or formal organization. 

 

Short Explanations (by family)

Lutheran — Arises from Luther’s 1517 protest in Wittenberg; centers on justification by faith and Scripture’s primacy. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

Anglican / Church of England — Origin tied to the Act of Supremacy (1534) declaring the English monarch head of the Church of England; later develops its own via media identity. Parliament UK NewsEncyclopedia Britannica

Reformed / Presbyterian — Rooted in Calvin’s work at Geneva; Presbyterian polity spreads via Knox in Scotland (1560). Encyclopedia Britannica+1

Anabaptist stream (Mennonite/Amish/Hutterite) — Begins with adult baptism in Zürich (1525); Mennonites consolidate under Menno Simons; Amish emerge from a 1690s division. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

Baptist — John Smyth organizes a believers-baptism congregation in Amsterdam (1609); later General and Particular Baptists develop in England. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

Quakers (Society of Friends) — George Fox founds a movement emphasizing the “inner light,” beginning in 1650s England. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

Methodist / Wesleyan–Holiness — John Wesley’s revival within Anglicanism (1730s–40s) becomes Methodism; later fuels Holiness and Salvation Army initiatives. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

Restoration Movement (Stone–Campbell) — Stone in Kentucky (Cane Ridge, 1801) and the Campbells in the Upper Ohio Valley advocate a return to New Testament patterns; fellowships unite in 1832. Encyclopedia Britannica+1Wikipedia

Plymouth Brethren — Early 1830s prayer/fellowship groups coalesce (Plymouth, 1831); Darby’s dispensationalism becomes influential. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

Adventist family → Seventh-day Adventist Church — Millerite expectation of Christ’s return (1830s–40s) leads to several Adventist groups; SDA formally organizes in 1863. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

Pentecostal / Charismatic — Modern Pentecostalism’s global surge traces especially to the Azusa Street Revival (1906) under William J. Seymour; numerous denominations follow. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

Assemblies of God — Largest U.S. Pentecostal denomination; founded 1914 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Encyclopedia Britannica

Jehovah’s Witnesses — Grew from Russell’s Bible Student movement (1870s Pittsburgh); the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” adopted in 1931 under J. F. Rutherford. (Often classified separately from historic Protestantism due to non-Trinitarian doctrine.) Encyclopedia BritannicaWikipedia

---

Standard, Legit References (authoritative & citable)

• Luther / Lutheranism: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wittenberg (Reformation start, Oct. 31, 1517); Martin Luther; Lutheranism. Encyclopedia Britannica+2Encyclopedia Britannica+2

• Church of England / Anglican origins: UK Parliament, Act of Supremacy (1534); Britannica, Church of England (summary); The break with Rome. Parliament UK NewsEncyclopedia Britannica+1

• Reformed / Calvin / Presbyterian: Britannica, Calvinism; John Calvin; Church of Scotland; John Knox. Encyclopedia Britannica+3Encyclopedia Britannica+3Encyclopedia Britannica+3

• Anabaptists / Mennonites / Amish: Britannica, Anabaptists; Mennonites; (Swiss Brethren & early adult baptism in Zürich). Encyclopedia Britannica+1

• Baptists: Britannica, Baptist—History and John Smyth. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

• Quakers (Society of Friends): Britannica, Society of Friends and George Fox. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

• Methodism / Wesley: Britannica, Methodism; John Wesley; Twenty-five Articles of Religion (1784). Encyclopedia Britannica+2Encyclopedia Britannica+2

• Salvation Army / William Booth: Britannica, William Booth; The Salvation Army (official history). Encyclopedia BritannicaThe Salvation Army USA

• Restoration Movement (Stone–Campbell): Britannica, Barton W. Stone; Thomas Campbell; overview timeline (ARDA). Encyclopedia Britannica+1ARDA

• Plymouth Brethren / Darby: Britannica, Plymouth Brethren. Encyclopedia Britannica

• Adventists / Seventh-day Adventist Church: Britannica, William Miller; Adventism. Encyclopedia Britannica+1

• Pentecostalism / Azusa Street: Britannica, Pentecostalism; Azusa Street revival; growth into 21st century. Encyclopedia Britannica+2Encyclopedia Britannica+2

• Assemblies of God: Britannica, Assemblies of God; AG (official “About the AG”). Encyclopedia BritannicaAssemblies of God

• Jehovah’s Witnesses / Charles Taze Russell: Britannica, Charles Taze Russell; overview (background & naming under Rutherford). Encyclopedia BritannicaWikipedia

---

Notes to readers:

• “Denomination” vs. “Movement.” Some entries (e.g., Reformed, Pentecostal, Anabaptist) are broad families containing many denominations.

• Dates mark either the catalytic event (e.g., 1517 Wittenberg; 1906 Azusa Street) or formal organization (e.g., 1863 Seventh-day Adventist Church; 1914 Assemblies of God).

• Classification caveats. Groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses or Christian Science are sometimes placed outside classic Protestantism due to core doctrinal differences; I’ve flagged such cases where relevant. Encyclopedia Britannica

 

Read also: 🔍 "Facts About the Roman Catholic Church That Many Protestants Don’t Want You to Know";    How many protestant churches are in the World today and when did it started?;  Most Protestants are claiming that their church is the true church founded by Jesus Christ. Do they have strong evidence to support their claim?;  What is The Church that Christ Founded?;  How many christian denominations in the world today and what are they?;