Church Landscape Review: Pastoring Under Pressure

Pastoring Under Pressure

Challenges & Supports for Pastors of New Churches in the Boston Area Through a Complex Decade (2014-2024)

In the last 10 years, pastors have faced unprecedented challenges in shepherding their congregations. Even veteran pastors admitted they had never seen anything like this during their ministerial careers. 

During the pandemic, almost half of pastors nationwide considered leaving full-time ministry. 

What about pastors in Boston? How many hours a week do they work? What kind of support do they prefer? What type of training do they use to develop other church leaders? What questions would they like to ask other pastors? 

The Emmanuel Gospel Center’s Applied Research team explored difficult questions like these in a study of pastors of new churches in the Boston area from 2014 to 2024. In “Pastoring Under Pressure,” the team analyzed key trends and critical challenges facing these leaders. The report also includes recommendations as well as reflection questions for pastors and church leaders.

This report is part of the larger 2025 Church Landscape Review, a study of newer church communities in the Boston area over 10 years. We will publish the Applied Research team’s findings in a series of reports to be released periodically throughout 2025:

• Executive Summary Report 

• Changing Faces of Faith

• Pastoring Under Pressure

• Open Doors in Boston

• Evolving Vision

• Pressed But Not Crushed

Church Landscape Review: Changing Faces of Faith

Changing Faces of Faith

Shifts in Churches, Pastors, and Churchgoers in Boston-Area New Churches, 2014-2024

Churches have experienced plenty of change and faced much upheaval over the last 10 years. If you could take a snapshot of your church before and after that period, what would it look like? Would you see any big structural changes? How would the leadership of your church have changed? What about the congregation? 

That’s just what the Applied Research team at the Emmanuel Gospel Center did with a diverse group of newer churches in Boston between 2014 and 2024. 

They looked at things like attendance, leadership, and demographics. Their findings in the “Changing Faces of Faith” report show time left little untouched. The churches in the study had to be creative when it came to finding meeting space, facing a pandemic, and navigating leadership changes.    

This report is part of the larger 2025 Church Landscape Review, a study of newer church communities in the Boston area over 10 years. We will publish the Applied Research team’s findings in a series of reports we will release periodically throughout 2025:

• Executive Summary Report

• Pastoring Under Pressure

• Open Doors in Boston

• Evolving Vision

• Pressed But Not Crushed

Church Landscape Review: Executive Summary Report

Executive Summary Report

A Ten-Year Review of Boston-Area New Churches

In 2014, the Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) conducted a research study of over 40 church plants in the Boston area. It involved in-depth interviews with a diverse group of new churches from different denominations, ethnic groups, and networks. While the study focused on women in church leadership, it yielded a treasure trove of information on the church planters and their congregations. 

Ten years later, EGC’s Applied Research team revisited the snapshot the 2014 data had produced and re-interviewed almost two dozen of the original churches. The team wanted to examine any shifts in the church landscape over a challenging and tumultuous period.

The research team gathered their findings in a series of reports we will release periodically throughout 2025. The Executive Summary Report provides a broad introduction to the study along with major data trends. The other reports revolve around five different themes:

• Changing Faces of Faith

• Pastoring Under Pressure

• Open Doors in Boston

• Evolving Vision

• Pressed But Not Crushed

Why isn’t my church talking about race?

Photo credit: Shaun Menary via Lightstock

Many white Christians in evangelical churches feel alone in their desire to talk about race

by Megan Lietz, Founding Director, Race & Christian Community Initiative

It came from the look in the pastor’s eyes, the awkward pauses in the conversation, the tone that, while appropriate to the passing ear, couldn’t help but feel patronizing. Here I was again, having my faith held suspect because I believe Jesus calls Christians to engage in issues related to race.

At that moment, I knew I had about 30 seconds to establish I was “one of them.” To assert my faith and prove I really am a Bible-believing Christian. There was no time to share that I was born and raised in white evangelicalism, with my teenage years defined by youth conferences and summer missions trips, WWJD bracelets and promise rings. There was no time to mention I believe the Bible is the Word of God and that I learned to study it at evangelical colleges and seminaries. No time to talk about how much my faith means to me, what it has brought me through, or my deep love for Jesus.

It was as if none of that mattered. Certainly, none of it was seen. All it took was the word “race,” and I was written off as a “liberal.” 

It was all right. It was a brief interaction with a pastor I had never met before and would probably never see again. Yet it represented a painful reality I often hear about from white brothers and sisters in theologically conservative churches. 

“It was as if none of that mattered. Certainly, none of it was seen. All it took was the word ‘race,’ and I was written off as a ‘liberal.’”

One brother shared he feels the discipleship he received did not prepare him to engage our multiracial reality. Another sister said she had to leave her beloved church community after many years because she no longer feels at home in an environment that regards race as a side issue.  

The challenges white folks encounter when exploring issues related to race don’t compare to the pain and oppression experienced by people of color. Yet, it is essential for white people to learn how to navigate the obstacles we encounter so we can be better positioned to experience and contribute to racial healing.

Many white brothers and sisters who participate in the Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI) often express how refreshing it is to be able to talk about race in the context of Christian community. Sadly, even though these issues are coming up in conversations around the water cooler and blowing up their news feeds, they’re not able to discuss race in their congregations. It’s not mentioned from the pulpit, explored in Bible studies, and certainly not a topic for casual conversation. 

Even if it is explored at those lamentable moments when racial violence captures our collective attention, the conversation’s life cycle often mirrors that of the news cycle: a one-off here, a one-off there — reactive events choked out by donor pushback and competing priorities. 

Pearl via Lightstock

When churches don’t talk about race, white folks who care about the issue can often feel isolated at best. Well-meaning comments about “slippery slopes” and how “race is a distraction to the gospel” can make us feel frustrated, suspect, or unwelcome. It can even lead to a crisis of faith as we start to believe the lie that the Living Word does not speak into the realities of racial injustice. 

Engaging issues related to race from a biblical perspective does not cause us to lose our faith. It helps us follow Jesus more faithfully. 

White evangelicals’ disengagement from race has little to do with Scripture. On the contrary, the Scriptures we highly esteem speak abundantly into the issues of unity, diversity, ethnicity, culture, power, oppression, healing, and justice. Our disengagement can be explained — not by God’s heart — but by the result of social and historical realities. 

For example, as members of the dominant culture in the U.S., we often don’t have to think about race. Our social location can make us oblivious to the realities of racism. 

“The Scriptures we highly esteem speak abundantly into the issues of unity, diversity, ethnicity, culture, power, oppression, healing, and justice.”

Closely related to this, white folks tend not to explore race in our theology. This dynamic is especially problematic when most Christian educational institutions center Euro-American theology as normative and comprehensive. It has left many Christians less aware of God's heart for justice and how the interconnected body has experienced the God of justice in their lives.

The fundamentalist-modernist controversy of the 1920s and ’30s led theologically conservative Christians to largely disengage from social issues so they might distinguish themselves from more theologically liberal expressions of the faith. The impact of valuing orthodoxy over faithfully living into Jesus’ heart for justice continues today.

Because of realities like these, white evangelicals lack the experience, theological frameworks, thought leadership, and examples from within our traditions to build shalom across racial lines. While this can make starting the conversation even more intimidating, we cannot afford to stay silent. When we don’t address issues of race, we do damage to the kingdom of God.

Photo credit: Brimstone Creative via Lightstock

Whether white evangelicals acknowledge the problem or not, we are complicit in the ways racism harms our brothers and sisters of color, diminishes ourselves, and dishonors the image of God. When white congregations don't talk about race, there are significant consequences: 

1. Disunity: Christian communities remain segregated. While being in a racially homogenous congregation is not bad within itself, it becomes a problem if white congregations are homogenous because people of color do not feel welcome, included, or cared for. This can often be the case if congregations are not talking about race, culture, or power dynamics that many people of color experience as a regular part of life.

2. Church hurt: We lack the discipleship needed to build shalom across racial lines, allowing the perpetuation of racial brokenness in and through Christian communities. 

