Christian sororities

While most of the traditional women's fraternities or sororities were founded decades before the start of the 20th century, the first ever specifically Christian-themed Greek Letter Organization formed was the Kappa Phi Club, founded in Kansas in 1916. Kappa Phi was a women's sisterhood that developed out of a bible study and remains one of the largest nationally present Christian women's collegiate clubs today. Later organizations added more defined social programming along with a Christian emphasis, bridging the gap between non-secular traditional sororities and church-sponsored bible study groups, campus ministries and sect-based clubs and study groups.

History

All collegiate fraternities and sororities, beginning with Phi Beta Kappa in 1776, had, at inception, either a tacit or overt spiritual component. This may have been as simple as an official opening or closing prayer, expanding to Biblical lessons contained within rituals, and rules regarding behavior that are modeled on various Christian, or Jewish strictures. Over time, traditional (~original) fraternities and sororities have relaxed some of the wording of their rituals and codes to allow a more pluralistic model and open membership to a broader group of collegians.

Insularity, then integration

The rise of specifically Jewish, then Catholic, then Black, and then specifically Christian fraternities and sororities was a response (by the Jewish and Catholic groups first, then by students of non-white ethnicity) to the desire for fraternal membership where membership was barred. But it was important to note that, in context, America was far more insular in the pre-WWII era; in many cases Jewish and Catholic families, and their rabbis and priests wished to ensure that their children socialized primarily within their own religious traditions, thus establishing their own, competing Greek Letter organizations (GLOs) distinct from the "WASPy" traditional Greeks. After the integration of WWII GIs and the war's immediate aftermath, colleges and workplaces were abruptly far more integrated. Prior to WWII, relatively few Black or Hispanic students entered college in the US. But this would change with the passage of the G.I. Bill. Soon, the separate Jewish national fraternities and scattered locals began to merge, responding as traditional Greek chapters became more open to religious integration, adding Jewish and Catholic members. Today, only a fraction of Jewish fraternities remain, after multiple mergers. Similarly, Catholic nationals and locals merged, began opening chapters on non-Catholic campuses and to welcome students of Protestant heritage. Yet Black, then Hispanic and Asian GLOs which likewise began to form have remained widely popular, some using the moniker "Multicultural", though all national GLOs have removed "bias clauses" from their governing documents and policies, and all are racially integrated.

The idea of separate, thematic-focused fraternities and sororities continued to interest Christian students, their families and spiritual leaders. Long-established Bible study groups took on Greek Letter names, the first being Kappa Phi, a Bible-study and service club on twenty-four campuses; Yet the Kappa Phi Club still does not self-identify as a social sorority. Some organizers, assuming that the traditional GLOs lacked sufficient moral guardrails in pursuit of social programming, emerged to create the first objectively Christian (Protestant, then Evangelical) fraternities and sororities.

Traditionally, formation of the Christian sororities, later to become national organizations, has followed establishment of Christian fraternities, some as independent groups, and some in a "brother/sister" relationship, except in the case of Alpha Delta Chi, the first such Christian-emphasis organization on its campus. That sorority was founded in 1925 while Alpha Gamma Omega was founded in 1927, two years later, likewise at UCLA. Viewed broadly, these Christian Greek organizations enjoyed local success in their early years but they did not experience the national growth seen by more traditional Greek organizations.

1980s resurgence

A more novel situation occurred in 1987 when Chi Alpha Omega was founded as a co-educational Christian Greek organization. It wasn't until 1998 that Sigma Alpha Omega broke off from Chi Alpha Omega to form a women's-only ministry. Sigma Alpha Omega is now governed by a separate national president and board of trustees, and has grown to include 33 chapters throughout the country. Chi Alpha Omega continues as a men's organization.

In 1988, the founding of Sigma Phi Lambda on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin sparked new growth among Christian sororities. "Phi Lamb" was founded by women who saw value in the brotherhood exemplified by Beta Upsilon Chi and wished to create a female counterpart, since was a male-only organization. Sigma Phi Lambda today has an executive director, national board of directors, and regional directors, and is the largest Christian social sorority in the nation, with thirty-one chapters.

Multicultural sorority expansion

There has been a surge in the multicultural segment of Christian sororities in recent years, with the establishment of sororities such as:

• Alpha Lambda Omega Christian Sorority, Inc. (1990)
• Delta Psi Epsilon Christian Sorority, Inc. (1999)
• Psi Delta Chi Sorority, Inc. (1994)
• Pi Iota Chi Christian Multicultural Sorority, Inc. (2001)
• Alpha Theta Omega Christian Sorority, Inc. (2002)
• Zeta Iota Chi Christian Sorority, Inc (2003)
• Theta Sigma Lambda Christian Sorority, Inc. (2008)
• Delta Phi Psi Christian Sorority, Inc. (2008), a member of Association of Fraternal Christian Organizations and Ministries,
• Tau Rho Omicron Christian Sorority, Inc., a Christian sorority for business and professional women (2011).

These are largely or exclusively organized as non-collegiate chapters.

