Who owns the building?

Whose name is on the deed, and whether anything above the congregation encumbers it. The single most consequential structural difference between these bodies, and the one least visible from the pew.

The local congregation

• Acts 29

  Partial — some structures are not publicly documented

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

  Partial — some structures are not publicly documented

• Global Methodist Church

  Built from primary governing documents

• Presbyterian Church in America

  Partial — some structures are not publicly documented

• The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

  Built from primary governing documents

• The Southern Baptist Convention

  Built from primary governing documents

The congregation, held in trust for the denomination

• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

  Partial — some structures are not publicly documented

• The Episcopal Church

  Built from primary governing documents

• The United Methodist Church

  Built from primary governing documents

Mixed — varies by congregation or state

• Anglican Church in North America

  Built from primary governing documents

• The Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

  Built from primary governing documents

A regional body

• Catholic religious institutes

  Partial — some structures are not publicly documented

The national body

• Hillsong Church

  Partial — some structures are not publicly documented

A corporation sole (the bishop's office)

• Roman Catholic Church — dioceses and parishes

  Partial — some structures are not publicly documented

Someone outside the body — by design

• The Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans)

  Built from primary governing documents

Every grouping above is a nearest-fit label; the deviations are stated in each profile's prose. Why it is built that way.