3. Diminished witness: The harm done and the deeply-seated division in the Church diminish Christian witness. When we know the Great Physician but aren’t working toward racial healing, we miss out on opportunities to demonstrate God’s power and presence.

4. Waning influence: When the Church isn’t even speaking into a sorely felt need in our society, we shouldn’t be surprised when people stop listening. Instead of proclaiming that Jesus is good news in the midst of racial brokenness, too many white Christians have remained silent and are allowing secular organizations to lead the way.

“We cannot afford to stay silent. When we don’t address issues of race, we do damage to the kingdom of God.”

It doesn’t have to be this way. The Bible offers principles, parallels, and language white Christians can use to talk about race. We can also learn from the traditions of Black, Indigenous and people of color, who have rich legacies of addressing racism. There are also numerous resources by evangelical publishers and denominations on how our faith connects to race. 

There are paths ahead. But too often, fear, competing priorities, and well-trodden pathways get in the way. 

RCCI creates spaces where white Christians can talk about race. Be it learning communities for white evangelicals, conversations over coffee, or opportunities to reflect on and learn from serving across racial lines, we desire to create a place where white folks can learn and grow in Christian community. We also come alongside predominantly white congregations, meet them where they are, and help them take the next step in exploring issues related to race from a biblical perspective.

Photo credit: R9 Foto for The Emmanuel Gospel Center

The richness of RCCI comes not because we get it all right, but because we create spaces for people to have conversations the Lord is already stirring within them. With love and grace, we create opportunities for the Lord to continue the work he desires to do. And as we invite him in, we see healing, we see hope, we see perspective transformation. What excites us most is seeing people move from talk to action, bearing witness to the person and power of Jesus by continuing his redemptive work across racial lines.

Will you join us in talking about race? Will you learn with us as we explore the conversation? We don’t always say the right thing, but we long to know the Lord more fully, serve him more faithfully, and usher in his kingdom by how we engage across racial lines.

5 Mind-Blowing Realities About Race (That White People May Not Know)

5 Mind-Blowing Realities About Race (That White People May Not Know)

by Megan Lietz

Megan Lietz, MDiv, STM, directs Racism Education for White Evangelicals (ReWe), a program of EGC’s Race & Christian Community Initiative. The intended audience of ReWe ministry and writing is White Evangelicals (find out why). 

Race is a complicated subject. We’re all at various points of understanding race issues and their impact. I want to share five realities White people may not know that I believe can transform our perspectives about race.

Reality #1. Society—not biology—defines race.

Differences in skin color have existed throughout history. But the meaning we in the U.S. ascribe to skin color is an artificial social construction that emerged in the 17th century—and has changed over time.

No genes are shared by all members of a given race that determine qualities by racial classification. Our experience as racialized beings isn’t defined by our biology, but by our society.

Racial classifications have shifted over time based on the interests and influence of people in power. In the 20th century, Irish, Italian, Greek, Jewish, and Eastern European people were all considered “non-White,” and they experienced discrimination because they were not considered a part of the dominant racial group.

These groups gained privilege only when those in power expanded the definition of Whiteness to include their nationality. Similarly, people of color who petitioned for “White” status were denied it, based on changing—and, at times, contradictory—legal interpretations that allowed White people to define racial classification.

To learn more about how the concept of race is rooted in society, not biology explore this interactive website or this article from National Geographic.

To learn more about how the social construct of race developed over time, click here.

Because society has ascribed meaning to race, inequality is both created and dismantled by working towards societal change.

Reality #2. Racism Goes Beyond Interpersonal Interactions

What first comes to mind when you hear the word “racism”? You may picture personal biases or racist interactions between people. While this is one form of racism, organizations and social systems can also take actions that uphold the reality of racism.

Internalized

Race-based beliefs and feelings within individuals.

E.g., consistently believing that your way of doing things is better than that of your colleagues of color.

Interpersonal

Bigotry and biases shown between individuals through word and action.

E.g., leaders exclude people of color from a team because they “just aren’t a good fit with the team dynamic.”

Institutional

Discriminatory policies and practices within organizations and institutions.

E.g., resumes that have Black-sounding names are 50% less likely to get called for an interview compared to people with White-sounding names.

Systemic

Ongoing racial inequalities maintained by society.

E.g., in 2015, the median net worth for White families in the Boston area ($247,500) towered over that of Hispanic ($3,020 for Puerto Ricans, $2,700 for other Hispanics) and Black families ($12,000 for “Caribbean Blacks” and $8 for “U.S. Blacks”). Additionally, in 2014, Asian American individuals in Boston were more than two times as likely to find themselves in poverty compared to their White counterparts.

Total Assets and Net Worth By Race in the Boston Area

Data from Federal Reserve Bank, March 25, 2015, https://www.bostonfed.org/publications/one-time-pubs/color-of-wealth.aspx

Because racism exists on many levels, racism can be at work in dynamics that don’t seem obviously racist. So we can contribute to racism without awareness or intention to do so.

Reality #3. Individuals can have an unintentional racist impact.

There’s false binary thinking in many people’s minds about racism that sounds like this: “Good people aren’t racist, racist people are bad people.” But well-intentioned people can have a racist impact without knowing it. Below are some realities that contribute to unintentional racist impacts.

Systemic racism

As larger social systems perpetuate racism (see Reality #2), people don’t have to be ill-intentioned, or even aware that they are helping these systems to do so. By supporting organizations and systems that contribute to racial injustice, we are complicit in their racist impacts.  

Implicit biases

Unconscious personal biases and stereotypes shape how we see and respond to situations. We all have biases that don’t match our explicit beliefs. We may believe God created all people in his image and we should show no favoritism. But our unconscious reactions may not uphold this belief.

For example, we may think that we don’t see Black men any differently than anyone else. But when we’re walking down the street at night, if we find ourselves holding on to our belongings a little tighter when we pass by a Black man, that’s a flag for us that we’re conditioned to see Black men as more dangerous than others.

This one-pager clarifies common misunderstandings about implicit bias—how it operates, and what we can do about it.

This test that can help reveal some of your own implicit biases.

Intent vs. Impact

What we say or do can have a different impact than what we mean. Even if we act with the best of intentions, by the time our action is translated through a history of overt discrimination, we may hurt another person in ways we didn’t anticipate.

Example

A Christian leader who lives in a largely White area of the suburbs is motivated to partner with city leaders for broader ministry impact. She enters a gathering with urban leaders who are mostly people of color and proceeds to “school” the city leaders about the importance of collaboration. She is assuming God wasn’t already working in the city in those ways, reinforcing historically degrading narratives about leadership capacity and the gifts of God among people of color. Such assumptions can be offensive to urban leaders of color and have a counterproductive impact, in race relations and beyond.

We are broken people in a broken world. Because we contribute to the problem, we bear a measure of responsibility in helping make things right.

Reality #4. Racism is a daily stressor to people of color.

A Day in the Life: How Racism Impacts Families of Color. Click on the infographic to expand.

Racism doesn’t just exist when people of color experience occasional, blatant, intentional racism. Racism profoundly impacts people’s daily experiences, both in everyday interactions and in ongoing disparities.

Subtle Racist Jabs are Commonplace, Accepted

People of color endure slights, indignities, and insults on a regular basis. These may come from people who don’t mean harm, but who don’t have the cultural awareness to know that what they are saying or doing may be hurtful. These incidents are called microaggressions.

For example, asking a person of Asian descent, “Where are you from?” may seem innocent. But remember that they get asked this question—sometimes in hostility—more often than you. The question implies that they aren’t American born. If they are American, it can make them feel like they don’t belong in their homeland, or aren’t welcome. While each incident may seem minor, repeated experiences add up to a demoralizing impact over time. “Did you grow up around here?” is a less presumptuous way to ask the same question.

See this chart of a broad list of microaggressions, what they can subtly communicate, and why they are problematic.

