What forms do religious groups take? The simplest form of religious organization is a cult. Cults usually form around a specific charismatic leader, engender significant loyalty, are small, and often...

What forms do religious groups take? The simplest form of religious organization is a cult. Cults usually form around a specific charismatic leader, engender significant loyalty, are small, and often live on the margins of society. A sect also breaks from established religious institutions but is a subculture, not a counterculture. Denominations are large-scale, extremely organized structures with an established hierarchy that garner social respect. The United States is overwhelmingly of the Christian denomination. Ecclesiae are state religions, where the boundary between the state and the church is nonexistent.