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Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues

This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

Photo credit: Matt Vasquez via Lightstock

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

Boston is home to an array of initiatives dedicated to tackling social issues. Many churches and Christian organizations are at the forefront of addressing these needs. Some have been serving for decades. Others are new.

This guide showcases Christian organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

Organized into over a dozen categories, this guide lists many organizations engaged in this work. Whether you want to collaborate, network, volunteer, or learn more about what God is doing in our city, we hope this guide serves as a valuable resource.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. Don’t see a Christian organization you think should be included? Feel free to contact us to suggest any additions.

  • The Boston Project

    “The mission is to engage and equip neighbors, volunteers, and congregations to build strong communities characterized by God’s shalom. 

    “Shalom means wholeness, peace, well-being, righteousness, and justice.”

    The ministry applies “community-building strategies that include strengthening youth and families, developing leaders, multiplying collaborations, and investing in corner-by-corner transformation resulting in a more green, healthy, safe, connected, and economically-empowered neighborhood.”

    For more on their youth programs, see "Youth" below.

    Cory Johnson Program for Post Traumatic Healing

    “The Cory Johnson Program for Post Traumatic Healing is a Christ-inspired, community-based, clinically-supported 501c3 program of the Roxbury Presbyterian Church Social Impact Center that offers a peer-centered approach to addressing post-traumatic stress in urban neighborhoods.” The program fosters connections and empowers individuals to take active roles in helping themselves and others heal. The main outreach of the Cory Johnson Program is  the Can We Talk Network, which has several sites in Boston.

    • Can We Talk Roxbury: “This program component offers a safe, sacred space for people to share their stories of trauma, loss, grief, and hope in words, poetry, or song. Artists in residence offer their creative expressions, and Community Companions offer support. It is a place for listening, and people experience individual and community healing.” Other support groups are also available.

      • Contact: Danielle McFarlane, dmcfarlane@rpcsic.org

      • Location: Roxbury Presbyterian Church, 328 Warren St., Boston, MA 02119

    • Codman Square Can We Talk? A partnership with the Boston Project Ministries, Life Church Boston, Second Church of Dorchester, and Neighborhood Church of Dorchester. “Codman Square Can We Talk? is a safe place to share your story and have your voice heard and welcomed. It is a community-based, clinically-supported program that increases awareness and understanding of trauma, offers mental health resources, and a safe environment for what can at times be painful conversations to occur.”

    • Peace by Piece: Fourth Presbyterian Church

    • Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Boston (Common Cathedral)

    Boston Trauma Healing Collaborative

    “The vision of Boston Trauma Healing Collaborative is to develop an integrated strategy that draws from the strengths of current trauma healing programs (both locally and nationally), to train and equip churches and communities to become more trauma-informed as they respond to wounded people and unacceptable realities that are often rooted in trauma. . . . 

    “This integrated strategy includes a collaborative effort between BTHC, as a local partner with the American Bible Society and the Trauma Healing Institute, and the Cory Johnson Program for Post-Traumatic Healing and their Can We Talk… Network, which will help encourage churches and non-profit organizations to work together to bring healing to those wounded by trauma.”

    Others

  • Hagar’s Sisters

    “For an individual who has experienced the life-shattering effect of domestic abuse, Hagar’s Sisters is a non-profit organization that offers holistic services that empower them to find healing and a new healthy way of life that is free from abuse.” 

  • Boston Education Collaborative

    The Boston Education Collaborative (BEC) is an initiative of the Emmanuel Gospel Center which recruits, trains, and connects church volunteers with underserved schools to address disparities in educational opportunities.

    The BEC “empowers churches, schools and non-profits to support underserved urban students. BEC helps students thrive in all areas of life by nurturing and supporting church-school partnerships; facilitating and encouraging neighborhood-focused involvement; engaging in systems level work; and participating in broader networking, coaching, and learning opportunities.”

    Boston Higher Education Resource Center (at Congregación León de Judá)

    Mission: “The Boston Higher Education Resource Center (HERC) functions to equip first-generation youth of color to access and thrive in higher education, to break the cycle of poverty, and to become agents of change in our communities.”

    The Passport Curriculum is designed to equip 11th and 12th-grade students to navigate the college admissions process and the college world successfully while gaining and developing their academic and leadership skills. The center offers both in-school programs and a community-based program at 62 Northampton St. These programs are far more extensive than typical after-school tutoring programs.

    American Chinese Christian Educational & Social Services, Inc. (ACCESS)

    Mission: “ACCESS seeks to empower, encourage, & motivate immigrants to build confidence, gain skills, and the ability to make positive changes within their own lives.”

    Vision: “We want to see our Chinatown neighbors thriving and building bridges across languages, cultures, and generations in God's love.”

    Their programs include K-5th grade enrichment afterschool and summer programs, adult fitness as well as arts and crafts programs in Tai Tung Village.

    • Leadership: Pasang Drolma, executive director; Annie Tran, director of children and families

    • Website: chinatownaccess.org

    • Email: info@chinatownaccess.org

    • Phone: (617)-426-1070

    • Location: 244 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111

    Victory Generation 

    Victory Generation Programs of the Black Ministerial Alliance/Ten Point, a network of faith-based, out-of-school educational enrichment programs.

    Mission: “Our mission is to empower and strengthen out-of-school program leaders and their staff who serve as role models and the front-line to the children and families we wish to serve. In addition to building impactful and qualifiable programs for students, we also provide workshops and training to empower parents in advocating for their children and fostering positive school relationships.”

    • Leadership: Rochelle Jones, director of education

    “Victory Generation directly aids out-of-school programs dedicated to nurturing, strengthening, and enhancing the social, emotional, and cognitive development of Boston's youth aged 5 – 12. As an intermediary, we support our affiliated programs by enhancing their organizational and programmatic capabilities. Our assistance includes networking, financial aid, professional development workshops, and technical guidance.”

    • Sites

      • Twelfth Baptist Church After-School

        • Leadership: Darryl Simpson, program director

        • Website: tbcboston.org

        • Email: dsimpson@tbcboston.org

        • Phone: (617) 427-5158; main line: (617) 442-7855, ext. 121

        • Location: 160 Warren St., Roxbury, MA 02119

        • Hours: Monday - Friday, 2-6 p.m.

      • Greenwood Shalom After School Program (a Victory Generation site)

        Greenwood Shalom offers a range of enriching activities designed to engage and inspire students. These include tutoring, homework assistance, interactive online learning using Lexia, art, music, STEM projects, physical fitness, social emotional support, field trips, play, and test prep.

    • Programs

      • After-school enrichment program for children ages 5 to 13.

      • Summer enrichment program

      • English Language Arts Bootcamp: A full day program in February vacation week.

      • Math Bootcamp: A full day program during April vacation week.

      • Saturday Online Academy (10 a.m. - noon): Designed to uplift and empower students who may face barriers to traditional academic and emotional support.

      • Healing Hearts Club Camp: A transformative five-day program designed to provide healing and support for children ages 8 to 13 who have experienced trauma.

    • Contact information

    St. Stephen’s Youth Programs

    Mission: “To promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, employment and opportunity through long-term relationships with youth and their families and communities.”

    • Programs

      • B Ready

      • B Safe

        • “Summer enrichment program - provides a safe, fun, academically enriching environment for 650 students each year. We run B-SAFE at our year-round sites in the South End and Lower Roxbury and at four additional sites in Dorchester, Mattapan, and Chelsea.

      • Intergenerational Organizing

        • This program “equips young people to become agents of change and helps them to organize their neighbors, parents, and peers to address the issues of that disproportionately impact their communities” (such as gun violence).

    • Contact information

    • Sites

      • South End: St. Stephen’s Church at 419 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA  02118

      • Lower Roxbury: The Church of St. Augustine and St. Martin at 31 Lenox St., Boston 02118

  • Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light

    “Mission:      

    • To educate people on why climate change is a matter of morality and justice.

    • To foster public understanding of policies that will lead to a sustainable future.

    • To work with faith communities and their members to be better environmental stewards of their buildings by providing technical expertise and assessing ways they can lower their carbon emissions and save money.”

    Better Future Project

    Better Future Project builds grassroots power to advance a rapid transition beyond fossil fuels. Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), a program of Better Future Project, is Better Future Project's network of local leaders building grassroots climate resilience. In 2023, CREW sponsored the Interfaith Summit, How to Respond to Climate Change.

    • Rev. Vernon Walker, former director

    • Location: 30 Bow St., Cambridge, MA 02138

    Boston Faith & Justice Network

    Boston Faith & Justice Network, as part of one of its online book club discussion series, has focused on how we as Christians are called to climate justice. See the BFJN website for recommended resources and readings.

  • Fostering Hope

    “Fostering Hope empowers churches and individuals to care for children and families impacted by foster care. 

    Our vision is the dream of a day when ZERO children in foster care are waiting for a safe and supported family to care for them. This initiative is called Project ZERO. “

  • Initiative on Health, Religion, and Spirituality

    Although this organization is not independent, it addresses the important relationship between spiritual care and spirituality to medical care and physical health. The initiative is centered at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. 

    It aims “to study and implement ways to better integrate religion and spirituality into the practice of medicine and public health. It seeks to discover individual and social connections of spirit, mind, and body within the healthcare context.  Advancement of spirituality research is energized by the practical concern that new discoveries from spiritual and religious resources will yield significant new gains in alleviating illness and promoting human flourishing.”

    Some of the studies are relevant to end-of-life spiritual care.

    Faculty leaders include Dr. Tracy Balboni, Dr. Michael Balboni, Ms. Laura Tuach, and Dr. Tyler VanderWeele.

    Boston Health Care Fellowship and Longwood Christian Community

    “Our vision is to reunite faith and healthcare in line with God's intention of bringing healing to the world.  To that end, we exist to make disciples of Jesus among those in the biomedical science and healthcare community in Boston for the glory of God.”

    Christian Medical and Dental Society

    The Christian Medical and Dental Society “has over 340 healthcare campus ministries as well as over 80 community ministries. Along with encouraging students to live out the character of Christ on their campuses, they help Christian healthcare professionals connect with each other through local ministries.”

  • Housing Justice

    Boston Rescue Mission

    “The Boston Rescue Mission transforms lives by empowering individuals experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless to achieve and sustain life skills necessary to become more self-sufficient.

    “We operate an emergency overnight shelter every year. We offer healthy and hearty meals, basic necessities, and bathroom and shower facilities. We provide sober living and life growth shelter communities for men in recovery transitioning from homelessness to independent living.

    “Our mission is to

    • Offer resources that prevent and end homelessness

    • Support the recovery, health, faith, and independence of those with a history of substance use, incarceration, and homelessness

    • Raise awareness about the root causes of homelessness, addiction, and incarceration

    • Serve our guests and residents and each other with respect, integrity, and grace

    • Continue to learn, grow, and excel in our services

    • Be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us by our supporters”

    • Contact information

    • Website: brm.org

    • Email: info@brm.org

    • Phone: (617) 338-9000

    • Location: 39 Kingston St., Boston, MA 02111

    • Veterans’ House: 173 Humboldt Ave., Dorchester, MA 02121

    Faith Leaders for Housing Justice

    “A coalition of Boston area faith leaders collecting and sharing information and stories about issues facing people with housing insecurity.”

    The group is involved in several practical ministries. Leaders include Art Davies, Rev. June Cooper, Sara Mitchell, Jennifer McCracken, Amanda Grant Rose, and Phil Jones. They are working in partnership with the Boston Faith & Justice Network.

    Send Relief: Boston Ministry Center's Friendship Initiative

    “The Friendship Initiative of the Boston Ministry Center seeks to build friendships with neighbors experiencing homelessness. It begins with sharing a meal, engaging in constructive conversations and transforming lives through fulfilling relationships.”

    MANNA (Many Angels Needed Now and Always)

    MANNA is a “ministry of and with the unhoused community in downtown Boston. Through MANNA, we seek not only to welcome folks across differences of class, wealth, culture, race and mental ability, but also to empower all people to claim their place as essential members of our community. We all have gifts to give and to receive. We need each other. And this is why we gather each week to serve, to pray, and to create together.”

    Mission statement: “To provide a space for spiritual refuge and flourishing; To build a community of genuine belonging with the unhoused and unstably housed of Boston.”

    • Leadership: Rev. Jennifer McCracken, contact and lead pastor

    • Website: mannaboston.org

    • Email: mannaboston.org/contact

    • Location: St. Paul’s Cathedral, 138 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02111

    • Hours of ministries:

      • Gathering of friends over coffee and worship service (Sundays, 8:30 - 11 a.m.)

      • Lunch and worship service (Mondays, 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.)

      • Black Seed Writers Group (Tuesdays, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.)

      • Quiet Meditation (Tuesdays, 11 a.m. - noon)

    Miracle Mile Ministries

    "Miracle Mile Ministries is a Boston, MA based Christian ministry devoted to a sustained, deliberate, and strategic response to the area we call ‘Miracle Mile’ (a roughly 2-square-mile area in the South End of Boston often referred to as ‘Mass & Cass’ or ‘Methadone Mile’).

    “It is led by a core group of four Boston area Lead Churches (Congregación León de Judá, Antioch Community Church Brighton, Cornerstone Church, and Symphony Church) but involves a universe of a dozen or so churches and parachurch ministries from throughout Boston's neighboring communities who faithfully support this effort week after week.”

