Home > Emmanuel Research Review > Issue
No. 18
Emmanuel Research ReviewResources for the urban
pastor and community leader
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In this issue: Surveying ChurchesIn this issue of the Emmanuel Research Review, we discuss how to do a church survey, using as our model The Boston Church Directory project underway at the Emmanuel Gospel Center. EGC has been surveying churches in Boston since 1969, and uses the information gleaned from these surveys to help set goals and target ministry initiatives. The information always tells a story about how God is moving in Boston, and how the churches are changing to meet the changing needs. The most significant finding of the 1989 survey, for example, was that Boston was experiencing a revival, indicated by the dramatic upswing in the numbers of churches being planted and thriving across the city, a Quiet Revival movement that continues today. In addition to describing the process of a survey, the lead article by Rudy Mitchell and Steve Daman offers some of the initial findings of the 2005-2006 survey, with more details to follow in upcoming editions of the Review. This edition concludes with a list of websites for those churches mentioned in the article. This list serves as a sampling of urban church websites, as well as a tool for further study of the churches cited. We hope you enjoy this edition of the Review. As always, your feedback is appreciated! Research Survey of a City’s Churches: Boston and Cambridge By Rudy Mitchell and Steve Daman Why survey churches? Because its mission is to understand and serve churches, the Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) makes a concerted effort to research every church in Boston and Cambridge to gather basic facts and to understand any newly developing trends. The most recent research initiative was conducted in 2005-2006. This type of research is very important in helping Christians understand and nurture the vitality of churches in their area. Jeff Bass, executive director of EGC, explains, “We need to have accurate information about the Boston community and how it is changing. This helps us allocate our own resources effectively and give good counsel to others. Some of what we learn confirms our intuition, but often we find things that no one anticipated, and our understanding of how God is working around us grows and adjusts accordingly.” A simple fact is that we can’t fulfill our mission to serve the churches in our city well unless we know where they are and what they are doing. Research of all the churches in an area can reveal new churches and new ministries as well as needs, challenges, trends, and gaps in ministry. Nehemiah was a gifted administrator as well as a visionary. His story shows intentional research and detailed record-keeping interwoven with the pursuit of his ministry to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. We know from his records who worked on each part of the wall, how long it took, the unintended consequences of the project, political obstacles, something about materials and supplies, even feeding the workers. His is a valuable model of careful needs assessment, detailed project research, and program evaluation combined with prayerful ministry. Picture him riding around the wall at night with his flashlight and clipboard, assessing the work to be done. A detailed survey of churches is also a bit like riding around the wall, seeing what needs to be done. If God has called you to work in his vineyard along with his other workers, an understanding of what God is already doing in your city will help you to work in harmony with God and with the other workers. What we wanted to learn In past surveys, we discovered that many new churches were being planted in a variety of neighborhoods of Boston by many different ethnic, language, and denominational groups, and that church planting was far outpacing church closings. In our research effort in 2005-2006, we wanted to know if this trend had continued. If so, where are the newest churches, and who is planting them? How does the changing ebb and flow of ethnic groups in the city parallel the start of new churches and the closing of others? What communities have too few churches? Where are churches growing and why are they growing? We also had three other areas of investigation: We wanted to understand more details of the ministries of churches, and specifically the educational, youth, and social ministries. We also asked churches to indicate their involvement and support of efforts to serve Christians cross-culturally around the world. And finally, we wanted to gather more information about the church-planting efforts of Boston’s churches both in this area and around the world. Over time, the results of this research will be analyzed, compiled and applied. If we can understand some of these things, then we can be prepared to help fan the flames that God has ignited across our city. We can work with church leaders to help them make strategic decisions that will strengthen the entire church community. We can pray with understanding. Starting with a knowledge base Our research builds on EGC’s foundation of previous knowledge and a wide variety of existing networks. Before the current initiative, we had some data on about 600 churches in Boston and Cambridge. The Emmanuel Gospel Center did its first survey of Boston’s churches in 1969, locating about 300 within city