Disparities in Daily Life

People of color endure systemic racial inequalities in their everyday life. For example, a national study reveals that a majority of those in Black communities feel that racism has a negative impact on their daily experiences of neighborhood safety (80%), access to quality public schools (73%), access to financially viable jobs (78%) and access to quality, affordable healthcare (74%).  

Take a look at this infographic for more examples and consider the way these realities might impact your life.

Microaggressions and systemic disparities have a demonstrated negative impact on the mental and physical well being of people of color. The stressors created by regular experiences of discrimination have been correlated with and are thought to cause both a measurable psychological burden and long-term adverse health outcomes.

While White people can choose how often to engage with issues related to race, racism is part of the daily experiences and stressors of people of color.

Reality #5. Racism Harms All of Us

Racism is one of the sins the enemy uses to separate people from God and one another.

God created humanity in right relationship with himself and each other. But when sin entered the scene, our relationships became broken, divorced from God’s design. Racism in America idolizes White physical features and White values as supreme over those of others, denying that all people are equally image bearers of God.

The negative impact of racism on White people doesn’t compare to its effects on people of color. But everyone is degraded by a culture sick with sin. Living in a society that elevates White values as supreme over others diminishes White people in the following ways.

As people of a dominant culture, White people may be more likely to do the following:

• Be unreflective and unquestioning about our cultural values and assumptions.

• Have a diminished capacity to persevere in the face of obstacles or discomfort.

• Experience fear, anxiety, guilt, or shame around issues of race, and react in broken ways as a result.

• Feel barriers to authentic and intimate relationships with people of color, as well as with White people who have different opinions on race.

• Hold an incomplete view of God, as our theology and faith traditions are shaped mostly (or exclusively) by a Euro-American perspective.

• Contribute to racial tension, hatred, and violence in our homes, communities, and world.

• Have more limited imagination and creativity due to complacency in the status quo.

• Have more limited exposure to the enriching cultures, perspectives, and assets of people of color.

• Struggle to work across racial lines in addressing shared concerns and contributing to an improved society.

Reflection Question

How have you been diminished by a society that assumes the supremacy of White values?

Share Your Examples With Us

Share Your Examples

Conclusion

Racism is one more reminder that we live in a fallen and hurting world—a world where the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy in ways we can and can’t see. But with God, there’s hope of redemption. God continues to call humanity back to himself, working to restore the right relationships God intended in creation.

We have much work yet to do. God, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, has redeemed and is redeeming us in our brokenness. God can heal us and make us agents of healing as we invite him to do transformative work in our lives.  

Pray with me

Lord, help me to see where I’m blind.

Help me to reflect on what you are showing me, even when it makes me uncomfortable.

Help me to open myself up to your work in me so that I can experience freedom, healing, and wholeness.

Help me to be a part of the restorative work you’re doing in the world. Amen. 

Take Action

Racism is complex and multi-layered. If simple answers were enough, racism would not persist as it does today. We believe that growing as an agent of racial healing happens best in a learning community. RCCI cohorts are White evangelicals learning together about race.

Join an RCCI Cohort

Join an RCCI Cohort

Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]

Gender Based Violence and the Church [Resources]

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

The Church has a critical role in prevention, intervention, and healing from gender-based violence (GBV). GBV includes domestic abuse, sexual assault, incest, human trafficking, and other forms of abuse, most often directed towards females.

GBV happens in every corner of the U.S., and it happens in church families. Church leadership can equip themselves to respond with wisdom and skill when we become aware of GBV in our church or community.

Healing the Wounded Heart, 2017

See also the companion workbook and conference audio of the same title. See also the Allender Center website for information and resources. 

The mission of The Allender Center is to "foster redemption and healing in individuals, couples, and communities by helping them tell their stories with awareness and integrity while also training leaders and professionals to engage the stories of others with courage, artistry, and care."

Religion & Intimate Partner Violence, 2017

Because this book is based on many years of research, it can give evidence and illustrations for its many insights, principles, and proposed solutions.

Each chapter presents key findings in numbered points with detailed descriptions and illustrations, followed by proposed solutions and practical applications based on extensive research and experience.

The chapters deal with ministry with victims/survivors, and also with abusers (based on additional research). Another chapter explores the complex dynamics within the congregation as a whole when dealing with domestic violence ministry.

Two final chapters cover the need for more training for church leaders, with specific suggestions, and the importance of collaborative community responses.  This very readable study is perhaps the most comprehensive, research-based, and practical book on this topic.

Broken Vows

FaithTrust Institute

Broken Vows, 1994

This film is a two‐part (37 minutes and 22 minutes) documentary that presents the religious perspectives on domestic violence including Jewish, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical Christian. There is also a Spanish language version.

Domestic Violence: What Churches Can Do

Faith Trust Institute

Domestic Violence: What Churches Can Do, 2009.

This is a 20‐minute video to be used with a 24‐page study guide and brochures in a one hour educational program. Offers basic information on domestic violence, as well as concrete ideas about how congregations can become involved in prevention and offer a safe space for battered women.

 

RESOURCES BY TOPIC

General

Storkey, Elaine. Scars Across Humanity: Understanding and Overcoming Violence Against Women.  Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2018.

Domestic Battery / Wife Abuse / Intimate Partner Violence

Alsdurf, James, and Phyllis Alsdurf. Battered Into Submission: The Tragedy of Wife Abuse in the Christian Home. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 1998. (originally- Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1989).

Basham, Beth, and Sara Lisherness, editors. Striking Terror No More: The Church Responds to Domestic Violence. 2nd edition. Louisville, Ken.: Bridge, Resources, 2006. Although written with Presbyterian churches in mind, this book with its essays, worksheets, and workshop lesson plans can be used in other churches.

Broken Silence: A Call for Churches to Speak Out—Protestant Pastors Survey on Sexual and Domestic Violence. Washington, DC: Sojourners and IMA World Health, 2014.

Cooper‐White, Pamela. “Intimate Violence Against Women: Trajectories for Pastoral Care in a New Millennium.” Pastoral Psychology 60, no. 6 (2011):809-855.

Ellison, Christopher G., and Kristin L. Anderson. “Religious Involvement and Domestic Violence among U.S. Couples.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 40 (2001): 269-286.

Gaddis, Patricia Riddle.  Battered But Not Broken: Help for Abused Wives and Their Church Families. Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 1996.

Kroeger, Catherine Clark, and Nancy Nason-Clark. No Place for Abuse: Biblical and Practical Resources to Counteract Domestic Violence. Revised ed. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2010.

Miles, Al. Domestic Violence: What Every Pastor Should Know. Rev. ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2011.

Murphy, Nancy. God’s Reconciling Love: A Pastor’s Handbook on Domestic Violence. Seattle, Wash.: FaithTrust Institute, 2003.

Nason‐Clark, Nancy. The Battered Wife: How Christians Confront Family Violence. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997.

Newton, Dorothy J. Silent Cry: The True Story of Abuse and Betrayal of an NFL Wife. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2015. Although her life appeared successful to outsiders, Dorothy Newton was being treated abusively by her husband, who was a Dallas Cowboy football star. This is a story of pain, survival, hope, recovery, and new life in relationship with Christ.

Family Violence

Branson, Brendan, and Paula J. Silva. Violence Among Us: Ministry to Families in Crisis. Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson Press, 2007.

Fortune, Marie M. Violence in the Family: A Workshop Curriculum for Clergy and Other Helpers. Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 1991.

Kroeger, Catherine Clark, Nancy Nason-Clark, and Barbara Fisher-Townsend, editors. Beyond Abuse in the Christian Home: Raising Voices for Change. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2008.

Miller, Melissa. A.  Family Violence: The Compassionate Church Responds. Scottdale, Penn.: Herald Press, 1994.

Sexual Assault / Abuse

Broken Silence: A Call for Churches to Speak Out—Protestant Pastors Survey on Sexual and Domestic Violence. Washington, DC: Sojourners and IMA World Health, 2014.

Pellauer, Mary D. Sexual Assault and Abuse ‐ A Handbook for Clergy and Religious Professionals. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1987.