    Saturday ministries include breakfast, prayer, clothing distribution, counseling and referral, and street outreach.

    Winter Walk

    Winter Walk is a non-profit organization raising awareness and funds to end homelessness in our communities. It centers on an annual walk, 2 miles around the streets of the city in February, one of the coldest months of the year. The Winter Walk raises awareness and funds for 25 non-profit organizations working to alleviate suffering and address the root causes that give rise to homelessness. It helps fund St. Francis House, Common Cathedral, and the Manna Community. Also, various church groups have participated in Winter Walk.

    Women’s Lunch Place

    Although not specifically a Christian organization, Women’s Lunch Place operates at the Church of the Covenant at 67 Newbury St. in Boston.

    Affordable Housing

    Greater Boston Interfaith Organization

    “The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), founded in 1998, is a broad-based organization that works for the public good by coalescing, training, and organizing people across religious, racial, ethnic, class, and neighborhood lines.” “Our mission is to build power by developing local leaders so we can act together on issues that matter to our communities.” 

    Housing Justice Campaign

    “This comprehensive, multi-pronged, statewide Housing Justice campaign addresses challenges to safe and dignified public housing, affordable rental and homeownership, and access to supportive housing for citizens returning housing justice and other issues.”

    • Leadership: Allie Gardner, chief of staff, (608) 630-3041; Kathleen Patron, executive director

    • Website: gbio.org

    • Email: office@gbio.org

    • Mailing address: GBIO, P.O. Box 190892, Roxbury, MA 02119

    • Location: GBIO, 1803 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, MA 02124

    Habitat for Humanity

    “Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston’s homeownership program provides homeownership opportunities to families without the financial means to purchase a home through traditional methods. By utilizing volunteer labor, sweat equity, and donated supplies and funds, Habitat Greater Boston can build and sell homes at an affordable price to first-time homebuyers.” Since its founding, the organization has used its model to build more than 120 homes in Dorchester, Roxbury, and other neighborhoods.

    • Website: habitatboston.org

    • Phone: 617-423-2223

    • Location: 434 Massachusetts Ave., Suite 201, Boston, MA 02118

  • Amirah

    Mission: “Amirah exists to provide a refuge for those seeking to break free from exploitation and heal in community on their journey toward lasting hope. “ “Amirah exists to provide exit and aftercare opportunities to women exiting the commercial sex trade.”

    Amirah’s “supportive services include comprehensive case management, economic stability planning, housing navigation, support groups, individual coaching, and peer care navigation. We provide supportive services to clients living in our residential program, those housed in other local housing programs, and clients housed independently or seeking housing placement.” 

    Amirah also has a rapid rehousing program, a community resource center, and education programs.

    • Leadership: Mary Speta, executive director

    • Website: amirahinc.org

    • Email: info@amirahinc.org

    • Phone: (781)-462-1758

    • Location: 100 Cummings Ctr, Suite 204-J, Beverly, MA 01915 (office)

    Route One Ministry

    “The mission of Route One Ministry is to serve sexually exploited and trafficked women by entering strip clubs and building relationships with the women who work in the clubs. We also strive to equip the local church, and community leaders with the tools they need to understand trafficking, identify vulnerable people, and respond in the most healthy ways to those who have experienced sexual abuse.”

    Send Relief: Boston Ministry Center’s Beloved Initiative

    “The Beloved Initiative is an effort to serve human trafficking and sexual abuse survivors as they are brought into safe community with opportunities to be mentored and empowered to embrace new identities in Christ.” This ministry is a part of the Boston Ministry Center.

  • Harbor Christian Counseling

    “Harbor Christian Counseling provides clinically skilled, biblically informed, gospel driven counseling services for individuals, couples, children and families in the Greater Boston area. Our team also seeks to partner with local churches to provide training and resources that promote a more effective and compassionate ministry to mental health issues within the church.”

    • Leadership: Matt Warren, executive director

    • Website: harborchristiancounseling.com

    • Phone: (617) 299-6516

    • Location: 874 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02215

  • Boston Faith & Justice Network

    "The Boston Faith & Justice Network brings Christians from many traditions together to move from personal religious commitment to transformative action against poverty and oppression. We foster a dialogue about money and responsibility while presenting opportunities for practical lifestyle shifts and justice-oriented engagement. Economic discipleship—following Jesus with our money—is one of the foundations of our vision for Christ-centered just living."

    Massachusetts Poor People's Campaign

    The Poor People's Campaign, a national ecumenical and interfaith anti-poverty campaign, seeks to confront the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the denial of health care, militarism and the expansion of the war economy, and the false narratives of religious extremism and white supremacy. Cynthia Parker is one of the local Massachusetts organizers.  

  • Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC): The Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI)

    RCCI collaborates across racial lines to foster shalom between individuals, communities, and systems damaged by racism. “RCCI works toward this vision by equipping Christians in Greater Boston to engage issues of race in ways that honor the image of God in all people and nurture the righteousness and justice Jesus desires for our communities.”

    RCCI “provide[s] biblically-based discipleship so white evangelical communities can experience — and contribute to — healing from the sin of racism.” RCCI “also work[s] with BIPOC Christians who desire to see transformation in white evangelical communities and the body of Christ at large.”  

    The ministry includes action communities, learning community cohort groups, experiential education, workshops, and coaching. Resource lists, articles, and books are also available.

    Be the Bridge

    “Our vision is that people and organizations are aware and respond to the racial brokenness and systemic injustice in our world. That we are no longer conditioned by a racialized society but are grounded in truth. That all are equipped to flourish.”

    During 2020 and 2021, UniteBoston launched a “Be the Bridge” Zoom group, where 28 people engaged in weekly conversation with Latasha Morrison’s “Be the Bridge” curriculum. Although this is a national organization, a number of Boston area churches have started “Be the Bridge” groups and used the curriculum.

  • Awaken City Church: Immigrant Connection

    "Immigrant Connection is dedicated to building a community of inclusion.

    "By providing low-cost legal services to eligible immigrants to secure permanent residency and citizenship, our hope is that they will experience greater access to employment, education, housing, and health services. Our entire community and economy benefit when individuals experience stability and opportunities.

    "Immigrant Connection (IC) is recognized by the Department of Justice, and our services include legal representation for green cards and citizenship, petitions for survivors of domestic violence or violent crimes, family-based petitions, temporary protected status, consular processing, work authorization applications, and DACA renewal applications."

    Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC): Intercultural Ministries

    “Intercultural Ministries (IM) supports immigrant leaders' work in grassroots organizations tuned in to community needs. We leverage our volunteer and church networks, offering thought partnership as our partners share their concerns and make strategic connections to support our partners' priorities. We network, train, and consult to promote effective intercultural ministry and international mission networks in and out of Greater Boston.”

    Mygration Christian Conference

    “We exist to explore God's heart through stories of migration.” 

    “We believe that the Bible's stories are our stories, and that through the exploration of these stories we can come to a greater understanding of how Christians can positively and proactively respond to the migration crisis in our world today.”

    Mygration Christian Conference sponsors an in-person and online conference each summer and provides educational webinars and resources throughout the year.

    UniteBoston: “A Sanctuary for Strangers”

    “We want to help every church, big and small, to feel equipped to address the migrant crisis and mobilize their church to ACT. We have put together a full preaching package complete with designs, multimedia content, sermon examples, and more, to help churches recognize Migrant Sunday across Boston effectively.”

    Agencia Alpha

    “Our mission is to improve the quality of life of immigrants in Massachusetts by empowering our community members to become leaders, overcome social challenges, and fight against xenophobia. As an immigrant-led, grassroots organization, we work in three areas: community organizing, legalization, & citizenship services.”

    Some of Agencia Alpha’s many services include:

    • Immigration advice and consulting

    • Family petitions and adjustment of status

    • Temporary Protection Status (TPS)

    • Work permit renewals

    • Free citizenship application assistance

    • Citizenship classes (Boston/East Boston)

    • Interpretation and translation services

    Agencia Alpha has also worked with the Massachusetts Immigrant Collaborative. 

    • Leadership: Patricia Sobalvarro, executive director;  Damaris Velasquez, program director; Vilma Galvez, legalization program director

    • Website: agenciaalpha.org

    • Email: info@agenciaalpha.org

    • Phone: (617) 522-6382

    • Location: Congregación León de Judá, 62 Northampton St., Boston, MA 02118

    True Alliance Center

    True Alliance Center is a faith-based charitable organization that seeks to promote advocacy in the Haitian community related to education, housing, immigration, health, and economic development. The Center advocates for positive change, educates its constituents about their rights and opportunities, provides assistance, and develops partnerships.

    Send Relief: Boston Ministry Center’s Geneva Initiative

    “The Geneva Initiative of the Boston Ministry Center mobilizes churches to receive refugees and international families in healthy and loving ways, inviting them into a supportive community and connecting them with opportunities in their new home country.”

  • The Boston Project

    “The mission is to engage and equip neighbors, volunteers, and congregations to build strong communities characterized by God’s shalom. 

    “Shalom means wholeness, peace, well-being, righteousness, and justice.”

    The ministry applies “community-building strategies that include strengthening youth and families, developing leaders, multiplying collaborations, and investing in corner-by-corner transformation resulting in a more green, healthy, safe, connected, and economically-empowered neighborhood.”

    • Youth ministry: The Boston Project partners with Young Life Boston. Along with others, Christian and Mary Grant serve as staff for both organizations.

    • Day program: “The Elmhurst Park Program aims to keep neighborhood children engaged by fostering a safe environment where they can grow as a person and develop friendships.” This is a free, summer day program from 12:30 – 4 p.m.

    • Mental health: “The Mental Health Ambassadors program brings together teenagers who are passionate about supporting teen mental health. Together, the MHA team works to decrease the stigma, educate their peers and community about mental health, and create innovative spaces for self-care and healing.”

    • Life coaching: LevelUp Life Coaching “provides teens with a personal life coach, a caring mentor trained to help them create, achieve, and celebrate their goals.”

    • Summer employment

      • Artists in Action: “In collaboration with professional artists, young people bring shalom (peace, justice, healing, wholeness) through visual art pieces benches, murals, sculptures) and performances (music, drama, spoken word, and dance) in our community.”

      • Healthy Youth Champions: In this summer program, “youth work at urban farms and gardens, learn how to cook nutritious snacks and meals, assess community health resources, and educate their peers and children in healthy lifestyle habits such as exercise, self-care, and healthy eating.” 

    The Boston Project also offers leadership development programs and teen jobs.

  • Black Ministerial Alliance / Ten Point Coalition

    Mission: "to build the capacity of Black churches and ministry leaders to support the empowerment of our youth and families and strengthen the Health and well-being of their surrounding communities."

    The Ten Point Coalition works collaboratively to end patterns of violence in Boston. It seeks to foster cooperation between faith-based organizations and leaders in citywide-crime-reduction efforts and youth intervention.

    • Contact information

      • Leadership: Rev. David Wright, executive director

      • Website: bmatenpoint.org

      • Email: info@bmaboston.org

      • Phone: (617) 445-2737

      • Location: 2010 Columbus Ave. (Lower Level), Roxbury, MA 02119

    • Programs

      • Victory Generation out-of-school programs – see above

      • Vacation Bible School: In partnership with churches

      • Teen Café: Activities and work opportunities to prevent youth violence

      • Community Wellness: Seeks to improve health outcomes and eliminate disparities

    Boston Faith and Justice Network

    Mission: “The Boston Faith & Justice Network brings Christians together to live simply and give generously in pursuit of a just world.”

    • Principles:           

      • Working for justice: “Christians have a Biblical call to be at the front lines of transformative action against injustice.”

      • Practicing economic discipleship: “Economic Discipleship is what BFJN calls the process of following Jesus with our money.”

      • Engaging in Community: “Through our Lazarus at the Gate small group study, BFJN encourages open discussions about wealth, poverty, and Christian responsibility to meet the needs of the suffering and vulnerable.”

    • Programs

      • Service: The “Micah 6:8 programs offer multi-day experiences for those wishing to explore deeply the concepts of justice and generosity in their own lives.”

      • Bible study: Lazarus at the Gate is an eight-week Bible study that challenges participants to understand the Biblical foundation for generosity, simple living and just consumption. BFJN also offers shorter Lazarus at the Gate workshops.

    • Contact information

    Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC)

    EGC “is a nonprofit Christian organization dedicated to supporting the work of passionate individuals, ministries, and organizations seeking to positively impact critical issues in the city. Our collaborative approach aims to create a more equitable, connected, and thriving community for all Bostonians.”

    • Website: egc.org

    • Phone: (617) 262-4567

    • Location: 44 Moultrie St. Dorchester, MA 02124

    • Mailing address: P.O. Box 240017, Dorchester, MA 02124

    The Salvation Army Boston Kroc Center

    The Kroc Center offers fitness equipment and instruction, an aquatics center with a pool, climbing wall, gym, group exercise, youth programs, culinary arts training, programs for seniors, and many other classes.

    The Youth programs include F.E.A.S.T., which stands for “Food, Enrichment, Arts, Spiritual Development and Teaching.”

    “Kids F.E.A.S.T is a children's out-of-school program that aims to provide a relaxed, safe, Christian environment where children experience God’s unconditional love, learn valuable biblical stories, develop appropriate social behavior, discover new skills, pursue interests, utilize talents, make new friends, and have lots of fun.

