Editing Bartow, Florida (section)

===Religion===
[[File:Homeland FL Methodist Church01.jpg|thumb|upright|alt= an old church with a large steeple|The historic Homeland Methodist Church just south of town]]

The first two churches built in town, the First Baptist and the First Methodist churches, were constructed on land given by the city founder Jacob Summerlin in 1867. Jacob Summerlin was known as the "King of the Crackers" and owned much of the land located around Bartow.<ref name="First Methodist Church History">{{cite web
| url = http://www.gbgm-umc.org/firstumcbartow/history.html
| title = First Methodist Church History
| date = March 2003
| access-date = 2010-10-15
| publisher = First Methodist Church
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110615170502/http://www.gbgm-umc.org/firstumcbartow/history.html
| archive-date = June 15, 2011
}}</ref> These churches, although not housed in the original buildings, are still extant today. In 1919, more than 8,000 people came to Bartow to hear former baseball star and traveling evangelist [[Billy Sunday]] preach, which was twice as much as the population of Bartow and more than the population of the county's largest city Lakeland at the time.<ref name="Billy Sunday">{{cite web
| url = http://www.polkcountyhistory.org/pdf/mar03.pdf
| title = Billy Sunday
| date = March 2003
| access-date = 2010-09-26
| publisher = Polk County Historical Association
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110727183316/http://www.polkcountyhistory.org/pdf/mar03.pdf
| archive-date = July 27, 2011
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> As of 2010, there are more than 70 churches within the Bartow area.<ref name="Our Community Churches">{{cite web
| url = http://www.bartowchamber.com/our-community/churches
| title = Our Community Churches
| access-date = 2010-09-11
| publisher = Bartow Chamber of Commerce
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100912162309/http://www.bartowchamber.com/our-community/churches
| archive-date = September 12, 2010
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

Like most of the [[Bible Belt]], Bartow has a high number of people affiliated with [[Evangelical|evangelical Protestant]] denominations with over 62% of churchgoers belonging to evangelical denominations.<ref name="Religion in Polk">{{cite web
| url = http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/counties/12105_2000.asp
| author = Harpool, A.
| title = Religion in Polk
| access-date = 2010-09-26
| publisher = The Association of Religious Data Archives
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101205145429/http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/counties/12105_2000.asp
| archive-date = December 5, 2010
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref name="Delineating the Two Florida's">{{cite web
| url = http://plaza.ufl.edu/adam1987/measurechange.pdf
| title = Delineating the Two Florida's
| access-date = 2010-10-19
| publisher = University of Florida
}}</ref> According to data published by the Glenmary Research Center in 2000, the denomination which has the largest number of adherents in Bartow is the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] with 27%, followed by the [[Roman Catholic]] church with 19%.<ref name="Religion in Polk"/> [[Pentecostal]]/[[Charismatic]] churches are also prominent making up 17% of Bartow's church attendance.<ref name="Religion in Polk"/> The Pentecostal experience known as the [[Lakeland revival]], which attracted controversy for its claims of supernatural healing, was started up the road at the [[Carpenter's Home Church]] in Lakeland.<ref name=hundreds-of-healings>{{cite news |url=http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/05/29/1075189.aspx |title=Revivalist Claims Hundreds of Healings |publisher=[[MSNBC]] |author=Rhee, Alice |date=May 29, 2008 |access-date=2008-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601001145/http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/05/29/1075189.aspx |archive-date=June 1, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=faith-healing>{{cite web|url=http://www.theledger.com/article/20080425/NEWS/804250386|title=Faith-Healing 'Outpouring' Overflows Venue|date=April 25, 2008|publisher=TheLedger.com|access-date=2008-07-14| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080704151633/http://www.theledger.com/article/20080425/NEWS/804250386| archive-date= July 4, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> Other churches which have a  presence in Bartow include the [[United Methodist Church]] at 9%, and the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] and [[Lutheran]] churches with 2% apiece. While there are no synagogues in town for Jewish Bartownians,  Temple Emanuel is a conservative synagogue only {{convert|12|mi|km}} away in Lakeland.<ref name="Temple Emanuel History">{{cite web
| url = http://www.polkcountyhistory.org/pdf/sept02.pdf
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110727183406/http://www.polkcountyhistory.org/pdf/sept02.pdf
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 2011-07-27
| title = Temple Emanuel History
| date = October 2002
| access-date = 2010-09-26
| publisher = Temple Emanuel
}}</ref> There are two [[Muslim]] [[mosque]]s and a Hindu temple in the county.<ref name="Ledger Religion in Polk">{{cite web
| url = http://www.theledger.com/article/20080316/NEWS/803160428?p=3&tc=pg
| title = Ledger Religion in Polk
| access-date = 2010-09-26
| publisher = Lakeland
| archive-date = March 3, 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215513/http://www.theledger.com/article/20080316/NEWS/803160428?p=3&tc=pg
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>