limits. In 1975, a second survey identified 320 churches, which were marked with numbered pins on a map and catalogued in a card file. By 1989, we conducted another major survey and listed 484 churches. Since we were listing the start dates of these churches, we were able to see that Boston was experiencing a major revival due to the unexpected growth of the numbers of new churches, many of which had not existed prior to the mid-70s. It was not just that we had missed them previously. Also in 1989, for the first time we recorded the data in a database and printed our first pictorial directory. We continued to publish updates and new editions every few years. Our last research initiative was in 2000-2001 when we catalogued 501 churches in Boston and 84 more in Cambridge. In our earliest efforts, we used a phone book to begin to compile a church list. And while a phone book could give some basic contact information about many churches, in our experience it is merely a starting point and is far from complete, as many churches operate informally and may not even have a phone in the church’s name. Yet these hidden, unlisted churches may be some of the most vital churches in your community. Internet searches and printed materials including denominational directories can be useful in establishing basic data. Not surprisingly, this year we were able to find many more local church websites than in previous years. (A sampling of those are listed here.) Even when a church does not have a website, persistent and creative web searching can uncover some basic information about most churches. But a word of caution: with our first-hand knowledge of churches, we found that much outdated and incorrect church information is perpetuated and multiplied on the internet. For example, there are some old church directories online that are never updated. Because the church community changes, these are soon out-of-date. Therefore, our goal is to attempt to gather first-hand knowledge by more direct means, and take web info with a grain of salt. Since the survey of 2000-2001, we made minor updates to about 100 churches in our database (less than 20%). There is always a need to maintain the data. Pastors forwarded these updates, or we came across new information in the course of our normal reading, conversations, and travel around the city. However, church systems are organic and change is constant as churches merge, close, move, start, decline or grow. So to more fully update our data and assess the status of the churches, EGC launched another wave of concentrated research in 2005. Networking with networkers Networking is essential in compiling and maintaining data on churches. Some people are gifted networkers. One pastor Steve Daman met some years ago sat across the table in a restaurant and, from memory, gave names of a score of ministries, churches, pastors, and leaders, complete with addresses and phone numbers. His mind was like a database. The researcher must ask, “Who do I know who would know about churches in this area?” Perhaps you have a friend from another ethnic group who is instrumental in organizing ministries or projects with others of his ethnicity. The ethnic churches in your city may already be in contact with each other through a pastor’s group or other ministry. Consider what other groups or ministries may have already compiled a listing. Perhaps there is a bookstore with Christian materials in languages other than English that can point you to ethnic churches which are using their materials. Christian bookstores are excellent sources for networking and information. Various parachurch ministries have already collected data to help them in their work. For example, a Christian school or parachurch ministry may have records of area churches it is serving. For the 2005-2006 survey, our first task was to select one or more pastors from each of the 17 neighborhoods in Boston and in nearby Cambridge to be research assistants. We asked them to look over printed copies of the information we had already compiled on the churches in their neighborhood. They did some preliminary research and returned any information on changes and new churches they knew about. Sometimes local pastors can provide a neighborhood or community church list that a fellowship of pastors has compiled. Printed and online surveys Also in 2005, we sent out a preliminary Phase One mail survey to gather updated basic contact information. We mailed these simple cards to every church for which we had an address. We received back about 200 from the 500 or so sent out, which was a very high rate of return. Because the form was short and easy to fill out and mail back, we had a good response. This was helpful simply to confirm the existence of the church today, the current mailing address, phone number, email, and to identify the best contact person, whether it is the pastor or someone else. The Phase Two written survey form contained much more detailed questions about the nature and ministries of the church. This was then sent by mail to all the churches and was also made available on our website as a PDF form (view or download pdf Phase Two form) which could be downloaded, filled out, and mailed back. A third option was an online survey form (open online Boston Church Directory survey form) for those who prefer to work digitally, with the data fields on the online form duplicating the printed form. We used a web-based service called Survey