As of December 2019, assemblies are established in 48 locations around the world[3] with the majority in Europe and the United States, and are run and funded by volunteers from their communities.

Stand-up comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans started the first Sunday Assembly in North London in January 2013 as they "both wanted to do something like church but without God".

[9] In October 2013, Sunday Assembly started an Indiegogo campaign that raised £33,668 out of a £500,000 goal[10] to fund building a digital platform to help grow the organisation.

"[13] However, some Christians objected: William McCrea, the DUP Member of Parliament for South Antrim (Northern Ireland), called the assembly "highly inappropriate", because of its rejection of God and an afterlife.

[14] During the initial promotion tour in 2013, Kimberly Winston of the Religion News Service stated that some atheists felt that "getting money is their goal".