    “Youth ages 6-12 have the opportunity to receive tutoring and mentoring, spiritual development, social and emotional skill development, fitness fun and enrichment activities.”

    UniteBoston

    UniteBoston sees its role is to “create opportunities for ‘beloved community’ to emerge, one that leans into our diversities, nurtures belonging for all of God’s children, models redemptive power dynamics, and works together to nurture shalom across historic divides. As we nurture kinship relations among diverse siblings in Christ, we believe our self-giving love for each other will be a collective witness to the reconciling power of the gospel.” 

    • Leadership: Kelly Fassett, executive director; Rev. Devlin Scott, managing director

    • Website: uniteboston.com

    • Email: info@uniteboston.com

    • Mailing address: UniteBoston, P.O. Box 961162, Boston, MA 02196

    Boston Collaborative

    “Christians are serving generously in every sector of Boston. The Boston Collaborative is helping them work together to achieve the greatest impact.

    “Our dream is to see communities transformed and Christians known as redemptive change agents in Boston.”

    The Boston Collaborative focuses on the Boston Trauma Healing Collaborative, Pastors Praying Together, Boston Flourish, and Returning Citizens.

    The Boston Project

    See above for details of programs. Other programs of community organizing and promoting community and individual well-being involve adults as well as youth.

    • Leadership: Paul Malkemes, executive director

    • Website: tbpm.org

    • Phone: (617) 929-0925 (general); (617) 318-6937 (ministry and church)

    • Location: 15 Elmhurst St., Dorchester, MA 02124   

    Greater Boston Nazarene Compassionate Center

    The goal of the Center is “to provide relief and opportunity to the most vulnerable, distressed and underprivileged, undeserved, under-represented people of the greater Boston area, with a particular emphasis on the Haitian community, immigrants and youth in Mattapan, Dorchester and vicinity.”

    • Objectives

      • “To enable limited English speaking adults to access skill building programs and basic services to stabilize families, and develop marketable skills that position them for success.” 

      • “To mobilize the community to address critical issues and opportunities that affect Haitians in Greater Boston.”

      • “To provide high quality education and support services that effectively advance youth along the ‘educational pipeline’ from elementary, middle, and high school through college graduation.”

    The Center operates a large food pantry, a workforce readiness initiative, education programs, refugee ministries, and a youth arts and culture program.

    Send Relief: Boston Ministry Center

    “In the heart of Boston, this Send Relief ministry center is dedicated to functioning as a catalytic hub for restorative ministry in and around the city. The center is committed to working alongside local ministries and through the local church to see communities strengthened to the glory of God.”

    “The Boston ministry center is committed to resourcing local churches, renewing ministry workers and families and restoring communities in need across the city. We do this through three initiatives: The Friendship Initiative (relating to homelessness), The Beloved Initiative (relating to human trafficking), and the Geneva Initiative (relating to refugees & international families). See categories above for more detail).

  • This section highlights some organizations that, while not explicitly Christian, are doing meaningful work with churches and faith-based groups to address social issues.

    City of Boston's Faith-Based Monthly Community Meetings and Newsletter

    Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence

    “Our Mission: The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence brings together impacted communities, advocates, public health experts and policy-makers to prevent gun violence in all its forms. Because we recognize that gun violence is a public health emergency exacerbated by economic disparity and systemic racism, we address those root causes through education, policy analysis, trauma informed advocacy, and by amplifying the voices of impacted individuals and communities.”

    “Our Approach: Directed by survivors and member organizations, we seek to strengthen legislation, gun safety practices, research, and funding for community based solutions to create a Commonwealth that is free from gun violence. The Coalition engages in this work through four main avenues: Education, Advocacy, Community Organizing, and Member Support. Many faith-based partners (including EGC) are a part of the coalition.”

Resources
What happens when church buildings close?
What happens when church buildings close?

Churches faced with aging buildings, lack of parking, and aging, dispersed membership may find selling their buildings necessary—or even advantageous. What happens to the buildings when they do?

Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues
Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues

This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

The Value and Relevance of Community Research
The Value and Relevance of Community Research

In-depth research helps us go below the surface.

The Nature of Community Research
The Nature of Community Research

What is community research?

Ministry With Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research
Ministry With Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research

From community-based participatory research to social-network analysis, there are various ways Christians can learn more about the communities they serve.

Community Research and the Church
Community Research and the Church

A Christian church or ministry functions in the context of a particular community. To effectively minister in that community, it’s important to understand it.   

Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community
Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community

From population trends to social needs, this illustrated guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.

Guide for Researching Your Community
Guide for Researching Your Community

From population trends to social needs, this guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students
College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students

This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

Boston Church Directory
Boston Church Directory

The Boston Church Directory may be used for a variety of scholarly, relational, and spiritual purposes.

What does Boston's population growth mean for ministry in the city?
What does Boston's population growth mean for ministry in the city?

More and more newcomers are flocking to Boston even as the number of churches appears to be leveling off.

Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston
Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston

Are you looking to get a better understanding of the city of Boston with all its history, neighborhoods, and eccentricities? Rudy Mitchell, researcher of Boston's neighborhoods and churches for over 30 years, gives his top 5 recommendations for books about Boston.

Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth
Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth

Want to know where to plant a church in Boston? You might consider Boston’s newest or soon-to-be-built residential growth sites. We’ll take a look at eight neighborhoods where growth is—or soon will be—taking place, based on public and private development plans. 

3 Movements Against Gender-Based Violence in the Church
3 Movements Against Gender-Based Violence in the Church

The scope of sexual and gender-based violence in America is coming into the public light—not just in Hollywood and Washington, but in the church as well. Three nationwide movements focus on the church’s responsibility, both in adding to the problem and in bringing healing.

Organizations Against Gender-Based Violence in the Church
Organizations Against Gender-Based Violence in the Church

Do you feel called to help survivors of gender-based violence (domestic abuse, sexual assault, etc.)? See these recommended local and national organizations and see how you may be able to get involved.

Homelessness by the Numbers: 2017 Boston & Beyond
Homelessness by the Numbers: 2017 Boston & Beyond

To address local homelessness, we need a clear picture of whom we seek to help. You may be surprised by who qualifies as part of the homeless population. What follows is a glimpse of the current reality of homelessness in Massachusetts today.

Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]
Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]

The Church has a critical role in prevention, intervention, and healing from gender-based violence (GBV). These resources can help.

What Is Homelessness?
What Is Homelessness?

To address local homelessness, we need a clear picture of whom we seek to help. You may be surprised by who qualifies as part of the homeless population. What follows is an overview of how homelessness is defined in the US.

Understanding Jamaica Plain Today: Overview + Resources
Understanding Jamaica Plain Today: Overview + Resources

Are you planting a church or ministering in Jamaica Plain? Get to know this vibrant neighborhood and explore some great local resources.

Understanding Roxbury Today
Understanding Roxbury Today

At the geographic heart of Boston, Roxbury is home to a diverse community. Like many Boston neighborhoods, Roxbury is in transition—holding the tension between the beautiful old while welcoming in the beautiful new.

Understanding Dorchester: Overview + Resources
Understanding Dorchester: Overview + Resources

Are you ministering or planting a church in Dorchester? Check out this gateway to local resources for understanding the people and community you serve.

Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?
Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?

The City of Boston has released “Imagine Boston 2030,” a comprehensive vision to prepare for an expected population surge by the city’s 400th anniversary in 2030. Can the church articulate a similar vision for what the Kingdom of God could look like in Boston 13 years from now?

Tips for Developing Church Leadership
Tips for Developing Church Leadership

Starting a new church, but short on leaders? A few years ago, we interviewed a number of Greater Boston’s church planters to ask how they were developing new leaders for their churches. Here are some of their tips for raising new leaders.

Top 6 Books For Understanding The South End
Top 6 Books For Understanding The South End

The South End has undergone a dramatic transformation in this generation. Christian leaders in the South End can benefit from these recommended resources for foundational and ongoing learning about this dynamic community. 

 

History of Revivalism in Boston
History of Revivalism in Boston

Journey with EGC’s Senior Researcher Rudy Mitchell through Boston’s key evangelistic revivals from the First Great Awakening in 1740–1741 through the Billy Graham campaign of 1950. History comes alive as we read how God moved in remarkable ways through gifted evangelists, and we gain a deeper appreciation for Boston’s vibrant Christian history.

Jamaica Plain's Journey Through Time: History + Resources
Jamaica Plain's Journey Through Time: History + Resources

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 has had a colorful and action-filled past.

Christian Leadership Web Sites [Resource List]
Christian Leadership Web Sites [Resource List]

Web Resources For Christian Leadership

Biblical Theology Of Leadership [Resource List]
Biblical Theology Of Leadership [Resource List]

Resources On Biblical Theology Of Leadership

Inner Life Of A Leader [Resource List]
Inner Life Of A Leader [Resource List]

Resources On The Inner Life Of A Leader

Intercultural Leadership [Resource List]
Intercultural Leadership [Resource List]

Resources On Intercultural Leadership

Read More
Race Megan Lietz Race Megan Lietz

Remembering the Past to Build Shalom in the Present

The Church in Boston needs to wrestle with our region’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This resource list provides a wealth of material to grow in awareness of how the legacy of slavery continues to impact our communities.

Remembering the Past to Build Shalom in the Present

A resource list on the history of slavery in Boston 

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

One lesson reiterated throughout my Christian ministry education was “know your context”: learn the history, community, and concerns of the people you serve. But this discipline is often lost when it comes to cultural and racial issues, especially the history of slavery. Despite the far-reaching social, economic, and spiritual impact the institution of slavery has had on Greater Boston, none of the three Christian institutions I graduated from even mentioned our region’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. When Christians avoid this history, we can find ourselves largely unaware of the ways the legacy of slavery continues to impact our communities. We will also be ill-equipped to respond to it as a part of Christ’s redemptive work today.

By the Numbers

The Church needs to wrestle with our region’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Other than the fact that local congregations were complicit in and directly benefited from the trade, the institution of slavery shaped our theology, practice, and congregational landscape. What is more — like any sin — we must confess, lament, and repent from the sin of slavery to see healing and transformation.

This video, “Remember & Respond: Remembering the Past to Build Shalom in the Present,” captures footage from RCCI’s experiential learning weekend on the history of slavery in Boston. Learn more about this opportunity here. 

Theological Foundation

"For You Were Slaves in Egypt": History, Memory, and Implications for Christian Discipleship: The Bible calls us to remember the past. Dr. Nicholas Rowe explores this biblical mandate and how it can form us as followers of Jesus in the Haymanot Journal, the official publication of the Society of Gospel Haymanot.* 

Slavery and Abolition: How the Early Church Got it Right: One way we can better understand the teachings of Scripture is to see how they were understood and lived out by the Early Church. Check out this video by Mako Nagasawa, director of The Anástasis Center for Christian Education and Ministry, highlighting how Christians who supported slavery deviated significantly from the views and practices of the Early Church. 

The Freedom of the Slaves: Throughout history, the Bible has been used to both defend and oppose the institution of slavery. What do we do with Scripture that seems to support the enslavement of human beings? Explore Chapter 7 of Esau McCaulley’s book, Reading While Black, which offers one perspective on interpreting the biblical passages on slavery while maintaining a high view of Scripture.

Living History: Historical Sites to Visit in Greater Boston

Royall House & Slave Quarters: Walk the grounds of a Northern plantation and learn about the enslaved people who lived and labored in the Medford, Massachusetts, of the 1700s. The Royall House explores the history of slavery through the lens of power and speaks the truth about our history in ways that feel interconnected and intimate. If there’s one site you visit, let this be the one. 

Museum of African American History & African Meeting House: Learn about the contributions of Black people in Boston in the 18th and 19th centuries, including their involvement in the abolitionist movement. Don’t miss the African Meeting House, funded and built by Black people in 1806, also considered the oldest extant Black church building in the U.S.

King’s Chapel: King’s Chapel is one of many historically white congregations acknowledging its connections to the Transatlantic Slave Trade and working to make things right. Watch a video about the history of slavery in the Chapel and consider donating to their memorial to honor enslaved people connected to their congregation. 

Change Makers: Local Organizations Directly Addressing the Legacy of Slavery Today

Boston People’s Reparations Commission: Join the Boston People’s Reparations Commission as they seek apology, reparations, and reconciliation for the legacy of Black enslavement in Boston. These local efforts are part of a more extensive work of repair throughout the nation and state.

City of Boston’s Reparations Task Force: The City of Boston commissioned a task force in 2022 to learn about the legacy of slavery in Boston and make recommendations for reparative justice. Information about how to join upcoming meetings and recordings of past gatherings are available online.

Episcopal City Mission: Episcopal City Mission is setting an example of how to engage a denomination in the ongoing work of repair. Learn how they mobilize congregations to get involved in policy change, reparations, and solidarity economics to shrink the racial wealth gap.

Resources: Learn More About the History of Slavery in Boston

Exhibit on the History of Slavery in Boston: This exhibit provides a concise overview of the history of slavery in Boston. It is available online or for in-person viewing in the basement of Faneuil Hall, a building named after slave trader Peter Faneuil.

Mapping the Enslavement History of the Freedom Trail: Tourists come from around the world to walk Boston’s Freedom Trail. Ironically, many of the sites have connections to slavery. Explore this interactive webpage to learn how the American Revolution was entangled with and dependent on a racial caste system that did not seek freedom for all.