Non-conventional Christian sororities

These might be categorized as mission-oriented, serve African-American or nominally Multicultural populations, and are typically non-collegiate. Often tightly controlled by a founding pastor:

• Delta Alpha Omega (aka Devoted to Alpha & Omega) began on November 7, 2009, in Saint Louis, Missouri.
• Zeta Nu Delta Christian Sorority, Inc. was founded by Besceglia Hall in 2012.
• Theta Phi Sigma Christian Sorority, Inc., also known as the Pink Society, was founded in 2009 in Montgomery, Alabama, by Jessica Martin. This organization aims to combat teen pregnancy and high school dropout rates in high school and college.
• Theta Chi Gamma Christian Fellowship, founded in 2008 by Mario Jimerson, is a Christian fraternity and sorority.
• Lambda Psi Alpha Sorority, Inc., is an international Christian sorority founded on February 17, 2018, in Columbia, South Carolina, by Founders Jada Sumter, Lynn Bookert, and Tejun Archie. This organization aims to combat the spirit of depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-worthlessness and remind women that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.
• The Daughters of Christ, Inc. (aka the Daughters of Christ "SOARority") was founded by Darnella Moore.
• Chi Alpha Lambda Christian Sorority, Incorporated was founded by Prophetess Me'Lonnie Walker on April 11, 2024.

List of sororities

Where collegiate, several are noted in the Baird's Manual Archive online. Where there is no current information on the number of chapters, a question mark appears; these groups may be dormant.

Name	Symbols	Chartered	Founding location	Scope	Type	Emphasis	Active chapters	Status	References
Alpha Delta Chi		1925	University of California, Los Angeles	National	Collegiate	Christian, Social	22	Active
Alpha Lambda Omega		Template:Dts	University of Texas at Austin	National	Collegiate (primarily)	Inter-denominational Christian, Multicultural	16	Active
Alpha Nu Omega		Template:Dts	Morgan State University	National	Collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	21	Active
Alpha Omega		2005		National	Collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	7	Active
Alpha Omega Chi		2019		Local	Non-collegiate	Christian, African-American	1	Active
Alpha Psi Gamma		2007		Local	Collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	0	Inactive
Alpha Sigma Delta		Template:Dts	Oakwood University		Collegiate	Christian, African-American
Beta Phi Omega		1969	University of Cebu		Collegiate	coed
Delta Alpha Chi		2006	Florida State University	Local	Collegiate	Christian, Social	1	Active
Delta Alpha Omega		2009		National	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	8	Active
Delta Iota Delta		2019		National	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	7	Active
Delta Lambda Gamma		2008		Local	Collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	0	Inactive
Delta Phi Psi		2008		Regional	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	2	Active
Delta Psi Epsilon		Template:Dts	Oakwood University	National	Non-collegiate (primarily)	Christian, Multicultural	18	Active
Elogeme Adolphi		1987		National	Collegiate (primarily)	Christian, Multicultural	16	Active
Eta Gamma Zeta		2004	St. Xavier	Local	Collegiate	Christian, Social	0	Inactive
Eta Iota Sigma		1992	Texas Christian University	Regional	Collegiate	Christian, Social	2	Active
Gamma Alpha Lambda		2003		National	Collegiate	Christian, Social	4	Active
Iota Chi Kappa		2007		National	Non-collegiate	Christian, African-American	8	Active
Kappa Phi		1916		National	Collegiate	Christian	33	Active
Lambda Alpha Chi		2021		Regional	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	2	Active
Lambda Chi Omega		2020		National	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	4	Active
Lambda Omicron Chi		2002		National	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	3	Active
Lambda Psi Alpha		Template:Dts		International	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	7	Active
Mu Alpha Mu		2016		National	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	25	Active
Mu Epsilon Theta		Template:Dts	University of Texas at Austin	Local	Collegiate	Catholic	1	Active
Phi Beta Chi		Template:Dts	University of Illinois	National	Collegiate	Christian, Social	7	Active
Pi Iota Chi		2001		Regional		Christian, Multicultural	3	Active
Psi Delta Chi		1994		Regional	Non-collegiate	Christian, African-American	2 ?	Active
Psi Lambda Theta		2019		Local	Collegiate	Christian	0	Inactive
Sigma Alpha (Christian)		1988		Regional	Collegiate, Social	Christian	2	Active
Sigma Alpha Omega		Template:Dts	North Carolina State University	National	Collegiate	Christian, Social	36	Active
Sigma Omega Mu		2010		Local		Christian	0	Inactive
Sigma Phi Chi		2001	Austin College	Local	Collegiate	Christian	1	Active
Sigma Phi Lambda		Template:Dts	University of Texas at Austin	National	Collegiate	Christian, Social	32	Active
Tau Rho Omicron		2011		Local	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	1	Active
Theta Alpha		2006		National	Collegiate	Christian, Social	4	Active
Theta Chi Gamma		2008		National	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	4	Active
Theta Sigma Lambda		2008		Local	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	0	Inactive
Theta Phi Sigma		2009		National	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	4	Active
Zeta Alpha Omicron (Zeta Phi Zeta)		2001		National	Non-collegiate (primarily)	Christian, Multicultural	17  ?	Active
Zeta Iota Chi		2003		Local	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	1  ?	Active
Zeta Nu Delta		2013		Regional	Non-collegiate	Christian, Multicultural	3	Active

See also

• Christian fraternities
• Cultural interest fraternities and sororities
• List of social fraternities and sororities

References

Template:Christian sorority Template:Fraternities and Sororities