Culture-Based Resources

Choi, Y. Joon. “Korean American Clergy Practices Regarding Intimate Partner Violence: Roadblock or Support for Battered Women?” Journal of Family Violence 30 (2015): 293-302.

Eugene, Toinette, and James Poling.  Balm for Gilead: Pastoral Care for African American Families Experiencing Abuse. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998.

White, Evelyn C.  Chain, Chain, Change: For Black Women in Abusive Relationships, 2nd edition. Seattle, Wash.: Seal Press, 1994.

Church/Religion-Based Studies

Cooper‐White, Pamela. The Cry of Tamar: Violence against Women and the Church’s Response. 2nd edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2012.

Ellison, Christopher G., Jenny A. Trinitapoli, Kristin L. Anderson, and Byron R. Johnson. “Race/Ethnicity, Religious Involvement, and Domestic Violence.” Violence Against Women 13, no.11 (2007)): 1094-1112.

Heggen, Carolyn, H.  Sexual Abuse in Christian Homes and Churches. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1993.

Horton, Anne L., and Judith A. Williamson, editors. Abuse and Religion: When Praying Isn’t Enough. Lexington: Lexington Books, 1988. This extensive anthology is one of the most comprehensive.

Interrogating the Silence: Religious Leaders Attitudes Toward Sexual and Gender Based Violence.   Cambridge, Mass.: Science, Religion, and Culture program, Harvard Divinity School, 2015. Online at- https://src.hds.harvard.edu/files/srcp/files/rla-sgbv_final_report.pdf  Sojourners and IMA World Health, on behalf of WeWillSpeakOut.US, commissioned a survey of Protestant pastors’ views on sexual and domestic violence.

Johnson, Andy J., editor.  Religion and Men's Violence against Women.  New York: Springer, 2015.

Nason-Clark, Nancy, Barbara Fisher-Townsend, and Victoria Fahlberg, eds. Strengthening Families and Ending Abuse: Churches and Their Leaders Look to the Future. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2013.

Volcano Press Staff, compilers. Family Violence and Religion: An Interfaith Resource Guide. Volcano, CA: Volcano Press, 1995.

For Women

Fortune, Marie M.  Keeping the Faith: Guidance for Christian Women Facing Abuse. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1995.

Holcomb Justin S., and Lindsey A. Holcomb.  Is It My Fault?: Hope and Healing for Those Suffering Domestic Violence. Chicago: Moody Press, 2014.

Holcomb, Justin S., and Lindsey A. Holcomb. Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault.  Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2011.

McCaig, Mari, and Edward S. Kubany. Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women. Oakland, Calif.: New Harbinger Publications, 2004.

Nason-Clark, Nancy, and‎ Catherine Clark Kroeger. Refuge from Abuse: Healing and Hope for Abused Christian Women. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

Abusive Men

Nason-Clark, Nancy, and Barbara Fisher-Townsend. Men Who Batter. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.

Christian Leadership & Pastor Resources

LeRoux, Elisabet. “Men and Women in Partnership: Mobilizing Faith Communities to Address Gender-based Violence.” Diaconia  8, no. 1 (Apr 2017): 23-37.

Nason‐Clark, Nancy. “Clergy Referrals in Cases of Domestic Violence.” Family and Community Ministries 23, no. 4 (Winter- Spring 2010): 50-60.

Nason-Clark, Nancy, Catherine Clark Kroeger, and Barbara Fisher-Townsend, editors. Responding to Abuse in Christian Homes: A Challenge to Churches and their Leaders. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2011.

Reed, Lou. “When Domestic Violence Knocks: It's All Too Common but Rarely Acknowledged. How to Minister Wisely and Well when It Shows up in your Congregation.” Leadership 30, no. 4 (Fall 2009): 74-78.

WeWillSpeakOut.US. Sacred Spaces. A Resource for Faith Communities to Prevent and Respond to Sexual and Gender Based Violence. Available online https://wewillspeakout.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Sacred-Spaces-.pdf

Tron, Claudia. “Challenges for the Life and Mission of the Churches: Our Lived Experience of Gender-based Violence.”  Reformed World 66, no. 2 (2016): 26-36.

Zust, Barbara L., Jaclyn Housley, and Anna Klatke. “Evangelical Christian Pastors’ Lived Experience of Counseling Victims/Survivors of Domestic Violence.”  Pastoral Psychology 66, no. 5 (Oct 2017): 675-687.

Theology & Preaching

Adams, Carol J., and Marie M. Fortune, editors. Violence against Women and Children: A Christian Theological Sourcebook. New York: Continuum, 1998.

Anderson, Kenton C.  “Preaching that Encourages Peace and Safety in the Christian Home.” Preaching.com, accessed April 2018.

Bussert, Joy M.K. Battered Women: From a Theology of Suffering to an Ethic of Empowerment. New York: Division for Mission in North America, Lutheran Church in America, 1986.

Cummings, Chloe. What Would Jesus Do about Domestic Violence and Abuse towards Christian Women?  A Biblical and Research-based Exploration for Church Leaders, Counselors, Church Members, and Victims. N.p.: Booklocker.com, Inc., 2010.

Kroeger, Catherine Clark, and James R. Beck, editors. Women, Abuse, and the Bible: How Scripture Can Be Used to Hurt or to Heal. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1996.

McClure, John, and Nancy Ramsay, editors. Telling the Truth: Preaching About Sexual and Domestic Violence. Cleveland: United Church Press, 1998.

What Are We Missing?

Not That Kind of Racism

Not That Kind of Racism

How Good People Can Be Racist Without Awareness or Intent

By Megan Lietz

Megan Lietz, MDiv, STM, directs Racism Education for White Evangelicals (ReWe), a program of EGC’s Race & Christian Community Initiative. The intended audience of ReWe ministry and writing is White Evangelicals (find out why).

In the tragedies of Charlottesville, VA, as a White person, it’s easy for me to see such hate and think, “How awful! That’s racist. Thank God I’m not a racist like that.” In doing so, I affirm my sense of being a good moral person and find comfort in the fact that I’m not like those I’m condemning.

In reality, White people cannot separate ourselves from the problem of racism. Even if we consciously reject racism, the biases and behaviors that contribute to and sustain injustice crop up in our actions. Racism persists not because of the hate of a few White supremacists, but because well-intentioned White people regularly contribute to racial inequity in ways that we may not be aware of or intend.

Expanding our View of Racism

Institutional and structural Racism

While interpersonal racism between people is still common, racism occurs as much if not more at the organizational and systemic level, which can be more difficult for White people to recognize.

For example, people with Black-sounding names are 50% less likely to get called for an interview compared to people with White-sounding names. This bias is one of many contributors to vast disparities between the median net worth of White people as compared with Black people or Hispanic people.

Implicit Bias

How we see and respond to situations is shaped by unconscious personal biases and stereotypes. We all have them, and they don’t necessarily align with our explicit beliefs. These can come out in casual interactions that can make people of color feel disrespected or devalued. They can also have a broader impact when shaping the decisions of policymakers, the prescriptions of doctors, or the actions of law enforcement agents.

To perpetuate racism, people don’t have to be ill-intentioned, or even aware they are contributing to injustice. By not actively resisting racist dynamics—and sometimes even by attempting to do so without proper understanding—we can contribute to a system that sustains inequality and racism.

Reflecting On Our Experiences

White people need education and reflection to see how we may be participating in injustice. We must look inward with openness, intentionality, and humility.

I’ve uncovered racism in my own life—how I’ve participated in it, benefited from it, and perpetuated it—which I share below. May my examples inspire your reflection, awareness, and action.

MY INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

Institutional racism is discriminatory rules, policies, and practices within organizations or institutions.

• I’ve supported businesses known to treat people of color in unfair ways because using their services was convenient for me.

• I’ve encouraged ways of thinking and doing that reflect my culture. For example, I feel that a meeting has gone well if we’ve followed my linear-thinking agenda, avoided conflict, and produced certain kinds of outputs. I tend to devalue people who don’t excel in the skill sets I value and prefer to work with people who think and act like me. If the leadership of my organization shares my lens on what “being effective” or having a good meeting looks like, I’ll thrive while people from other cultural experiences, who may have their own methods and practices for effectiveness that are just as valid, will be at a disadvantage.