Embrace Boston’s “Harm Report”: The legacy of slavery has had a profound impact that still lives on today. Read Embrace Boston’s “Harm Report” to learn how this legacy continues to shape our city in seven impact areas. Embrace Boston also convenes statewide meetings for those working toward reparations, where anyone can learn about reparation efforts and how you can contribute to repair.

Learning about the history of slavery in our region is not easy. But remembering the pain of the past can help us heal. When God judged Israel with venomous snakes in the wilderness, he told Moses to make a bronze snake that anyone who had been bitten could look at and live (Num. 21:4-9). They had to look at the object that caused harm to receive healing. Similarly, the Church in Greater Boston must look at our region’s history and understand how the legacy of slavery continues to impact us. We must look to the past to build shalom today.

Are there other resources related to the history of slavery in Boston that we should share with others? Please let us know by filling out the contact form below.

Next Steps

Take time to respond to this history through the practice of lament. Learn more and explore tools to guide your own lamentations. 

Learn more about RCCI’s experiential learning weekend on the history of slavery in Boston.

Contact Megan about hosting the experiential learning weekend on the history of slavery in Boston for your community through an immersive experience or course.

Make the learning weekend experience more accessible to future participants by contributing to our scholarship fund. Donate via the link below and put “ELW Scholarship Fund” in the subject line.

Special thanks to the 2024 Experiential Learning Weekend Sponsors whose financial gifts helped make our inaugural weekend possible and supported the creation of this resource page.

Want to learn more about the impact of slavery and racism on Boston? Here is a list of resources on the city’s long and complicated racial history.

*Nicholas Rowe. “For You Were Slaves in Egypt”: History, Memory, and Implications for Christian Discipleship. Haymanot Journal, Vol. 2, 2022, pp. 46-57. 

Resources
Why isn’t my church talking about race?
Why isn’t my church talking about race?

Many white Christians in evangelical churches feel isolated in their desire to discuss race, often encountering silence or pushback from their communities. Engaging with racial issues from a biblical perspective is essential for fostering unity and effectively following Jesus in a diverse world.

Remembering the Past to Build Shalom in the Present
Remembering the Past to Build Shalom in the Present

The Church in Boston needs to wrestle with our region’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This resource list provides a wealth of material to grow in awareness of how the legacy of slavery continues to impact our communities.

We’re following the lead of people of color. Here’s why you should too.
We’re following the lead of people of color. Here’s why you should too.

Despite good intentions, white people tend to run ahead and take the lead, taking action that is uninformed, misdirected, and not well received by BIPOC communities. How can they learn to adopt a role that better reflects the redemptive power dynamics of God’s kingdom? 

A stunted imagination
A stunted imagination

We can have a strong ideological commitment without corresponding actions. This disparity can be seen in how I collaborated across racial lines in the early years of RCCI’s ministry.

Learning How to Pedal
Learning How to Pedal

It’s not just about what you do, it’s how you do it.

Learning to Bring Our Whole Selves
Learning to Bring Our Whole Selves

When I only engaged my mind, I was limiting my own and others’ healing.

MLK in Boston
MLK in Boston

There’s more to Dr. King’s time in The Hub than Boston University. 

Learning As We Go
Learning As We Go

A new way of thinking helped launch me into ministry. It also changed me in the process.

Lessons We’re Learning
Lessons We’re Learning

RCCI’s founding director, Megan Lietz, shares three key lessons that are forming the ministry and that could serve your own pursuits of building shalom across racial lines.

Origin Story: How RCCI's first cohort took shape
Origin Story: How RCCI's first cohort took shape

Five years ago, the Race & Christian Community Initiative launched its first cohort, a small group of white Christians in Greater Boston wrestling with issues related to race. It was an unexpected adventure, but one that was characterized by humility, transformation, faith, and grace.

Next Step Resources on Race for White Evangelicals
Next Step Resources on Race for White Evangelicals

A compilation of resources to help White Evangelicals live a more racially just life through laying a theological foundation, understanding the problem, and doing something about it.

Intro to Civic Engagement in Massachusetts for White Folks
Intro to Civic Engagement in Massachusetts for White Folks

White evangelicals who are moved by their biblical convictions to pursue justice and resist oppression often lack clear direction on how to seek these aims in concrete and tangible ways. This resource is designed to be a launching pad for White evangelicals to learn how to use their time, talents, and treasures for civic engagement.

Resources for Teaching Children Anti-Racism
Resources for Teaching Children Anti-Racism

As caregivers, mentors, and church family, we need to help children understand the realities of racism and develop a positive racial identity from a Biblical perspective through exposing them to race-related conversations.

History of Racism in Boston: A Resource List
History of Racism in Boston: A Resource List

Boston has a long and complicated racial history, which has often gone untold. The RCCI team shares some resources that can help us better learn our past as we work to build a more just and equitable future for our city.

When a White "Sorry" Is Not Enough
When a White "Sorry" Is Not Enough

Dean Borgman shares his perspective on why “sorry” isn’t enough.

The Journey for Justice: How Lament Powers Repair
The Journey for Justice: How Lament Powers Repair

Liza Cagua-Koo shares her perspective on pursuing God's ways of dealing with pain through lament as the strong foundation from which we can engage productively and perseveringly in the work of repair.

A Theology of Racial Healing
A Theology of Racial Healing

Today, issues related to race are sometimes seen as “liberal” or “political” issues. As a result, some Christians have disengaged from this important conversation, and this breaks the heart of God. Racial healing is first and foremost a biblical value. This article from the Race & Christian Community team explores a Biblical theology of racial healing.

Starter Resources on Race for White Evangelicals
Starter Resources on Race for White Evangelicals

You're White, and you want to engage responsibly and respectfully on race issues. You're an evangelical, and you believe the ministry of reconciliation is part of your calling as a follower of Jesus. Where do you begin? Check out these starter resources recommended by Megan Lietz, a White evangelical committed to helping other White evangelicals on their race journey.

COVID-19 & Churches: Action Against Racism
COVID-19 & Churches: Action Against Racism

As we seek the Lord for how to respond to COVID-19 and reorient ourselves to this new reality, let's consider how racism is shaping our communities and how we can work to counter its impact through practical actions and compassionate faith. Learn more about COVID-19's disproportionate impact on communities of color and concrete steps you can take to work against racism.

Healing Racial Trauma: Fresh Resources
Healing Racial Trauma: Fresh Resources

Racial trauma awareness—by both people of color and white people—is critical to healing our racial wounds and racial divides. Sheila Wise Rowe’s newest book Healing Racial Trauma fills this crucial gap with an exploration of the reality and scope of racial trauma, along with interviews that honor real people’s paths toward resilience.

Power Dynamics in Multicultural Congregations
Power Dynamics in Multicultural Congregations

Well-intentioned congregations with beautiful visions for multiracial community can perpetuate inequitable power dynamics instead of the mutuality and reciprocity God intends for the body of Christ. These resources provide more information on such power dynamics.


Loving Everybody is Powerful
Loving Everybody is Powerful

How has 2018 been for you? James Seaton shares reflections on the summer of 2018 in Boston and where we’re at as the Church.

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

Many White people may be surprised by some of the most basic realities of racism in America today. Don’t be one of them—get informed in this article from EGC’s Race & Christian Community initiative REWE, Race Education for White Evangelicals.

Boston Racism: Pathways for Spirit-Led Action
Boston Racism: Pathways for Spirit-Led Action

To express Jesus' love in these times, Boston White Evangelicals will want to face the realities of the city's racism. Find pathways for reflection and action, suitable for both starters and veterans in the struggle for racial understanding and reconciliation, with links to the Boston Globe Spotlight on Boston Racism.

Not That Kind of Racism
Not That Kind of Racism

Well-meaning people can act in ways that have racist impacts they wouldn't want. Don't be one of these people! Learn all you can to avoid being an accidental racist through this heartfelt reflection.

 

Stopping Racism Starts Here: 5-Minute Entry Points
Stopping Racism Starts Here: 5-Minute Entry Points

Racism in Boston is a big problem. But the road to racial harmony starts with a single step. Check out these recommended videos and special features, each of which take under five minutes to explore.

Churches Engaging Race Issues: Not Perfect but Taking Strides
Churches Engaging Race Issues: Not Perfect but Taking Strides

White evangelicals are going deeper in racial justice, but still have much work to do. Three churches in the Boston area tell their stories.

Reconciliation in Troubled Times
Reconciliation in Troubled Times

Our country is deeply divided. What part can we play in healing the nation's racial wounds? And where do we start? 

Resource List for Reconciliation in Troubled Times
Resource List for Reconciliation in Troubled Times

The following list of resources, recommended by Professor Dean Borgman during his lecture “Reconciliation in Troubled Times,” provides ideas on how one might respond to the racial divisions of our time.

White Evangelicals’ Candid Talk About Race: 6 Takeaways
White Evangelicals’ Candid Talk About Race: 6 Takeaways

What happens when a group of white evangelical Christians get together for candid conversation about race issues? Here are six takeaways from a starter conversation on April 1.

Read More
Christianity & Culture Emmanuel Gospel Center Christianity & Culture Emmanuel Gospel Center

More Than a Fundraiser

EGC’s fundraisers have expanded over the years to embrace the diverse gifts of our staff members and ministry partners, adopting more creative content expressions.

More Than a Fundraiser

Pulling back the curtain on EGC’s content creation process for our annual fundraiser. 

At a historic church space in the heart of Cambridge, a diverse choir has gathered to worship God. But instead of a Sunday, it’s a rainy Saturday morning. In place of a congregation, a camera crew adjusts lights, angles shots, and tries to stay on schedule. But like any church gathering, there is coffee.  

It’s film day for the Emmanuel Gospel Center as we prepare for our annual fundraiser and virtual concert. 

This year, we’re filming at Central Square Church, a sacred space that’s hosted luminaries such as Fanny Crosby, who penned the lyrics to “Blessed Assurance,” and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who preached there to more than 2,000 people on a snowy Sunday evening in 1960.  

EGC film day in preparation for our annual fundraisers. Photography by Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

Each year, we partner with different churches, which generously host us as we film content for our next fundraiser.   

“It’s yet another point of connection and relationship-building that happens, where these relationships are leveraged and strengthened in the process to create something that will be a blessing beyond that moment,” says Saranya Sathananthan, researcher in residence at EGC. “Every church we’ve filmed in is aesthetically unique, and I do think that being in God’s house contributes to the quality and essence of his presence with us in the moment and in the feel of the final piece.”

Central Square Church’s historic building underwent a renovation in 2020, much like EGC’s fundraisers were remade for the pandemic era. 

“Some sayin’ it’s the ending — I think it’s a new beginning.”
— Caleb McCoy

Originally the brainchild of Jeff Bass, EGC’s executive director, our annual fundraisers began as dinners hosted by multiple partner churches around the region. 

(l-r) Hanna Garcia, Elijah Mickelson, Jalen Williams, Caleb McCoy. Photo credit: Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

It was important to Jeff that the fundraiser not just raise funds but also advance the Center’s mission in multiple ways. 

“I love that EGC’s fundraiser is missional for us,” he says. “It raises money for our work, yes, but it also invests in Christian creatives, provides a significant connecting opportunity for Christians throughout Greater Boston, and worships God by celebrating some of the ways we see Jesus at work in our city.”

Over time, we consolidated the fundraiser to one location. For several years, we held the event at Florian Hall in Dorchester or Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan. (EGC staff members still have flashbacks of cleaning the expansive sanctuary with a household vacuum cleaner before resetting all the chairs for the next Sunday’s worship services.)  

Then came the pandemic, and like everyone else, we had to pivot. Our 2020 fundraiser consisted of a single video, “Cry Out,” which included Caleb McCoy’s prophetic line, “Some sayin’ it’s the ending — I think it’s a new beginning.” 

That meant rethinking our approach to content and gathering as a community. 

“God has made us as individuals with different gifts that come to make up and culminate in the whole body. When we collab, we truly honor ourselves, we honor God, and we also bless others.”
— Giovanni Acevedo

Even before the pandemic, we had been moving away from presentations to embrace the diverse gifts of our staff members and ministry partners, adopting more creative content expressions. 

But our next fundraiser marked a clear separation from the past. The pandemic was the first time we began working with local artists in a consistent, professional capacity, and we created a hybrid in-person and virtual concert event that resembled a drive-in movie theater experience.    

Caleb, EGC’s marketing manager who wrote and performed “Cry Out,” says it’s a beautiful thing to collaborate with talented artists, dancers, filmmakers, musicians, poets, photographers, and singers. 

A compilation of music videos produced and directed by the Emmanuel Gospel Center alongside some of New England's brightest musicians.

“This has strengthened relationships among the Christian creative community, and continues to be a blessing in the city,” he says. “And to think, this largely came out of the chaos of COVID, when many artists shared the same uncertainty with their vocation and expression. It just shows how God continues to make beauty from ashes.”

Jen Aldana, singer, songwriter, and worship leader. Photo credit: Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

For EGC staff, friends, and ministry partners, it’s a deeply meaningful experience. 

“I am inspired by this unique space where filmmaking, art, and church community blend together to create something beautiful and sacred,” says Hanna Garcia, development manager at EGC.

“God has made us as individuals with different gifts that come to make up and culminate in the whole body,” says Giovanni Acevedo, poet, photographer, and filmmaker. “When we collab, we truly honor ourselves, we honor God, and we also bless others.”  