Monkey to handle the online form, rather than writing a web form from scratch. The response to the Phase Two mailing was low, as expected. If you receive a 20% or higher response from such a mailing, consider the mailing a phenomenal success! The added feature of an online response form significantly improved our initial response rate. It is important to then follow up the Phase Two mailing with multiple reminders to pastors and churches using friendly phone calls, emails, and bright yellow postcards urging them to respond either by sending back the form, printing off a new one from the website, or completing the online survey. In some cases, our phone call reminders led to full data collection over the phone. We found that using phone interviews was helpful for basic and medium-length forms, but difficult for our full Phase Two form simply because it takes so long. And in general, phone interviews are often difficult because urban pastors are seldom available as many are bivocational, and many churches do not have daytime office staff. We have found it unrealistic to expect 100% response from churches. The Emmanuel Gospel Center has a long-term and respected reputation in Boston, and therefore many are willing to share their data. Still, we close our research initiatives with far less than 100% of completed survey forms on hand. We are content to at least confirm the existence of some churches that we will also list. We take into account that the data we report on trends and needs is based on whatever percentage of churches we have been able to track down and learn from. In this initiative, we have had about 100 of the Phase Two forms completed. We have verified about 605 active churches, and we have about 30-45 churches with an unresolved status currently being researched, for a total of approximately 650 in Boston and Cambridge. Site visits Some pastors prefer oral communication, and so site visits for the purpose of filling out a form by interview was very helpful for them. We begin site visits with those locations we already know about and then follow leads about possible new church sites in that area. Although it would be ideal to visit every church on a Sunday, or whenever they hold their main service, our staff often have to use weekdays for site visits. Some churches are very active and open during weekdays. Others tend to come to life only on weekends and evenings. Even when the church is not open during a site visit, basic information confirming its location, pastor, and service times can be learned from signage. As we also include a photo of the building, site visits give us opportunity to update our photo files, even if the church is not open at the time we come by. Researcher Brian Corcoran says, “You have to be part detective to even find some of these churches. Many pastors are bivocational, and church contact can be difficult. I have learned to be creative in the way I gather information,” he says. “Sometimes I go to the barbershop next door or across the street to the deli to ask if there is really a church meeting there.” When church leaders or secretaries are available at the church, they can provide information about the church and also about other nearby churches. Sometimes we have used real estate sources to find information about churches that have moved if a real estate sign was posted on the vacant building. A project of this scope is a good opportunity for volunteers and interns to make a valuable contribution. In past years, we have had teams of summer interns who helped compile the data. This year, to expand our site visits, we also did a training session for a team of volunteers who then went out on Sundays to visit churches. Although we did not have very many volunteers involved in the effort this year, we are hoping to have a larger number of volunteers do Sunday visits in the future. Volunteers, interns or students can also visit and participate in churches more extensively and write more detailed profiles and case studies. Ideally, it would seem that we could gain the clearest idea of actual church attendance and participation if we could visit all of Boston’s 600 churches on the same day with an army of trained volunteers. Getting the big picture Whatever city or community you serve, a broad church survey can be an excellent way to understand and connect with other churches and ministries and see the larger picture of how God is at work. Brian Corcoran says, “The best part of the job is being out in the field meeting with people in the churches, surveying the landscape, getting to see the facilities, seeing the pastors or whoever is around during the day, and just connecting with the churches across the community. In the process, I am getting a big picture of the church. No seminary course is going to give you an overview of 600 churches like this! It is a rare perspective to have, the equivalent of going to the top of the Hancock Tower in Boston, but blended with a street level perspective as well.” Brian says that often, during a site visit, a pastor would include him in whatever was going on at the time, such as praying for someone in need. Sometimes the pastor would open up about his own needs or the needs of the church, or share answers to prayer or goals for the future. Brian reports that at other times, a deacon or other member may show him around the facility and fill him in on the history of the church. Rudy Mitchell, EGC’s senior researcher, found the street level research of spending entire days walking around city neighborhoods with an observant eye to be very rewarding. “This process gives you a better understanding of the neighborhoods as well as the churches,” he points out. There are, of course, many other ways to discover data beyond what we have listed here. A combination of these and other research methods can be used in other cities to discover the characteristics, needs, and ministries of churches. Research Findings: A Sampling of What We Are Learning New churches