My Structural Racism

Structural racism is persistent racial injustice worked into and maintained by society.

• Media and historical narratives that paint White people as dominant leaders and valuable assets have shaped my self-perception. I have assumed my presence and leadership is desired even in spaces where racially I am in the numerical minority. I’ve had to learn to be intentional about taking a support role.

• Because, historically, people of my skin color have had economic opportunities unavailable to people of color, my family and I had the financial resources to buy a home—one in a predominantly Black neighborhood. While we moved with the intent to learn from and invest in our community, we also contributed to gentrification and its associated displacement.

My Implicit Biases

Implicit biases are unconscious personal biases and stereotypes.

• White ideologies have shaped in me a pro-White view of how the world works. I grew up with the belief that people can succeed if they try. As a result, when I interact with people of color who are struggling, my initial reaction may be that they need to work harder, must be doing something wrong, or don’t have what it takes, rather than considering the impact of systemic racism.

• After hearing a Black man talking about the ways he loves and cares well for his daughter, I found myself being especially encouraged. Upon further reflection, I realized that I wouldn’t have had the same response to a White man because I would’ve expected him to be a good father. Sadly, my encouragement came from an expectation that men of color are less likely to be involved fathers.

• I spoke Spanish to a woman who appeared to be Hispanic/Latino, assuming it was her first language. Though this was my attempt to value her culture, she could’ve perceived it as reflecting a belief that people from her ethnic group don’t speak English, or must speak Spanish.

 

A Call to Self-Reflection

In acknowledging ways we’ve been perpetuating racism, we need not label ourselves as bad people. We need not declare we are “a racist,” in the sense that we often use that label—as a damning marker of our identity.

But we must admit that we can, and often do, perpetuate racism. We can have a racist impact, even without intent or awareness.

Acknowledging our potential for racist impacts is the first step in changing our thoughts and behavior. We can lead in our spheres of influence by first changing ourselves.

Exploring our racist tendencies isn’t an easy journey. But we can make real progress, one step at a time, empowered by God’s grace. I invite you to join me in self-reflection.

Reflection Questions

1. How do any of my life’s examples of institutional or structural racism resonate with your experiences?

2. As you discover any unjust attitudes or behaviors, how might you want to connect with God about it—in expressing lament or confession, in seeking wisdom, forgiveness, courage, or hope? What does the Gospel mean for you in this moment?

3. Do you notice attitudes or behaviors in your workplace, church, or other groups you participate in that contribute to racial disparity and division? With whom could you share your concerns?

Take Action

Connect with Megan Lietz

Connect with Megan Leitz

Jamaica Plain's Journey Through Time: History + Resources

Jamaica Plain Over Time: History + Resources

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

From progressive education policies in the late 1600s, to the arrival of immigrants and industry in the 1800s, to the establishment of diverse housing projects and churches up to the present day, Jamaica Plain's colorful and action-filled past is worth exploring as part of Boston's unique history.

Some Jamaica Plain Firsts

THEATER  The Footlight Club of Jamaica Plain is the oldest community theater in the country.

ANIMAL WELFARE  In 1868 George Angell published the first magazine on the humane care and welfare of animals, “Our Dumb Animal Friends: We Speak for Those Who Cannot Speak for Themselves.” He was also the founder of the M.S.P.C.A. whose animal hospital is on South Huntington Avenue.

MEDICAL  On Oct. 16, 1846, Dr. John C. Warren, a Jamaica Plain resident, performed the first surgery publicly demonstrating the use of ether on a patient.

Historical Overview

Map of Jamaica Plain showing sub-neighborhoods. Boston Redevelopment Authority, Jamaica Plain District Profile…, Boston, 1979, 5

Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood was a part of the separate town of Roxbury from 1630 until 1851. An influential center of West Roxbury, the town was annexed in 1874 to the city of Boston. Early settlers, like William Curtis who built his house in 1639, were mostly farmers and fruit growers.

The Eliot School was established in 1676 with a grant of land from the Thomas and Ruggles families and later an endowment from Rev. John Eliot, Apostle to the Indians. The donors “stipulated that the school be open to all children, white, black, and Indian.” [1] The current Eliot School building dates to 1832.

The first church in Jamaica Plain, the Third Parish in Roxbury, was established in 1769. Rev. William Gordon, its first pastor, served as chaplain in the Provincial Congress in 1775. 

The Loring-Greenough House was built in 1760 for Joshua Loring, a British Naval Commodore and loyalist appointed to the governor’s council. In 1774 after opposition from his neighbors, Loring fled from his house to join with the British in Boston. The home was later used by Washington's troops as a hospital during the Revolutionary War.

[1] Eugene Green, Jamaica Plain. Boston 200 Neighborhood Series (Boston: Boston 200 Corp., 1976), 7.

Early Infrastructure: Water Supply & Transportation Systems

In 1796 after the Revolutionary War, the Jamaica Plain Aqueduct Company developed an important water supply system from Jamaica Pond to Fort Hill serving Boston’s water needs. The system used gravity flow from the pond through miles of wooden pipes. 

Transportation developments in the 19th century influenced the growth of Jamaica Plain. The Boston and Providence Railroad was constructed through Jamaica Plain in 1834 with a station at Green Street opening in 1841.

By the 1870s horse drawn street cars were serving the growing community, and later electric streetcars took their place. For more insights on the impact of these on neighborhood development see Sam Bass Warner’s book, Streetcar Suburbs.

Early Factories

Also during the late 19th century and early 20th century various factories and 24 breweries were built in Jamaica Plain, mostly in the Heath Street and Stoney Brook areas.

In 1876 the B. F. Sturtevant fan company expanded and moved to Jamaica Plain, and by 1901 it was employing 650 men and manufacturing many products.

The Thomas G. Plant Shoe Company had one of the world’s largest shoe factories on the site of the current Stop and Shop plaza from 1896 to 1976. In the 1920s the Moxie soft drink company developed a factory complex called Moxieland nearby at the site of today’s Bromley Heath Housing Project. In those days Moxie outsold CocaCola.

Iglesia Metodista “San Andres” (St. Andrew’s Methodist Church)

Immigration, Population Growth & Churches

Immigrant groups from Ireland, Germany, Latvia, and other countries contributed to neighborhood growth and provided workers for these industries. 

Several large churches and many smaller ones started up to serve the spiritual needs of the growing population. The German churches included the First German Baptist Church (now River of Life Church), the German Methodist Episcopal Church (now St. Andrew's Methodist), and the German Reformed Christ Church. Other churches started during the 1800s including St. John’s Episcopal (1841), Central Congregational (1853), Boylston Congregational Church (1879), First Baptist (1842), Blessed Sacrament Church (1891), and St. Thomas Aquinas Church (1869).

Jamaica Plan: Population vs. Year

Boston Redevelopment Authority Research Division, Historical Boston in Context: 1970-2000 Decennial Census, Boston: B.R.A., 2015. 2010 information from 2010 U.S. Census, STF 1, B.R.A. Research Division analysis. 1950 and 1960 data from B.R.A., Jamaica Plain Profile, 1988 (boundaries may vary from later boundaries). 2015 data from “Neighborhood Profiles,” August 2017.

Although the population of Jamaica Plain continued to grow during the first half of the 20th century, many of the factories and breweries experienced declines, fires, closures, or relocation. The elevated Orange Line tracks along Washington Street had a negative impact on nearby businesses and residences. The 1930s Depression and later redlining also had negative impacts on housing and housing construction in the community.

An important new development in housing took place with the opening of the Heath Street public housing in 1942 and the Bromley Park housing project in 1954. Although Bromley was opened with some fanfare and tours in 1954, it later developed a variety of problems. 

Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana was started in 1975.