“Performing and participating in EGC’s fundraiser event was an incredible blessing!” says Jen Aldana. “As a Boston-based artist, it was special to see my work come to life in a new way by creating an acoustic version of my song ‘Trust in You’ — a song about trusting in God through every season, with EGC’s vision. They stand true to their mission by incorporating the arts and empowering and uplifting others. . . It was truly a blessing to take part in.”

“As a Boston-based artist, it was special to see my work come to life in a new way.”
— Jen Aldana

Each film day is a unique opportunity to connect with these artists. Saranya says she was blessed to catch up with them and hear about the latest in their lives. 

Saranya Sathananthan. Photo credit: Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

“It’s beautiful to see believers with different skills and active expressions of faith come together and contribute to something that uniquely demonstrates those talents and heartfelt stories while also reflecting a bigger picture of our amazing God and all he can do through those whose lives are surrendered to his purposes,” she says. “I left the time feeling full of joy.” 

That joy sees the team through what can sometimes be a messy process of making the sausage. 

“There’s a bit of chaos and feeling that spike of adrenaline, especially for those who are keeping track of the schedule, managing the equipment, and helping with all the logistics that are involved in making it happen,” Saranya says. “All these are things that you don’t really get a grasp of in seeing the final piece.” 

Saranya says she’s wrestled with the filming process. It doesn’t always feel like a natural worship experience with all the bright lights and lidless, one-eyed cameras staring you down. 

“But I’ve been surprised at how the Spirit often moves even in the constrained settings we often film under,” she says. “There was definitely a moment when our EGC choir was singing the Doxology together, hearing our voices magnified through the acoustics in the room, with Pastor Larry [Kim] and Laura [Mitchell] watching and singing along, that I felt like this was my sincere thanksgiving and worship to the Lord. I was grateful to be there with everyone amidst the non-stop laughter and great energy that was created together.”

As Saranya says, we hope this joyful creation and artistic expression “speak truth and encouragement to people in our collective moment and are also often timeless for those moments of needed encouragement.”

You can watch the concert anytime by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

The EGC board, staff, and friends choir at our 2024 film-day shoot. Photo credit: Rosa Cabán at R9Foto.

Resources
Church Landscape Review: Pressed But Not Crushed
Church Landscape Review: Pressed But Not Crushed

What makes for a resilient church over a decade of challenges?

Church Landscape Review: Evolving Vision
Church Landscape Review: Evolving Vision

Over time, you would think churches in the city would be less apt to wear their faith on their sleeves. But a look at a large group of newer church communities in Boston over the last ten years challenges such conventional wisdom.

Church Landscape Review: Open Doors in Boston
Church Landscape Review: Open Doors in Boston

Churches in Boston are answering the divine knock at the door. And the results are encouraging. 

Church Landscape Review: Open Doors in Boston
Church Landscape Review: Open Doors in Boston

Boston is often described as secular, but these stories from churches in the area will stir your faith and expand your vision for what God is doing in the city.

Church Landscape Review: Pastoring Under Pressure
Church Landscape Review: Pastoring Under Pressure

In the last 10 years, pastors have faced unprecedented challenges in shepherding their congregations. How did pastors in Boston hold up under the pressure?

If the Black Church were to disappear, who would miss it?
If the Black Church were to disappear, who would miss it?

There are about 250 Black churches in Boston facing multiple challenges. To leverage their collective strength, almost a dozen of them came together to build relationships for the betterment of the community.

Church Landscape Review: Changing Faces of Faith
Church Landscape Review: Changing Faces of Faith

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? 

Church Landscape Review: Executive Summary Report
Church Landscape Review: Executive Summary Report

How has the church landscape in Boston changed over the last ten years? EGC’s Applied Research team analyzes the data from before-and-after snapshots of a group of newer churches between 2014 and 2024.

Exploring Church Spaces
Exploring Church Spaces

Christians look on in dismay as empty churches are converted into luxury condos, but congregations are beginning to reassess how their sacred spaces are used outside Sunday worship.

Challenges and Solutions for Maximizing Church Spaces in Boston
Challenges and Solutions for Maximizing Church Spaces in Boston

While many churches in Boston share their space with congregations, nonprofits, or community members, several barriers prevent them from fully utilizing their properties for mission.

Opportunities for Leveraging Church Spaces
Opportunities for Leveraging Church Spaces

Churches open to reimagining how their spaces can be utilized may discover new ways to serve their communities, build stronger connections, and contribute to the financial sustainability of their facilities.

Four Ways Churches Use Their Space for Economic Empowerment
Four Ways Churches Use Their Space for Economic Empowerment

Some churches have successfully transformed their properties into dynamic community centers offering various services, from food pantries and after-school programs to cultural events and neighborhood meetings.

What happens when church buildings close?
What happens when church buildings close?

Churches faced with aging buildings, lack of parking, and aging, dispersed membership may find selling their buildings necessary—or even advantageous. What happens to the buildings when they do?

Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues
Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues

This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

More Than a Fundraiser
More Than a Fundraiser

EGC’s fundraisers have expanded over the years to embrace the diverse gifts of our staff members and ministry partners, adopting more creative content expressions.

EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List
EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List

Which books help you pursue the shalom of the city and the glory of God? Here are some titles that have contributed meaningfully to our shalom-seeking in Boston.

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students
College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students

This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

Christian Creatives and the Church 
Christian Creatives and the Church 

The arts are an important opportunity for spiritual formation. How can churches reach unbelievers through the arts while caring for the creatives in their pews at the same time?

Why I Love CUME
Why I Love CUME

After almost 50 years of providing theological education to urban ministry practitioners, CUME’s vision and mission are still being turned into a beautiful reality each semester.

Mutual learning is helping Black churches thrive
Mutual learning is helping Black churches thrive

Two church leaders participating in the BBCVP’s Thriving Initiative shared their strategies for serving the community and keeping their congregants safe from COVID during worship services.

Would you be willing...?
Would you be willing...?

A simple question changed the trajectory of a young college student’s life in the late 1970s. “Would you be willing to go to the city?” Jeff Bass, EGC’s executive director, reflects on how the Holy Spirit used that question to prompt other questions that continue to shape God’s call on his life.

Nurturing Black Church vitality
Nurturing Black Church vitality

The Boston Black Church Vitality Project (BBCVP) at the Emmanuel Gospel Center is kicking off its Thriving Initiative with a cohort of ethnically and denominationally diverse Black churches that are located in four predominantly Black neighborhoods in the city.

Resources for Christians Navigating Political & Theological Divides
Resources for Christians Navigating Political & Theological Divides

We live in polarizing times—but we’re not the first. Prof. Dean Borgman recommends resources with time-tested kingdom principles about how to engage with others in political matters.

Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth
Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth

Want to know where to plant a church in Boston? You might consider Boston’s newest or soon-to-be-built residential growth sites. We’ll take a look at eight neighborhoods where growth is—or soon will be—taking place, based on public and private development plans. 

Hidden Treasures: Celebrating Refugee Stories [photojournal]
Hidden Treasures: Celebrating Refugee Stories [photojournal]

Photojournal of the refugee stories, cuisine, videos, and panels guests enjoyed at the 2017 GBRM Fundraiser. If you missed this memorable evening, you can still take part in the fundraiser -- help them reach their $50K goal for 2018!

Leading By Letting Go: Skills in Courageous Leadership for Healthy Collaborations
Leading By Letting Go: Skills in Courageous Leadership for Healthy Collaborations

What happens when diverse Christian women leaders from across Boston gather for consultation to ignite movements for change? God uses that space to do unexpected things—and challenges us to further growth together as the Body of Christ. Shared learnings from then 2017 Woven Consultation Day.

Connecting Multi-Site Church Leaders [PhotoJournal]
Connecting Multi-Site Church Leaders [PhotoJournal]

On November 20, Vision New England brought together 38 current and aspiring multi-site leaders from across New England for a Multi-Site Forum at LifeSong Church in Sutton, MA. The full-day event provided a space for peers to build relationships with fellow multi-site leaders, exchange insights, and share successes and failures in their multi-site experience.

Staying Afloat in Multi-Site Ministry: 4 Key Commitments for Long-Term Health
Staying Afloat in Multi-Site Ministry: 4 Key Commitments for Long-Term Health

Multi-site ministry is hard. But a few simple team practices can make the difference between a failed "experiment" and a thriving multi-site community. 

Multi-Site Ministry In-Depth: Reading List
Multi-Site Ministry In-Depth: Reading List

Recommended reading for multi-site leaders and those exploring multi-site as an option. 

Ethiopian Churches in Greater Boston [map]
Ethiopian Churches in Greater Boston [map]

Find Ethiopian churches in the greater Boston area.

Read More
Christianity & Culture Emmanuel Gospel Center Christianity & Culture Emmanuel Gospel Center

EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List

Which books help you pursue the shalom of the city and the glory of God? Here are some titles that have contributed meaningfully to our shalom-seeking in Boston.

EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List

Liza Cagua-McAllister for EGC staff

The Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) exists to catalyze kingdom-centered, systemic change for the shalom of the city and the glory of God. If you are also on this amazing mission, our staff recently put together a list of books that have influenced and helped us along this challenging journey!

We asked our team: What books from diverse authors have you read that have contributed meaningfully to your shalom-seeking in the urban context? Why were these books significant to you? 

Submissions ranged from systems thinking primers to books on racial healing, from urban ministry classics to challenging new works less than a year old. From the 28 books mentioned by our team, we selected about a dozen to display in our EGC breakroom. Here are a few of those noteworthy titles, with staff comments.

“I find this book important for shalom-seeking in the urban context because... ”
 

A Multitude of All Peoples 

A Multitude of All Peoples: Engaging Ancient Christianity's Global Identity by Vince L. Bantu (2020) 

In order to know where we are headed, we need to know where we’ve been. Dr. Bantu — a former EGC staff member — brilliantly challenges Western mental models and makes the case for how the Church’s very foundation is multicultural.

 

Buried Seeds

Buried Seeds: Learning from the Vibrant Resilience of Marginalized Christian Communities by Alexia Salvatierra and Brandon Wrencher (2022)

Rev. Dr. Salvatierra and Rev. Wrencher glean powerful learnings from faith communities facing brutal challenges and evidencing tremendous power and imagination! From these historic movements, they offer present-day applications to different audiences, which is very helpful given urban shalom-seekers’ diverse experiences and social locations.

 

The Color of Compromise

The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby (2020)

Dr. Tisby offers an eye-opening and thoughtful account of how the Church has been complicit in creating and maintaining the unjust structures of systemic racism in America. This is an important book for understanding one of the key issues of our times.

 

Ecosystems of Jubilee

Ecosystems of Jubilee: Economic Ethics for the Neighborhood by Adam Gustine and José Humphreys III (2023)

The authors richly engage Scripture to address the relationship between justice and economics, which is so central to making things right in our world. We can’t really live out the gospel without having it reshape our economic ethics, and this is a great beginning!

 

Seek the Peace of the City

Seek the Peace of the City: Reflections on Urban Ministry by Dr. Eldin Villafañe (1995)

Dr. Villafañe applies the “Jeremiah paradigm” for ministry in the city, laying the biblical and theological groundwork for engaging issues such as violence and reconciliation in the city with the wisdom and truth of God’s word.  

 

Thinking in Systems

Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella H. Meadows (2008) 

We work in a complex web of interrelated living systems. Understanding systems is fundamental to our work, and this is the classic primer on what systems are and why they matter. It’s a great starting point or great refresher for your systems journey.

 

Other titles you can find in the EGC breakroom:

  • Beholding Beauty: Worshiping God through the Arts by Jason McConnell (2022) 

  • Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in our Christian Approach to Immigration by Karen González (2022) 

  • First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament trans. by Terry M. Wildman with consultant editor First Nations Version Translation Council (2021)

  • Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience Paperback by Sheila Wise Rowe (2020)  

  • I Bring the Voices of My People: A Womanist Vision for Racial Reconciliation by Chanequa Walker-Barnes (2019) 

  • The Alternative: Most of What You Believe About Poverty is Wrong by Mauricio Miller (2017)

  • The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute (2006)

Come by EGC to borrow one of these copies, check them out at your local library, or purchase them at your local, independent bookstore through bookshop.org!

 

These books help us pursue the shalom of the city for the glory of God. How about you?

 
Resources
Church Landscape Review: Pressed But Not Crushed
Church Landscape Review: Pressed But Not Crushed

What makes for a resilient church over a decade of challenges?

Church Landscape Review: Evolving Vision
Church Landscape Review: Evolving Vision

Over time, you would think churches in the city would be less apt to wear their faith on their sleeves. But a look at a large group of newer church communities in Boston over the last ten years challenges such conventional wisdom.

Church Landscape Review: Open Doors in Boston
Church Landscape Review: Open Doors in Boston

Churches in Boston are answering the divine knock at the door. And the results are encouraging. 

Church Landscape Review: Open Doors in Boston
Church Landscape Review: Open Doors in Boston

Boston is often described as secular, but these stories from churches in the area will stir your faith and expand your vision for what God is doing in the city.

Church Landscape Review: Pastoring Under Pressure
Church Landscape Review: Pastoring Under Pressure

In the last 10 years, pastors have faced unprecedented challenges in shepherding their congregations. How did pastors in Boston hold up under the pressure?

If the Black Church were to disappear, who would miss it?
If the Black Church were to disappear, who would miss it?