Growth in numbers The 2005-2006 research initiative identified approximately 100 churches in Boston and Cambridge which were not in our previous directory published five years ago. This is a proportionately large number, considering that our previous church directory only listed 585 total churches for Boston and Cambridge. Nearly all of these churches are new church starts. The rate of church planting is thus about twenty churches per year. This indicates that new churches are continuing to start at the rate they were in the five years prior to 2000. The geographical distribution of new churches includes every neighborhood in Boston. New churches for the next generation
Boston has the second largest proportion of young adults of any large city in the U.S. (33%). About 14 of the new churches have congregations with a large proportion of young adults or college-age participants. Several additional churches are being planned to reach this segment of the population. Some examples of these new churches include Grace Street Church, Mosaic Boston, Charles River Church, and CityLife Presbyterian Church. Several other church-planting teams will soon be starting new ministries to reach this age group. Hank Wilson will be leading a group now called the Boston Partnership, while Steve Holt will be starting a work called Harvest Boston. Jua Robinson and his wife will also be coming to Boston to plant a new church. (For more information, view or download pdf article on church planting in Inside EGC, June, 2006, starting on page 5.)
New ethnic and immigrant congregations However, the majority of the new churches uncovered by our research are ethnic churches started by recent immigrants or African American Christians. Our preliminary analysis indicates that about 15% or more of the new churches are Hispanic, while 10% are Haitian, and 6% are Brazilian. At least 5% are Asian and another 7% are African. No more than 13 or 14 of the 100 new churches are primarily Anglo or Anglo/multiethnic. The remaining 40-45% of new churches are African American, Caribbean or of some other ethnic identity.
One of the unique ethnic churches that has recently started is the Boston Bangla Church of Cambridge. This church is led by Rev. Paul Biswas from Bangladesh. He was born in a respectable Hindu family in Bangladesh. After accepting Jesus in 1973, he completed Bible college and was ordained as a fulltime minister in 1977. Until 2001, he worked as an evangelist, church planter, pastor, pastoral superintendent, writer, translator, and a teacher at different Bible colleges and a seminary in Bangladesh. After receiving further seminary training, he began his current pastoral and church-planting ministry in Greater Boston among his own Bengali people group from South Asia. Through various special events, training, and published materials, Pastor Biswas is equipping Christians to do effective outreach among Hindus and Muslims and creating opportunities for dialogue.
Challenges Facing the Churches In our research we asked churches, “What are the biggest challenges or most urgent needs your congregation will face in the coming years?” The four most common answers were:
Six partner organizations are coming together to address the first need by developing a new resource center and organization called the Christian Youth Worker Institute which will be based at the new building of the Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s urban extension in Boston and continue the work begun by the Youth Ministry Development Project of EGC and the Boston TenPoint Coalition. CUME, with its new building in Dudley Square, will also be equipped to better serve the second stated need of churches to train and develop leaders. The third challenge of financial needs and services is likely to be an ongoing need addressed by various programs such as EGC’s Economic Development program, and other church-based and community based services and curricula. The fourth challenge, building concerns, is linked to the changing conditions in Boston and its churches.
Our research has revealed significant transitions taking place in the area of church buildings. Several major Boston Protestant churches are in the process of building, renovating, or moving. At the same time, the Roman Catholic Church is completing a major reconfiguration which has involved merging or closing 10 to15 Boston parishes and selling the church-related properties. Two Protestant churches, Greater Faith Worship Center and the Cambridge Vineyard, were able to purchase two of the Catholic churches and have already moved to their new buildings. A third Protestant church, Bethel Tabernacle Pentecostal Church (South End), has purchased the old St. Leo’s Catholic Church complex with several buildings in Dorchester-Roxbury, where it plans to develop an expanded ministry. Other Catholic buildings have been converted to housing or are yet to be sold.