By the 1960s and 1970s many Spanish speaking immigrants from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other places were moving into Jamaica Plain. These new residents started many small businesses along Centre Street and Washington Street. 

Spanish speakers also added vitality to the spiritual life of the neighborhood by starting many new churches, including Primera Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal (1969), Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal “Roca de Consolacion” (1969), Iglesia Metodista “San Andres” (1971), Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana (1975), and Iglesia Comunitaria de Boston (1988).

 While Jamaica Plain’s population was becoming more diverse during the 1960s and 1970s, it was also declining during that period.

Jamaica Plain IN RECENT DECADES: Current & Future Developments

J.P. Licks ice cream shop

In recent decades the elevated Orange Line was taken down. The scars left from demolition for the never-built Southwest Expressway were healed with the Southwest Corridor Park and new building development.

These physical changes along with other improvements have brought renewal in Jamaica Plain. Some older industrial buildings have been renovated, and newer businesses like J.P. Licks (ice cream shop and café) have made Centre Street an attractive and lively neighborhood center.

The future Jackson Square Recreation Center.

Recently, transit-oriented housing developments have sprung up around the Forest Hills MBTA train station. Hundreds of new residential units have been completed or are under way.

The JP/Rox Plan for the Washington Street and Columbus Avenue areas is likely to bring additional changes in the coming years. While Jamaica Plain continues to transition into the future, its beautiful green spaces will keep it true to its nickname as the “Eden of America.”

Map of Jamaica Plain, Boston Planning and Development Agency

Recommended Resources

Green, Eugene. Jamaica Plain. Boston 200 Neighborhood Series. Boston: Boston 200 Corporation, 1976.

This 24 page booklet weaves oral histories together along thematic lines and adds some early history of Jamaica Plain. Pictures and illustrations from many eras enhance the text.

When the interviews were made over 40 years ago, the protests to stop the Southwest Expressway were fresh in people’s minds. This and other issues of those days are brought to life in the oral histories recorded here.

Hirsch, Kathleen. A Home in the Heart of the City: A Woman’s Search for Community. New York: North Point Press, 1998.

Kathleen Hirsch's first-hand account of Jamaica Plain in the 1990s is well-written. The author writes about finding and building community in an urban neighborhood, as well as many perennial concerns like balancing career and parenting.

Although Hirsch encounters and writes about the diverse aspects of Jamaica Plain, her perspective is basically that of a professional from the Back Bay who is trying to connect with the everyday life of a gentrifying neighborhood. Some of her writing explores the spiritual dimension of community, at least in a general way.

She writes, “When I moved here, I didn’t expect that my quest for community would lead me to craftsmen, much less drug dealers or humble Xerox-shop managers, or that a world of Mondays would come to echo the wisdom of the Psalms” (86).

After getting a coffee on Sunday morning at Sorella’s café, she reflects on the meaning of Sabbath rest, “To be at rest is to observe the bones of God’s work through man in the world laid bare. To be at rest is to see with clarified vision. And this vision forces me to contemplate not what I am meant to do with my days in this place on earth, but what I am meant to be. To what, here and now, am I to be faithful” (79)?

Hoffman, Alexander von. Local Attachments: The Making of an Urban American Neighborhood, 1850-1920. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1994.

No other book presents such a detailed historical and social analysis of any Boston neighborhood as Hoffman’s Local Attachments does for Jamaica Plain. The author concludes, “if ever we are going to cope with the problems of our cities, we need to understand better the historic neighborhood and how it functioned within the urban system of late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries” (248). 

The book mines many primary sources including church records to develop a full picture of the social networks and civic spirit that composed a strong sense of local community and public culture in this neighborhood. Its historical perspective “traces the dramatic transformation of Jamaica Plain into a modern urban neighborhood” (xxii).

Hoffman explains and documents  how “the most important voluntary institutions in any late nineteenth-century American community, and especially in the historic land of the Puritan, were those connected with religion” (122).

While Jamaica Plain has continued to change significantly in the last twenty years, this book is still essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the neighborhood.

Von Hoffman, Alexander Carl. The Making of the Modern City: The Development of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, 1632-1920. Ph. D. dissertation, Harvard University, 1986.

Rogovin, Janice. A Sense of Place/ Tu Barrio: Jamaica Plain People and Where They Live. Translated by Yolanda Rivas. Boston: Mercantile Press, 1981.

The text (in English and Spanish) is by various JP residents, with editing and photos by Janice Rogovin.

Many of the stories bring to life the experiences of residents in the late 1970s up to 1981 as they reflected on community life, their homes, and being forced to move when new people bought the buildings they were living in. The book includes many photos and glimpses into the lives of families who were facing difficult times.

Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell. Jamaica Plain. Images of America Series. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 1997. Reissued in 2004.

Topics covered in the chapters of these books include churches, schools, natural features, community service organizations, transportation, early settlers and their estates and houses. Pictures of the early years of the Boston Children’s Museum illustrate the valuable educational role it played in the community.

At one time German groups, clubs, and churches served immigrants working in the neighborhood. Clubs such as the Jamaica Club and the Tuesday Club were once more prominent than today. Churches also sprouted up all over the neighborhood as the population grew. Other important institutions documented with pictures include hospitals such as the Faulkner Hospital and the Veteran’s Administration (VA) Hospital.

If you are curious about the history of the Loring-Greenough House or Curtis Hall or you wonder about the origins of Jamaica Plain names like Spring House and Peter Parley Road, these books will give you brief answers.

Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell. Jamaica Plain: Then & Now. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2003.

The pictures in this volume often repeat the ones in Sammarco’s Images of America book on Jamaica Plain. However, as the title suggests, this work also pairs up old photos with modern photos of more or less the same view.

Whitcomb, Harriet Manning. Annals and Reminiscences of Jamaica Plain. Cambridge, Mass.: The Riverside Press, 1897. 64 pages.

Whitcomb shares many details of pioneering families and their homes in Jamaica Plain. In the process she connects the community to many historical events in Boston and America.

Hay, Ida. Science in the Pleasure Garden: A History of the Arnold Arboretum. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1995.

This well illustrated and comprehensive work details every aspect of the arboretum and its history. The book touches on both science and history in tracing the development of one of North America’s most important arboretums.

WEB SITES

Remember Jamaica Plain blog – http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.com/

Jamaica Plain Historical Society – www.jphs.org

Perspectives on Boston Church Statistics: Is Greater Boston Really Only 2% Evangelical?

Resources for the urban pastor and community leader published by Emmanuel Gospel Center, Boston

Emmanuel Research Review reprint
Issue No. 88 — April 2013

Introduced by Brian Corcoran, Managing Editor, Emmanuel Research Review

What are the sources, accuracy, limitations, and weaknesses of some commonly used church statistics, especially with regard to their application in Boston? Wanting to encourage a more appropriate use of church statistics generally and in Boston, Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher at EGC, considers some of the more popular sources we encounter on the internet or in the news media, such as:

• The U. S. Religious Census and the Association of Religious Data Archives

• The Barna Research Group, and

• Gallup Polls on Religion.

Rudy offers some quick and practical advice for those who are tempted to grab-and-go with the numbers, as if they were “gospel” to their next sermon, strategic planning meeting, church planting support fundraising website, or denominational report. As convenient and convincing as statistics are, beware! They also can be easily misunderstood, misapplied, and generate misinformation.

True or false?

• “...only 2.1% of the people living in greater Boston attend evangelical churches.”

• “Tragically, only 2.5% of the 5.8 million people in greater Boston attend an evangelical church.”

• “Boston is...97.5% non-evangelical.”

• “There are fewer than 12 Biblical, Gospel Centered, Soul-Winning Churches” among the “7.6 million people” in Greater Boston.

The twitter-speed circulation of misinformation about Greater Boston being only 2% evangelical contributes to an inaccurate portrayal of what God has been doing in Greater Boston for decades by failing to recognize the ministry of many existing evangelical churches. Furthermore, it misdirects the development of new ministries and leaders emerging and arriving in Boston each month.