There are about 250 Black churches in Boston facing multiple challenges. To leverage their collective strength, almost a dozen of them came together to build relationships for the betterment of the community.

Church Landscape Review: Changing Faces of Faith
Church Landscape Review: Changing Faces of Faith

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? 

Church Landscape Review: Executive Summary Report
Church Landscape Review: Executive Summary Report

How has the church landscape in Boston changed over the last ten years? EGC’s Applied Research team analyzes the data from before-and-after snapshots of a group of newer churches between 2014 and 2024.

Exploring Church Spaces
Exploring Church Spaces

Christians look on in dismay as empty churches are converted into luxury condos, but congregations are beginning to reassess how their sacred spaces are used outside Sunday worship.

Challenges and Solutions for Maximizing Church Spaces in Boston
Challenges and Solutions for Maximizing Church Spaces in Boston

While many churches in Boston share their space with congregations, nonprofits, or community members, several barriers prevent them from fully utilizing their properties for mission.

Opportunities for Leveraging Church Spaces
Opportunities for Leveraging Church Spaces

Churches open to reimagining how their spaces can be utilized may discover new ways to serve their communities, build stronger connections, and contribute to the financial sustainability of their facilities.

Four Ways Churches Use Their Space for Economic Empowerment
Four Ways Churches Use Their Space for Economic Empowerment

Some churches have successfully transformed their properties into dynamic community centers offering various services, from food pantries and after-school programs to cultural events and neighborhood meetings.

What happens when church buildings close?
What happens when church buildings close?

Churches faced with aging buildings, lack of parking, and aging, dispersed membership may find selling their buildings necessary—or even advantageous. What happens to the buildings when they do?

Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues
Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues

This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

More Than a Fundraiser
More Than a Fundraiser

EGC’s fundraisers have expanded over the years to embrace the diverse gifts of our staff members and ministry partners, adopting more creative content expressions.

EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List
EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List

Which books help you pursue the shalom of the city and the glory of God? Here are some titles that have contributed meaningfully to our shalom-seeking in Boston.

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students
College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students

This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

Christian Creatives and the Church 
Christian Creatives and the Church 

The arts are an important opportunity for spiritual formation. How can churches reach unbelievers through the arts while caring for the creatives in their pews at the same time?

Why I Love CUME
Why I Love CUME

After almost 50 years of providing theological education to urban ministry practitioners, CUME’s vision and mission are still being turned into a beautiful reality each semester.

Mutual learning is helping Black churches thrive
Mutual learning is helping Black churches thrive

Two church leaders participating in the BBCVP’s Thriving Initiative shared their strategies for serving the community and keeping their congregants safe from COVID during worship services.

Would you be willing...?
Would you be willing...?

A simple question changed the trajectory of a young college student’s life in the late 1970s. “Would you be willing to go to the city?” Jeff Bass, EGC’s executive director, reflects on how the Holy Spirit used that question to prompt other questions that continue to shape God’s call on his life.

Nurturing Black Church vitality
Nurturing Black Church vitality

The Boston Black Church Vitality Project (BBCVP) at the Emmanuel Gospel Center is kicking off its Thriving Initiative with a cohort of ethnically and denominationally diverse Black churches that are located in four predominantly Black neighborhoods in the city.

Resources for Christians Navigating Political & Theological Divides
Resources for Christians Navigating Political & Theological Divides

We live in polarizing times—but we’re not the first. Prof. Dean Borgman recommends resources with time-tested kingdom principles about how to engage with others in political matters.

Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth
Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth

Want to know where to plant a church in Boston? You might consider Boston’s newest or soon-to-be-built residential growth sites. We’ll take a look at eight neighborhoods where growth is—or soon will be—taking place, based on public and private development plans. 

Hidden Treasures: Celebrating Refugee Stories [photojournal]
Hidden Treasures: Celebrating Refugee Stories [photojournal]

Photojournal of the refugee stories, cuisine, videos, and panels guests enjoyed at the 2017 GBRM Fundraiser. If you missed this memorable evening, you can still take part in the fundraiser -- help them reach their $50K goal for 2018!

Leading By Letting Go: Skills in Courageous Leadership for Healthy Collaborations
Leading By Letting Go: Skills in Courageous Leadership for Healthy Collaborations

What happens when diverse Christian women leaders from across Boston gather for consultation to ignite movements for change? God uses that space to do unexpected things—and challenges us to further growth together as the Body of Christ. Shared learnings from then 2017 Woven Consultation Day.

Connecting Multi-Site Church Leaders [PhotoJournal]
Connecting Multi-Site Church Leaders [PhotoJournal]

On November 20, Vision New England brought together 38 current and aspiring multi-site leaders from across New England for a Multi-Site Forum at LifeSong Church in Sutton, MA. The full-day event provided a space for peers to build relationships with fellow multi-site leaders, exchange insights, and share successes and failures in their multi-site experience.

Staying Afloat in Multi-Site Ministry: 4 Key Commitments for Long-Term Health
Staying Afloat in Multi-Site Ministry: 4 Key Commitments for Long-Term Health

Multi-site ministry is hard. But a few simple team practices can make the difference between a failed "experiment" and a thriving multi-site community. 

Multi-Site Ministry In-Depth: Reading List
Multi-Site Ministry In-Depth: Reading List

Recommended reading for multi-site leaders and those exploring multi-site as an option. 

Ethiopian Churches in Greater Boston [map]
Ethiopian Churches in Greater Boston [map]

Find Ethiopian churches in the greater Boston area.

Read More
Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center

The Value and Relevance of Community Research

In-depth research helps us go below the surface.

Photo credit: Andrew Holzschuh via Lightstock

The Value and Relevance of Community Research

By Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

Why research our communities when we can simply talk to people or make casual observations?

In-depth research helps us go below the surface. There we discover the root causes of problems, hidden needs, or little-known assets and resources.

Research provides a broader understanding of the various trends or forces impacting our communities. With this greater awareness, Christians can more effectively minister in their communities or start new ministries.

Community research lays a foundation for community transformation and effective witness.

This presentation is part of the larger series, Community Research and the Church. For earlier segments, click here.

Resources
What happens when church buildings close?
What happens when church buildings close?

Churches faced with aging buildings, lack of parking, and aging, dispersed membership may find selling their buildings necessary—or even advantageous. What happens to the buildings when they do?

Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues
Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues

This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

Community Research and the Church
Community Research and the Church

A Christian church or ministry functions in the context of a particular community. To effectively minister in that community, it’s important to understand it.   

Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community
Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community

From population trends to social needs, this illustrated guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students
College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students

This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston
Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston

Are you looking to get a better understanding of the city of Boston with all its history, neighborhoods, and eccentricities? Rudy Mitchell, researcher of Boston's neighborhoods and churches for over 30 years, gives his top 5 recommendations for books about Boston.

Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth
Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth

Want to know where to plant a church in Boston? You might consider Boston’s newest or soon-to-be-built residential growth sites. We’ll take a look at eight neighborhoods where growth is—or soon will be—taking place, based on public and private development plans. 

Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]
Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]

The Church has a critical role in prevention, intervention, and healing from gender-based violence (GBV). These resources can help.

Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?
Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?

The City of Boston has released “Imagine Boston 2030,” a comprehensive vision to prepare for an expected population surge by the city’s 400th anniversary in 2030. Can the church articulate a similar vision for what the Kingdom of God could look like in Boston 13 years from now?

Tips for Developing Church Leadership
Tips for Developing Church Leadership

Starting a new church, but short on leaders? A few years ago, we interviewed a number of Greater Boston’s church planters to ask how they were developing new leaders for their churches. Here are some of their tips for raising new leaders.

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

A frank look at the sources, accuracy, limitations, and weaknesses of some commonly used church statistics in Boston. As convenient and convincing as statistics are, they can be misunderstood, misapplied, and generate misinformation.

Read More
Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center

The Nature of Community Research

What is community research?

Photo credit: Sam Ramsey via Lightstock

The Nature of Community Research

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

Communities are complex social systems made up of people interacting with each other within a local area. The geographical context can be as small as a neighborhood or as large as an entire region.

As we learned in the first part of the Community Research and the Church series, community research includes various tools to learn more about your neighbors and community.

Community research is the systematic, careful study of a group of people who have common ties and social interactions, as well as the local area in which they live or interact.

How does this square with our Christian faith? God’s revelation provides a perspective on the world that informs our study of communities and culture. This biblical and theological research combined with community research helps us apply biblical principles and develop practical ministries in the church and community.

This presentation is part of the larger series, Community Research and the Church. In the next segment, we explore the value and relevance of community research.

Resources
What happens when church buildings close?
What happens when church buildings close?

Churches faced with aging buildings, lack of parking, and aging, dispersed membership may find selling their buildings necessary—or even advantageous. What happens to the buildings when they do?

Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues
Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues

This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

Community Research and the Church
Community Research and the Church

A Christian church or ministry functions in the context of a particular community. To effectively minister in that community, it’s important to understand it.   

Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community
Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community

From population trends to social needs, this illustrated guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students
College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students

This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston
Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston

Are you looking to get a better understanding of the city of Boston with all its history, neighborhoods, and eccentricities? Rudy Mitchell, researcher of Boston's neighborhoods and churches for over 30 years, gives his top 5 recommendations for books about Boston.

Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth
Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth

Want to know where to plant a church in Boston? You might consider Boston’s newest or soon-to-be-built residential growth sites. We’ll take a look at eight neighborhoods where growth is—or soon will be—taking place, based on public and private development plans. 

Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]
Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]

The Church has a critical role in prevention, intervention, and healing from gender-based violence (GBV). These resources can help.

Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?
Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?

The City of Boston has released “Imagine Boston 2030,” a comprehensive vision to prepare for an expected population surge by the city’s 400th anniversary in 2030. Can the church articulate a similar vision for what the Kingdom of God could look like in Boston 13 years from now?

Tips for Developing Church Leadership
Tips for Developing Church Leadership

Starting a new church, but short on leaders? A few years ago, we interviewed a number of Greater Boston’s church planters to ask how they were developing new leaders for their churches. Here are some of their tips for raising new leaders.

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

A frank look at the sources, accuracy, limitations, and weaknesses of some commonly used church statistics in Boston. As convenient and convincing as statistics are, they can be misunderstood, misapplied, and generate misinformation.

Read More
Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center

Ministry With Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research

From community-based participatory research to social-network analysis, there are various ways Christians can learn more about the communities they serve.

Photo credit: Hamilton Photography via Lightstock

Ministry with Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

Are you seeing all that can be observed about your community?

From community-based participatory research to social-network analysis, there are various ways Christians can learn more about the communities they serve.

In this presentation, we explore several approaches to community research:

  • Spiritual and religious assessment

  • Historical-research approach

  • Demographic approach with mapping

  • Community-based participatory research

  • Assets-based approach

  • Needs-assessment approach

  • Community-indicators approach

  • Leadership studies and stakeholder analysis

  • Case studies of organizations and best practices

  • Social-network approach

  • Systems-analysis approach

A number of these approaches can be used as part of an overall community-building or community-development process that leads to community transformation.

This presentation is part of the larger series, Community Research and the Church. In the next segment, we explore the nature of community research and how it relates to biblical research and Christian ministry.

Resources
What happens when church buildings close?
What happens when church buildings close?

Churches faced with aging buildings, lack of parking, and aging, dispersed membership may find selling their buildings necessary—or even advantageous. What happens to the buildings when they do?

Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues
Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues

This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

Community Research and the Church
Community Research and the Church

A Christian church or ministry functions in the context of a particular community. To effectively minister in that community, it’s important to understand it.   

Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community
Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community

From population trends to social needs, this illustrated guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students
College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students

This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston
Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston

Are you looking to get a better understanding of the city of Boston with all its history, neighborhoods, and eccentricities? Rudy Mitchell, researcher of Boston's neighborhoods and churches for over 30 years, gives his top 5 recommendations for books about Boston.

Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth
Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth

Want to know where to plant a church in Boston? You might consider Boston’s newest or soon-to-be-built residential growth sites. We’ll take a look at eight neighborhoods where growth is—or soon will be—taking place, based on public and private development plans. 

Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]
Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]

The Church has a critical role in prevention, intervention, and healing from gender-based violence (GBV). These resources can help.

Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?
Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?

The City of Boston has released “Imagine Boston 2030,” a comprehensive vision to prepare for an expected population surge by the city’s 400th anniversary in 2030. Can the church articulate a similar vision for what the Kingdom of God could look like in Boston 13 years from now?

Tips for Developing Church Leadership
Tips for Developing Church Leadership

Starting a new church, but short on leaders? A few years ago, we interviewed a number of Greater Boston’s church planters to ask how they were developing new leaders for their churches. Here are some of their tips for raising new leaders.

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

A frank look at the sources, accuracy, limitations, and weaknesses of some commonly used church statistics in Boston. As convenient and convincing as statistics are, they can be misunderstood, misapplied, and generate misinformation.

Read More
Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center

Community Research and the Church

A Christian church or ministry functions in the context of a particular community. To effectively minister in that community, it’s important to understand it.   

Photo Credit: Athena Grace via Lightstock

Community Research and the Church

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

A Christian church or ministry functions in the context of a particular community. To effectively minister in that community, it’s important to understand it.

There are various ways Christians can learn more about the communities they serve. Community research provides us with the tools to go below surface observations. It lays a foundation for community transformation and effective witness.