Morning Star Baptist and the Arabic Evangelical Baptist churches have recently completed new buildings to expand their ministries. Congregación León de Judá (Lion of Judah), Concord Baptist Church, Jubilee Christian Church and Harvest Ministries are all planning new church buildings. Congregación León de Judá is renovating a large ministry building and has approval to build a new adjacent building for larger worship space. Another South End Church, Concord Baptist, has purchased land with plans to build a new church facility. With rising real estate values and pressures in dense residential areas for parking, several churches like Concord Baptist have sought to move to locations with more space. Jubilee Christian Church owns 25 acres of land in the Victoria Heights area of Roslindale on Cummings Highway where it plans to build a 3,500- 5,000 seat sanctuary to accommodate its growing congregation. Harvest Ministries of New England (Ministerios Cosecha), a large Hispanic Pentecostal church, has moved from its temporary rented facilities in the Back Bay and is completing a major new building in Weymouth. These are just some examples of building concerns and plans which have resulted from growing vital churches, closing of Catholic churches, parking pressures, and the rising values of real estate in the city.
Diversity in Boston Churches
Our research continues to show increased ethnic diversity in the region’s churches as a whole and also within many local congregations. The city’s Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese churches continue to thrive. For example, the Boston Chinese Evangelical Church has 1,200 people attending six services in three languages (Cantonese, English, and Mandarin). They were able to purchase a second church building in Newton to increase their ministry. Our research revealed that there are now 45 Korean churches inside the Route I-95 belt in Greater Boston. Many of these, like the Korean Church of Boston, have large, vital congregations. The Berkland Baptist Church reported that in its 25 years of ministry it has already planted 20 churches. The Vietnamese Alliance Church in Dorchester has large and vibrant ministries among children, youth, and adults. Some of Boston’s Asian Americans are sharing their gifts by participating in Anglo and multiethnic churches like Park Street Church. Other second-generation Asian Americans have developed churches reaching out to other groups in the Greater Boston community. For example, Rev. Stephen Um, in just a few years, has built a large and diverse church in central Boston, the CityLife Presbyterian Church. The Cambridge Community Fellowship Church has also developed into a vital and diverse church under the leadership of Rev. Soong-Chan Rah. Examples of other major young churches in this category include High Rock Church in Somerville/Arlington and New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Newton.
Specific local congregations are also becoming more ethnically diverse in many cases. For example, Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, which was historically mostly Anglo, now is 47% West Indian, 30% Anglo, 19% African American, 10% African, and 3% Hispanic. People from Jamaica, Barbados, Cameroon, Nigeria, Grenada, Dominican Republic, and the Cayman Islands attend the church. The congregation of the Central Assembly of God in East Boston has also become more diverse. The church reports that its congregation is 41% African, 23% Anglo, 12% Hispanic, 10% West Indian, 6% African American and 5% Asian. Its people hail from Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, El Salvador, the Philippines, Korea, Haiti, St. Kitts, and Italy. The South End Neighborhood Church, which has always been quite diverse, has increased Hispanic participation with more outreach and use of Spanish in worship. Asians from Korean, Chinese and Indian backgrounds have also increasingly contributed in this diverse mix which includes Anglo and African American members of all ages and socio-economic groups. Our research also discovered that even some churches like St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church have unexpectedly become more diverse. This church, founded by Christians from Syria, now has people from Greek, Eritrean, Arabic, Eastern European, Chinese, Brazilian and African American backgrounds. These are just a few examples of the diverse and vibrant church which is continuing to grow in Boston. Global Outreach & Church Planting Boston’s churches are impacting every part
of the world! Examples:
A few details…
The following are a sampling of church websites in the Boston area, and were referenced in the article above. In those few instances where a church mentioned in the article does not have a website, we have included the link to the Boston Church Directory listing for that church.
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