The good news is that the local church research conducted by the Emmanuel Gospel Center in Boston over the last 40 years has identified a larger, more vital, and more ethnically diverse Church than suggested by recent and broader church research projects. With the benefit of a comprehensive database and directory of the churches in Boston, developed over decades, EGC has the opportunity to compare and contrast our street-by-street Boston results with broader, less dense, bird’s-eye-view national research. With all this info in hand, we can illustrate how Boston’s evangelical churches have been significantly underreported in national surveys and suggest that they might also be underreported in some other major U.S. cities. Go ye therefore and research your city.

Furthermore, given the longevity of our research, we have been able to identify what we call Boston’s “Quiet Revival,” which is characterized by growth in the number of churches and church attendees, increased collaborative ministry, and multiple interrelated prayer movements in Boston since 1965. Currently there are approximately 700 Christian churches in the three cities of Boston, Brookline and Cambridge in the heart of Metro Boston, and these churches include folks from many tongues, tribes, and nations.

God is and has been doing more in Boston than most national survey techniques can identify.

Perspectives on Boston Church Statistics: Is Greater Boston Really Only 2% Evangelical?

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher, Emmanuel Gospel Center
Infographics by Jonathan Parker

What about the U. S. Religious Census and the Association of Religious Data Archives (ARDA)?

The 2010 U.S. Religious Census was collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and also presented by the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA). The 2010 U.S. Religious Census provides data by county and by metropolitan area. The method used by this census is basically to compile the numbers of churches and adherents, denomination by denomination. The Boston city data is a part of Suffolk County, which also includes the cities of Chelsea, Winthrop and Revere.

Through our research at Emmanuel Gospel Center, we have identified over 500 Christian churches within the city limits of Boston. The other three cities in Suffolk County have at least an additional 54 churches. Therefore, through first-hand research, we have counted at least 554 Christian churches in Suffolk County. The U.S. Religious Census counted only 377 Christian churches.¹ Thus their count misses at least 177 churches. Because many new churches have been planted since our last count in 2010, we estimate that the U.S. Religious Census may have missed as many as 200 to 240 churches. In urban areas, the U.S. Religious Census / ARDA statistics are especially inaccurate because few African American, Hispanic, and other immigrant churches are counted, since many do not appear in the denomination lists used by the census. Other independent churches, some of which are very large, are often missed as well.

While the U.S. Religious Census perhaps needed to make some simple classifications of churches for the national compilations, these classifications are oversimplified and often misleading, especially at the local level.   In urban areas there are many evangelical churches within denominations classified as “Mainline.”  For example, in the city of Boston, the vast majority of American Baptist Churches (classified as Mainline) are evangelical.  Other so-called “Mainline” denominations have some evangelical churches in Boston as well.  Therefore, if one compiles the number of evangelical churches and adherents only from the list of churches classified as “Evangelical” by the U.S. Religious Census, one will end up with serious errors.

In addition, while the term “evangelical” is not typically used by African American churches, a majority of those churches would be considered “evangelical” in light of their beliefs and practices. This is also true of most Protestant Spanish-speaking and Haitian churches. In Suffolk County our research has identified at least 120 Spanish-speaking churches, and the vast majority of these are evangelical. Therefore, counts of evangelical churches and adherents must include these and additional immigrant evangelical church groups, if they are to be accurate.

Likewise, in urban areas like the city of Boston, most Black Protestant churches are missed by the U.S. Religious Census. The commentary notes that this is the case. Although the census attempted to include the eight largest historically African American denominations, it fell far short of gathering accurate numbers for even these denominations. “Based on the reported membership sizes included in the address lists, less than 50% of any group’s churches or members were able to be identified… For the African Methodist Episcopal Church, they found approximately the correct number of congregations, though the membership figures are only about one-third of their official reports. For other groups, the church counts range from 11% to 50% of reported numbers, and membership figures are from 7% to 28% of the reported amounts.”² In the case of Boston, one can see just how far off these numbers are. The Boston Church Directory research identifies 144 primarily African American churches, 19 Caribbean/West Indian churches, 9 African churches, and 34 Haitian churches in the city of Boston for a total of 206 Black churches. In contrast, the U.S. Religious Census identifies only 23 Black Protestant churches in all of Suffolk County. Thus the Census identifies (as Black Protestant) less than 11% of the Black churches that exist in the city. Given the size and importance of Black churches in urban areas, the U.S. Religious Census is completely inadequate in assessing religious participation in cities. Many of these churches belong to small denominations or are independent. While some Black churches are counted as part of evangelical and mainline denominations, they are not identified as Black churches.

At a time when hundreds of new evangelical churches have been planted in Boston and the greater Boston area, a number of church planters and media sources continue to lament the “cold, dark, sad and tragic” state of the Boston spiritual climate. While there is still a need for increased growth and vitality of many current churches, and a need for new church plants, these reports often give a one-sided and overly pessimistic view of the state of the Christian church in Boston.  It is common to hear that only 2.1 or 2.5% of greater Boston residents are evangelicals. This number is passed on from source to source without question, often morphing and attaching itself to various subgroups of the population. This percentage underestimates and diminishes the work of God which is going on in greater Boston.

One can easily glean a sad harvest of bad news about Boston on the internet. For example, a web-posted Boston church planting prospectus says, “What most people do not consider is the spiritual brokenness that fractures the city. They fail to realize that the spiritual climate is incalculably colder than the lowest lows of a Boston winter…most remain blind to the spiritual darkness that pervades the city. Tragically, only 2.5% of the 5.8 million people in greater Boston attend an evangelical church. Not surprisingly, there are very few healthy evangelical churches…”  Another church planter said, “According to one very thorough study, only 2.1% of the people living in greater Boston attend evangelical churches.” One church planter recalled God’s call, “God said, “I’m going to give you somewhere.’ I had no idea he was going to give me one of the hardest cities in the United States to go plant a church in…Boston is very intimidating. It’s 97.5% non-evangelical. For those non-math people, that’s 2.5 percent evangelical Christian. I didn’t even know there was a city like that before I started studying it.” While it may be more difficult to plant a new church in urban Boston than in suburban Texas or North Carolina, hundreds of successful churches have been planted in greater Boston in the last few decades.

In the city of Boston and surrounding towns, God has raised up new churches among many different groups of people. For example, in the city of Boston alone, more than 100 Spanish language churches have been planted. Many of these are not counted in typical “thorough” studies because they are either independent or do not belong to the denominations counted in these studies. In greater Boston there are even more Spanish speaking churches than in the city itself. Likewise the research often referenced does not count most of the Brazilian churches in greater Boston. The majority of the 420 Brazilian churches in eastern New England are located in Greater Boston. As many as 180 of these churches are nondenominational or directly affiliated with their denominations in Brazil, and therefore not counted in the ARDA data.³ Scores of African American, Haitian, African, Korean, Indonesian, and Chinese churches have also been planted in this area as well. Most, if not all of these immigrant churches would be considered evangelical. While some of these are small, quite a number of the churches have hundreds of active participants. Although one church planter claimed there was only one successful Anglo church plant, a little more research would have revealed that God has been growing many new and successful churches among this group, especially reaching Boston’s young adult population.

The source for some of the above statistics on greater Boston is based on the Association of Religion Data Archives information from 2000 which was also analyzed by the Church Planting Center at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.⁴ The Center’s report and PowerPoint presentation state that greater Boston is 2.5% evangelical.⁵ Since the ARDA data fails to include most of the Black Protestant, Hispanic, Haitian, Brazilian, and Asian churches under its evangelical category, it clearly underestimates the evangelical percentage. Even the slightly improved 2010 ARDA data only identifies 7,439 Black Protestants in Greater Boston.⁶ Just one black church (Jubilee Christian Church) of the city of Boston’s more than 200 black churches has about that number of members. In Greater Boston, there are many more black churches not counted in this study. If the city of Boston has about 100 largely uncounted evangelical Spanish-speaking churches, then Greater Boston (which includes Lawrence, Mass.) has at least double that number. This study also does not account for the many evangelical churches which in urban areas are affiliated with denominations classified by ARDA as “Mainline.” For example, more than 60 American Baptist churches in Greater Boston could be classified as evangelical rather than mainline. Numbers and percentages based on the ARDA data, therefore, fail to identify hundreds of evangelical churches in Greater Boston, and some of these are among the area’s largest churches.