In this series, we explore several facets of community research: different approaches, its nature, and its value and relevance to the church.

Resources
What happens when church buildings close?
What happens when church buildings close?

Churches faced with aging buildings, lack of parking, and aging, dispersed membership may find selling their buildings necessary—or even advantageous. What happens to the buildings when they do?

Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues
Christian Organizations Addressing Social Issues

This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.

Community Research and the Church
Community Research and the Church

A Christian church or ministry functions in the context of a particular community. To effectively minister in that community, it’s important to understand it.   

Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community
Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community

From population trends to social needs, this illustrated guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students
College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students

This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston
Top 5 Books for Understanding Boston

Are you looking to get a better understanding of the city of Boston with all its history, neighborhoods, and eccentricities? Rudy Mitchell, researcher of Boston's neighborhoods and churches for over 30 years, gives his top 5 recommendations for books about Boston.

Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth
Where to Plant a Church in Boston: Areas of Growth

Want to know where to plant a church in Boston? You might consider Boston’s newest or soon-to-be-built residential growth sites. We’ll take a look at eight neighborhoods where growth is—or soon will be—taking place, based on public and private development plans. 

Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]
Gender Based Violence & the Church [Resources]

The Church has a critical role in prevention, intervention, and healing from gender-based violence (GBV). These resources can help.

Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?
Christianity in Boston 2030: What's The Church's Vision?

The City of Boston has released “Imagine Boston 2030,” a comprehensive vision to prepare for an expected population surge by the city’s 400th anniversary in 2030. Can the church articulate a similar vision for what the Kingdom of God could look like in Boston 13 years from now?

Tips for Developing Church Leadership
Tips for Developing Church Leadership

Starting a new church, but short on leaders? A few years ago, we interviewed a number of Greater Boston’s church planters to ask how they were developing new leaders for their churches. Here are some of their tips for raising new leaders.

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

A frank look at the sources, accuracy, limitations, and weaknesses of some commonly used church statistics in Boston. As convenient and convincing as statistics are, they can be misunderstood, misapplied, and generate misinformation.

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Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center

Illustrated Guide for Researching Your Community

From population trends to social needs, this illustrated guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.

Photo credit: Boston Heath via Lightstock

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

Click here for a template of a community research guide.

Community or Neighborhood Name:

Community geography

  • Clearly identify the boundaries of your community (geographical, political).

  • Identify the U.S. Census tracts of the community (unless you are covering a large area) or identify other defined areas used in population or demographic surveys.

  • Describe the main geographical features of the neighborhood or community. Describe any other basic defining characteristics or features. What key features (rivers, hills, waterfront, railroad, etc.) influence or define the nature and boundaries of the community?

  • Create or obtain a detailed map of the neighborhood or community. Add boundaries and use the base map to add other items of interest such as churches, schools, social service organizations, landmarks, cultural organizations, neighborhood associations, recreational facilities, and other resource assets. Separate maps can be created for different types of resources or institutions. You can also do this using layers in digital maps. You can use Google My Maps to create and share online maps. See google.com/mymaps. Another online option is to create a map in Harvard World Map, worldmap.harvard.edu, or Open Street Map, openstreetmap.org.

Grove Hall Boundaries and Census Tracts

Map of neighborhood churches

Examples of maps in a community study.

Map of Organizations and Programs in a Neighborhood

Key to map

Maps of schools, churches, and other institutions can be created, or these can be combined using symbols into one map.

Hawthorne Grove, the Marshall P. Wilder Estate


Community history

Research the community’s history using primary and secondary sources, as well as oral history interviews. Aspects of community history may include biographical information on significant people; the history of the built environment; the history of religious and cultural organizations; economic and political history; and the history of ethnic, racial, and social changes. The history can be presented in narrative form supplemented with maps, charts, and visual illustrations.

Old Blake House, Edward Everett Square, Dorchester


Overall population and population trends

What is the current total population of the community or neighborhood?

What overall population trends have occurred in the last several decades? Include earlier data if available. Explore possible reasons related to the changes and possible future trends.

Decade 1990 2000 2010 Latest
Total population
% change from previous decade
Made with HTML Tables

[The formula for the % change is (B-A) /A x 100. Say the 1980 population (A) is 1,000 and the 1990 population (B) is 800. To find the percentage change from 1980 (A) to 1990 (B), begin on the calculator with B (800) and subtract A (1,000), then divide that by A (1,000) and multiply it by 100. You should get -20. You can add the percentage sign (%) to -20. The percentage change from A (1,000) to B (800) is -20%.]

Example of a line graph showing the population trend for a neighborhood study.


Ethnic and racial composition and trends of the community

Fill out this table for the major ethnic and racial groups in the community. (You may expand the table if you would like to include more groups, or you may combine smaller groups into an “Other” category.) Separate tables can be created for each census tract or for specific nationalities within the Hispanic group. Graphs and maps may also be used to visualize trends and changes. If the community has other nationalities and ethnic groups not listed in your table, you can list and describe them separately. Describe any intercultural or inter-racial tensions that exist. Summarize your observations and analysis of population trends.

Name of group (ethnic group, racial group etc.) 2000 2010 Latest
pop. of group % of total pop. pop. of group % of total pop. pop. of group % of total pop.
1.
2.
3. 
4. 
5. 
Total pop. 100% 100% 100%
Made with HTML Tables

The formula to find the percent is A/total x 100. Say 2,000 people (total) are in your community, and 250 (A) are Hispanic. Put 250 (A) on your calculator, divide by 2,000 (total), and multiply by 100. You should get 12.5. You can add the percent sign to your answer because you multiplied by 100. 250/2,000 x 100 = 12.5% of the people in your community are Hispanic. (Make sure your percentages total 100%.)

  • From this table, how has the ethnic and racial composition of the community changed in the last few decades? Summarize your observations and analysis of population trends.

  • Describe any intercultural or inter-racial tensions that exist.

Example of a graph showing racial trends in a neighborhood.


Languages spoken and linguistic isolation

  • What languages are spoken in the community? Provide numbers per language.

  • What number and percentage of the population are linguistically isolated? ( A household is linguistically isolated if all members 14 years and older speak a non-English language and they speak English less than “very well.”) Of those who are linguistically isolated, what percentages speak various languages other than English? What percentage of the population over 5 years speaks English less than “very well?”


What are the age characteristics of the community’s population?

Complete the following table to reveal any important differences between the age profile of the church, community, and nation. Use your personal estimate or ask your pastor for the church data. (Figure the percentages and make sure they add up to 100.) Do the percentages differ significantly between the church, the community, and the nation?

Age category Your church Community Nation
Number % Number % Number %
0-4 years
5-9 years
10-19 years
20-34 years
35-64 years
65+ years
Total 100% 100% 100%
Made with HTML Tables

The formula to find the percent is A/total x 100. Say there are 200 people (total) in your church, and 25 (A) are youth. Put 25 (A) on your calculator, divide by 200 (total), and multiply by 100. You should get 12.5. You can add the percent sign to your answer because you multiplied by 100. 25/200 x 100 = 12.5% of your church are youth.

  • What is the current median age of the population? Compare this with the median age of the nation, state, and larger city, or metropolitan area. Compare median age differences between different races in the community (and between the Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations).

  • Observe more specific characteristics of the teenage and young adult populations, such as the racial and ethnic composition. Break down the age groups by single years.

  • Which generations are represented in significant numbers in your church? Is one generation dominant?

    • Baby Boomers, born 1946-1964

    • Generation X, born 1965-1980

    • Millennials, born 1981-1996

    • Generation Z, born 1997-2012

Examples of graphs showing age profiles and comparisons of a neighborhood.


Family Characteristics and Marital Status

  • What is the average household size in the community? What is the average household size in the individual census tracts or subsections of the community? Observe any variations and also compare with the metropolitan area, state, and nation.

  • What are the numbers and percentages of the population (over 15 years) in your community who are:

Marital status Number %
Now married (except separated)
Single (never married)
Separated
Divorced
Widowed
Total population (over 15 years) 100%
Made with HTML Tables

Source:

  • What percentage of families consist of (Compare to total population: A/total x 100 = %)

    • Married couples with children (under 18 years)? %

    • Married couples without children (under 18 years)? %

  • Households

    • What is the total number of households?

    • What percentage of households are family households?

    • What percentage of households are non-family households?

    • How do these percentages compare with the state and national percentages?

    • How many family households have children under 18 years?

      • How many of these family households with children under 18 are female-headed with no male spouse present?

      • How many of these family households with children under 18 are male-headed with no female spouse present?

      • What number and percentage of family households with children under 18 are single-parent households?

        • Number:

        • %:

      • What percentage of children under 18 years living in households, lived with

        • Grandparents:

        • Other relatives:

        • Non-relatives:


Economics and Income

  • Poverty

    • What percentage of the population is living below the poverty level?

    • What percentage of youth age 18 and under are living below the poverty level?

    • What percentage of youth ages 12-17 are living below the poverty level?

    • Families: What is the total number of families? What is the number of families living below the poverty level? What percentage of families live below the poverty level?

    • Comparisons: How do the percentages above compare with the city, state, and national percentages? Do some parts of the study area have higher rates of poverty than others?

  • Income

    • What is the median family income in this community?

    • What is the mean (average) family income in this community?


 2000 2010 Latest
Community
Metropolitan area
State
Nation
Made with HTML Tables

  • Trends

    • Has the general income of the community changed significantly relative to wider trends? (Middle income to lower income, or gentrification, etc.)


Employment

  • Major employers or types of employers in the community?

  • What is the present rate of unemployment? %

  • Have there been any changes in the type of employment, location of employment, or unemployment rates?


Education

  • Highest level of education: What percentage of all persons over 25 years old have

    • Less than high school?

    • High school?

    • Bachelor’s degree?

    • Master’s degree or higher

  • How do these percentages compare with the national and state percentages?

Example of a graph comparing educational achievements.

  • What is the current event drop-out rate for any high schools in the community?

  • Research the elementary and secondary educational institutions in the community.

    • List and describe each school. Provide any statistical data available.

    • List any postsecondary educational institutions and their enrollment.

Jeremiah Burke High School


Housing

  • What are the major housing types in the community based on your observation? (High-rise apartments or public housing; single-family detached houses, rowhouses, duplexes, triple-deckers, etc.)

  • What percentage of the housing units are owner-occupied? % (Compare to total)

  • What percentage of the housing units are low-income or affordable? % (Compare to total)

  • What is the median housing value for the community? For the nation?

  • Is the housing value increasing, decreasing, or stable?

  • What are the current typical monthly rental costs for a

    • Studio:

    • One-bedroom:

    • Two-bedroom:

    • Or more bedrooms

  • What housing needs and problems does the community have?


Recreation

List any important recreational facilities and activities in the community:

  • Source:

Community events

List major community events that occur annually or regularly:

  • Source:

Organizations

List any major community organizations, neighborhood associations, clubs, social, political, or educational groups:

  • Source:

Media

  • How are events in the community publicized?

  • Is there a community newspaper?

  • Source:

Social Needs

  • List any important Social Service Agencies and their services:

    • Source:

  • List three social needs that are not being effectively met by these groups.

    • Source:

  • What are the major crime concerns in the neighborhood?

    • Source:

Click here for a template of a community research guide.

Resources
The Value and Relevance of Community Research
The Value and Relevance of Community Research

In-depth research helps us go below the surface.

The Nature of Community Research
The Nature of Community Research

What is community research?

Ministry With Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research
Ministry With Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research

From community-based participatory research to social-network analysis, there are various ways Christians can learn more about the communities they serve.

Read More
Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center Communities Emmanuel Gospel Center

Guide for Researching Your Community

From population trends to social needs, this guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.

Photo credit: JYount Photo via Lightstock

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

Click here for an illustrated guide to researching your community.

Community or Neighborhood name:


Community geography

  • Clearly identify the boundaries of your community (geographical, political).

  • Identify the U.S. Census tracts of the community (unless you are covering a large area) or identify other defined areas used in population or demographic surveys.

  • Describe the main geographical features of the neighborhood or community. Describe any other basic defining characteristics or features. What key features (rivers, hills, waterfront, railroad, etc.) influence or define the nature and boundaries of the community?

  • Create or obtain a detailed map of the neighborhood or community. Add boundaries and use the base map to add other items of interest such as churches, schools, social service organizations, landmarks, cultural organizations, neighborhood associations, recreational facilities, and other resource assets. Separate maps can be created for different types of resources or institutions. You can also do this using layers in digital maps. You can use Google My Maps to create and share online maps. See google.com/mymaps. Another online option is to create a map in Harvard World Map, worldmap.harvard.edu, or Open Street Map, openstreetmap.org.

Community history

Research the community’s history using primary and secondary sources, as well as oral history interviews. Aspects of community history may include biographical information on significant people; the history of the built environment; the history of religious and cultural organizations; economic and political history; and the history of ethnic, racial, and social changes. The history can be presented in narrative form supplemented with maps, charts, and visual illustrations.

Overall population and population trends

What is the current total population of the community or neighborhood?

What overall population trends have occurred in the last several decades? Include earlier data if available. Explore possible reasons related to the changes and possible future trends.