What about the Barna Research Group?

The Barna Research Group has produced many reports on the beliefs and practices of Americans using phone surveys.  By drawing on 42,000 interviews completed over the last five to ten years, they have compiled statistics which they have sliced up into 96 cities ("urban media markets”). The most recent of these Barna Reports are called Cities 2013.  Barna also has produced parallel reports on 48 states.

The Cities 2013 report for the Boston area might give the impression to many people that it gives data primarily on the city of Boston or the city and its immediate suburbs. It is important to realize that this report covers an area extending from Nantucket to Laconia, New Hampshire, and eastern Vermont, as well as Worcester County, Massachusetts. The adult population of this media market area (DMA) in 2010 was 4,946,945 while the city of Boston’s adult population was 513,884 or only 10.4% of the total area.⁷ The total population of Barna’s “Boston” area was 6,322,433 compared to the total Boston city population of 617,594 (9.8% of the area). When using statistics from the Barna Cities 2013 report, one must keep in mind that the city of Boston is only a small part (~10%) of the area covered.

The Boston Cities 2013 Report is based on 429 interviews according to the Barna Research Group. Since the city of Boston represents 10.4% of the area’s adult population, one can estimate that about 45 interviews were done in Boston. Given the diversity of languages, racial groups, and nationalities in the city with its population of over a half-million adults, it is hard to imagine that this sample was large enough and representative enough to give a true picture of religious faith and practice in Boston. In addition, “while some interviews were conducted in Spanish, most were conducted in English. No interviewing was done in languages other than Spanish and English.”⁸ In fact, the Barna website says, “the vast majority of the interviews were completed in English.”⁹ Since the city of Boston has over 100,000 (17.5%) Hispanics¹⁰ with more than 100 churches, it is quite likely this group is underrepresented. This is just one of over 30 language groups which have churches in Boston. In the larger Barna study area (Boston DMA), there are 522,867 Hispanics and 344,157 Asians.¹¹ The area also includes a very large Brazilian population with over 400 Brazilian churches and the fourth largest population of Haitian Americans with dozens of thriving Haitian churches. Because these language groups were significantly less likely to be included in the interviews, and because many of these groups are among the most active in Christian faith and practice, the Boston area report underestimates Christian beliefs and involvement in the area and especially if one equates its conclusions with the city of Boston.

Table of total populations of the City of Boston and the DMA media market area. (The Boston DMA area is the one used by the Barna Research group.)

What about the Gallup Polls on religion?

The Gallup organization interviews large numbers of adults every year on a variety of topics including religion. Recent reports have not only examined national trends, but have also analyzed how religious the various states and metropolitan areas are. During 2012, Gallup completed more than 348,000 telephone interviews with American adults aged 18 years and over.¹² The Gallup organization uses what it calls the Gallup Religiousness Index when it states that one state or city is more religious than another. Specifically it is comparing the percentage of adults in the various states or cities who are classified as “very religious.” Two questions are used in the Gallup Religiousness Index:

(1) “Is religion an important part of your daily life? – yes, no, don’t know, refused”
(2) “How often do you attend church, synagogue or mosque? – at least once a week, almost every week, about once a month, seldom, never, don’t know, refused.”¹³

For someone to be classified as “very religious,” he or she would need to answer, “Yes, religion is an important part of my daily life,” and “I attend church, synagogue, or mosque at least once a week or almost every week.”

Nationally, 40% of American adults were found to be “very religious” on the basis of this standard. Significantly more Protestants (51%) were “very religious” than Catholics (43%).¹⁴ Religiousness generally increases with age, and so young adults are less religious than seniors.

The Gallup surveys have found that the New England states, including Massachusetts, have lower percentages of adults who are “very religious.” In fact, (1) Vermont (19%), (2) New Hampshire (23%), (3) Maine (24%), (4) Massachusetts (27%), and (5) Rhode Island (29%) are the five least religious states according to this measure.¹⁵ Several New England metropolitan areas also ranked low on the religiousness scale (Burlington, VT; Manchester-Nashua, NH; Portland, Maine). The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metropolitan area ranked eighth least religious, with 25% of its metro area adults classified as “very religious.”¹⁶ Although many new churches have started in Boston and there is significant spiritual vitality in the city, two factors probably contribute to the low ranking. Boston has the largest percentage of young adults aged 20 to 34 years old of any major city in the country. This age group has lower percentages of “very religious” people than the older age groups. Also, Boston has a high percentage of Catholics (46.4%), and Catholics have a significantly lower percentage of “very religious” adherents.¹⁷ This factor also plays a role in the Massachusetts state ranking, since Massachusetts is now “the most heavily Catholic state in the union” (44.9%).¹⁸ One must keep in mind that the Gallup Religiousness Index is just one way of measuring how religious a person is, and it is based on self-reporting. The question about the importance of religion in one’s daily life can have many different meanings to different people. Other research has shown that the frequency of church attendance “does not predict or drive spiritual growth” for all groups of people.¹⁹

Some Quick Advice for  Boston Church Statistic Users

From these examples, you can see that it is important to evaluate critically the religious statistics you read in the media. In some cases these statistics may be incomplete, inaccurate, or have large margins of error. In looking at the data for a city, you also need to understand the geographic area the report is studying. This could range from the named city’s official city limits, to its county, metropolitan statistical area, or even to a media area covering several surrounding states. In reading religious statistics and comparisons, you also need to carefully understand definitions and categories that the research uses. A study may categorize and count Black churches or Evangelical churches in ways that fail to count many of those churches. When a survey says one state is more religious than another, you need to understand how the study defines “religious.” Using religious research statistics without careful evaluation and study can lead to misinterpretation and spreading misinformation.

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¹ To accurately compare numbers, we compare only Christian churches from both our count and the U.S. Religious Census (which also included other religious groups such as Buddhists, etc.).

² “Appendix C / African American Church Bodies,” 2010 U. S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study, 675, www.USReligionCensus.org (accessed 28 March 2013).

³ Cairo Marques and Josimar Salum, “The Church among Brazilians in New England,” in New England’s Book of Acts, edited by Rudy Mitchell and Brian Corcoran (Boston: Emmanuel Gospel Center, 2007), II:15. See link here.

⁴ J. D. Payne, Renee Emerson, and Matthew Pierce, “From 35,000 to 15,000 Feet: Evangelicals in the United States and Canada,” Church Planting Center, Southern Baptist Theological Center, 2010.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Association of Religion Data Archives, “Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA, NH Metropolitan Statistical Area: Religious Traditions 2010,” www.thearda.com (accessed 5 May 2013).

⁷ U.S. Census 2010, Summary File 1, Table DP1 (Population 18 and over). The Barna interviews were only with adults.

⁸ Pam Jacob, “Barna Research Group,” Email. 2 April 2013.

⁹ Barna Research Group, “Survey Methodology: The Research Behind Cities,” Barna: Cities. Barna Cities & States Reports (accessed 8 April 2013).

¹⁰ U.S. Census 2010, Summary File 1, Table DP1.

¹¹ U. S. Census 2010, Summary File 1, Table DP1.

¹²Frank Newport, “Mississippi Maintains Hold as Most Religious U.S. State,” Gallup, 13 Feb. 2013 www.gallup.com (accessed 24 April 2013).

¹³ Ibid.

¹⁴ Ibid.

¹⁵ Ibid.

¹⁶ Ibid.

¹⁷ Catholic Hierarchy website, Boston Archdiocese, 2006, www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dbost (accessed 24 April 2013).

¹⁸ “Massachusetts Now Most Catholic State,” Pilot Catholic News, 11 May 2012, www.PilotCatholicNews.com (accessed 24 April 2012)

¹⁹ Greg L. Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2011), 18-19.