Decade 1990 2000 2010 Latest
Total population
% change from previous decade
Made with HTML Tables

[The formula to find the % change is (B-A) /A x 100. Say the 1980 population (A) is 1,000 and the 1990 population (B) is 800. To find the percentage change from 1980 (A) to 1990 (B), begin on the calculator with B (800) and subtract A (1,000), then divide that by A (1,000) and multiply by 100. You should get -20. You can add the percentage (%) sign to -20. The percentage change from A (1,000) to B (800) is -20%.]

Ethnic and Racial composition and trends of the community

Fill out this table for the major ethnic and racial groups in the community. (You may expand the table if you would like to include more groups, or you may combine smaller groups into an “Other” category.) Separate tables can be created for each census tract or for specific nationalities within the Hispanic group. Graphs and maps may also be used to visualize trends and changes. If the community has other nationalities and ethnic groups not listed in your table, you can list and describe them separately. Describe any intercultural or inter-racial tensions that exist. Summarize your observations and analysis of population trends.

Name of group (ethnic group, racial group etc.) 2000 2010 Latest
pop. of group % of total pop. pop. of group % of total pop. pop. of group % of total pop.
1.
2.
3. 
4. 
5. 
Total pop. 100% 100% 100%
Made with HTML Tables

The formula to find the percent is A/total x 100. Say there are 2,000 people (total) in your community, and 250 (A) are Hispanic. Put 250 (A) on your calculator, divide by 2,000 (total), and multiply by 100. You should get 12.5. You can add the percentage (%) sign to your answer because you multiplied by 100. 250/2,000 x 100 = 12.5% of the people in your community are Hispanic. (Make sure your percentages total 100%.)

  • From this table, how has the ethnic and racial composition of the community changed in the last few decades? Summarize your observations and analysis of population trends.

  • Describe any intercultural or inter-racial tensions that exist.


Languages spoken and linguistic isolation

  • What languages are spoken in the community? Provide numbers per language.

  • What number and percentage of the population are linguistically isolated? ( A household is linguistically isolated if all members 14 years and older speak a non-English language and they speak English less than “very well.”) Of those who are linguistically isolated, what percentages speak various languages other than English? What percentage of the population over 5 years speaks English less than “very well?”

What are the age characteristics of the community’s population?

Complete the following table to reveal any important differences between the age profile of the church, community, and nation. Use your personal estimate or ask your pastor for the church data. (Figure the percentages and make sure they add up to 100.) Do the percentages differ significantly between the church, the community, and the nation?

Age category Your church Community Nation
Number % Number % Number %
0-4 years
5-9 years
10-19 years
20-34 years
35-64 years
65+ years
Total 100% 100% 100%
Made with HTML Tables

The formula to find the percent is A/total x 100. Say there are 200 people (total) in your church, and 25 (A) are youth. Put 25 (A) on your calculator, divide by 200 (total), and multiply by 100. You should get 12.5. You can add the percentage (%) sign to your answer because you multiplied by 100. 25/200 x 100 = 12.5% of your church is youth.

  • What is the current median age of the population? Compare this with the median age of the nation, state, and larger city, or metropolitan area. Compare median age differences between different races in the community (and between the Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations).

  • Observe more specific characteristics of the teenage and young adult populations, such as the racial and ethnic composition. Break down the age groups by single years.

  • Which generations are represented in significant numbers in your church? Is one generation dominant?

    • Baby Boomers, born 1946-1964

    • Generation X, born 1965-1980

    • Millennials, born 1981-1996

    • Generation Z, born 1997-2012

Family Characteristics and Marital Status

  • What is the average household size in the community? What is the average household size in the individual census tracts or subsections of the community? Observe any variations and also compare with the metropolitan area, state, and nation.

  • What are the numbers and percentages of the population (over 15 years) in your community who are:

Marital status Number %
Now married (except separated)
Single (never married)
Separated
Divorced
Widowed
Total population (over 15 years) 100%
Made with HTML Tables

Source:

  • What percentage of families consist of (Compare to total population: A/total x 100 = %)

    • Married couples with children (under 18 years)? %

    • Married couples without children (under 18 years)? %

  • Households

    • What is the total number of households?

    • What percentage of households are family households?

    • What percentage of households are non-family households?

    • How do these percentages compare with the state and national percentages?

    • How many family households have children under 18 years?

      • How many of these family households with children under 18 are female-headed with no male spouse present?

      • How many of these family households with children under 18 are male-headed with no female spouse present?

      • What number and percentage of family households with children under 18 are single-parent households?

        • Number:

        • %:

      • What percentage of children under 18 years living in households, lived with

        • Grandparents:

        • Other relatives:

        • Non-relatives:

Economics and income

  • Poverty

    • What percentage of the population is living below the poverty level?

    • What percentage of youth age 18 and under are living below the poverty level?

    • What percentage of youth ages 12-17 are living below the poverty level?

    • Families: What is the total number of families? What is the number of families living below the poverty level? What percentage of families live below the poverty level?

    • Comparisons: How do the percentages above compare with the city, state, and national percentages? Do some parts of the study area have higher rates of poverty than others?

  • Income

    • What is the median family income in this community?

    • What is the mean (average) family income in this community?


 2000 2010 Latest
Community
Metropolitan area
State
Nation
Made with HTML Tables

  • Trends

    • Has the general income of the community changed significantly relative to wider trends? (Middle income to lower income, or gentrification, etc.)

Employment

  • Major employers or types of employers in the community?

  • What is the present rate of unemployment? %

  • Have there been any changes in the type of employment, location of employment, or unemployment rates?

Education

  • Highest level of education: What percentage of all persons over 25 years old have

    • Less than high school?

    • High school?

    • Bachelor’s degree?

    • Master’s degree or higher

  • How do these percentages compare with the national and state percentages?

  • What is the current event drop-out rate for any high schools in the community?

  • Research the elementary and secondary educational institutions in the community.

    • List and describe each school. Provide any statistical data available.

    • List any postsecondary educational institutions and their enrollment.

Housing

  • What are the major housing types in the community based on your observation? (High-rise apartments or public housing; single-family detached houses, rowhouses, duplexes, triple-deckers, etc.)

  • What percentage of the housing units are owner-occupied? % (Compare to total)

  • What percentage of the housing units are low-income or affordable? % (Compare to total)

  • What is the median housing value for the community? For the nation?

  • Is the housing value increasing, decreasing, or stable?

  • What are the current typical monthly rental costs for a

    • Studio:

    • One-bedroom:

    • Two-bedroom:

    • Or more bedrooms

  • What housing needs and problems does the community have?

Recreation

List any important recreational facilities and activities in the community:

  • Source:

Community events

List major community events that occur annually or regularly:

  • Source:

Organizations

List any major community organizations, neighborhood associations, clubs, social, political, or educational groups:

  • Source:

Media

  • How are events in the community publicized?

  • Is there a community newspaper?

  • Source:

Social Needs

  • List any important Social Service Agencies and their services:

    • Source:

  • List three social needs that are not being effectively met by these groups:

    • Source:

  • What are the major crime concerns in the neighborhood?

    • Source:

Click here for an illustrated guide to researching your community.

Resources
The Value and Relevance of Community Research
The Value and Relevance of Community Research

In-depth research helps us go below the surface.

The Nature of Community Research
The Nature of Community Research

What is community research?

Ministry With Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research
Ministry With Eyes Wide Open: The Varied Lenses of Community Research

From community-based participatory research to social-network analysis, there are various ways Christians can learn more about the communities they serve.

Read More
Emmanuel Gospel Center Emmanuel Gospel Center

Finding a flower in the crack

A discussion group for people involved in the child welfare system in Boston has led to collaboration as members learn from each other and better understand the system which affects their lives and directs their work.

Photo credit: KevinCarden via Lightstock

Finding a flower in the crack

A story of shared humanity within the child welfare ecosystem

by Kay Rideout

One meeting — that’s all they agreed to in the beginning.

On Feb. 26, 2018, an email from Liza Cagua-Koo of the Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) pinged the inboxes of six individuals intertwined with the child welfare system in Greater Boston. A suburban fostering grandmother with the church-based initiative Home for Good. An urban bivocational pastor and social worker with the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE). A leader from the New England Christian non-profit Fostering Hope. A certified counselor and foster parent.

The email extended an open-ended invitation.

“You are receiving this email because I or someone else on this list knows about your engagement in supporting & recruiting families doing foster care and/or adoption,” Cagua-Koo wrote. “I don’t have an agenda for this time – the goal is for you to connect….”

Recognizing the opportunity to build on shared connections and passions, the group agreed to meet in MARE’s Newton offices the following month.

Before this meeting, individuals in the group had experienced the weight of the child welfare system — each from a different vantage point.

As a kinship foster parent, Wendy Jacobi knew the difficulties facing children and families in the system and the lack of available resources. For 17 years, Jacobi and her husband have worked to build support systems encompassing neuropsychologists, developmental pediatricians, and childcare workers.

For years, Rev. Dr. Ricardo Franco recognized the need for cross-system collaboration between churches and child welfare workers but found that the timing was never quite right. Letters, emails, and intentional conversations led to few open doors.

“It really is invaluable. Just having a space where people feel comfortable, where they feel safe, where they truly feel like they can share their thoughts — even if they haven’t fully grappled with them.”
— Ana Maria Tormes

Never envisioning himself in the world of foster care, Jonathan Reid began his journey as a foster parent with negative assumptions surrounding both children in the system and their families. Through interactions and first-hand experiences with these families, Reid became passionate about helping to reframe churches’ perceptions of children and families within the child welfare system: a desire which has since led him to develop the Fostering Hope initiative.

Though individual, their experiences represent patterns of pain and complexity embedded in the child welfare system.

Like many complex systems, the child welfare system can often feel concrete: heavy, immovable, challenging to navigate, and often built on conflicting agendas. A system where families are both separated and supported — where turnover rates are high, emotional and professional burnouts are frequent, and change is glacial.

But life, movement, and beauty are still at work in heavy, inflexible spaces. Despite the difficult realities in every system, there are moments when the concrete cracks long enough for a flower to take root in the gap.

On that day in 2018, eight individuals, connecting on shared hopes and experiences, discovered a crack in the concrete.

“I prayed for this and I (had) been waiting for this — more than pray … I yearned for this,” Franco said. “I longed for this in my heart from the very beginning, but I didn’t feel like it (had) any echo, any resonance with other people.”

One meeting turned into two, and two turned into a series of monthly meetings arranged over four years — interrupted by COVID-19 but not derailed.

The group’s structure was organic and relational: formed by Cagua-Koo and Franco’s intentional decisions to empower all the voices and individuals in the room. This context, set apart from the whirlwind of personal and professional responsibilities, cultivated honest discussions.

“(Systems language has) definitely made a big difference in (Fostering Hope’s) thinking and planning as an org. I’m regularly thinking about some of these simple baseline questions like, ‘OK, what’s an unintended consequence if we do this? Who is this going to affect that we wouldn’t want it to affect?’”
— Jonathan Reid

“It really is invaluable,” former Fostering Hope Programs Coordinator Ana Maria Tormes said. “Just having a space where people feel comfortable, where they feel safe, where they truly feel like they can share their thoughts — even if they haven’t fully grappled with them.”

More people entered into the conversation as members and guest speakers — individuals from different backgrounds, communities, roles, beliefs, and experiences — who could together better understand the system which affected their lives and directed their work.

A dozen individuals participate in this space today. Group members have come and gone as needed, introducing friends, co-workers, and supervisors along the way.

Years later, the fruit that has come from the group can be seen internally and through participating leaders’ efforts.

Connection has led to collaboration: both within the group and with those outside of it.

Group members have shared insights and resources at Vision New England’s forums that connect Christian leaders across the region interested in engaging the foster care space. They have successfully supported one another throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: working together and coaching one another as they transitioned from exclusively in-person events to virtual spaces that effectively engaged new families.

But while these collaborative, external accomplishments are significant, leaders in the group consistently point to the internal, personal and relational fruit that has formed within and between them.

Intellectually, group members were exposed to systems models that help articulate and inform the ecosystem in which they operate. Discussions surrounding differences between urban and suburban strategies, characteristics that define supportive foster families, and best practices for church–agency collaborations have given new language and ways of thinking to those involved in the conversations. Group members are not just sharing what they already know but revealing new insights and points of leverage in their discussions with one another.

“I can read books about strategies and how to support families, how to recruit families — there are tons of materials … but this has been my best social work education in terms of bringing the humanity of the field in front of me.”
— Rev. Dr. Ricardo Franco

“(Systems language has) definitely made a big difference in (Fostering Hope’s) thinking and planning as an org.,” Reid said. “I’m regularly thinking about some of these simple baseline questions like, ‘OK, what’s an unintended consequence if we do this? Who is this going to affect that we wouldn’t want it to affect?’”

The intellectual curiosity this learning requires has served the group well as individuals engage their own stereotypes, preconceived narratives, and misplaced assumptions. As people from different spaces in the child welfare system and the broader systems serving urban families gathered in one room, shared stories and experiences quickly began to challenge individual perspectives.

For Jacobi, one of the most significant moments of learning took place when a family case worker was invited to share the complexity and weight of her role with members of the group. “She talked about her trauma — that she had been traumatized [by her job] had never occurred to me … I so wanted to weep for this woman,” Jacobi said. “That to me was the moment that made me say, ‘I understand it now.’”

In conversation with eight other group members, each voiced this same perspective–shift — this expansion of worldview that has added new layers of complexity to their perceptions surrounding other individuals, churches, organizations, institutions and families interacting in the child welfare ecosystem.

“I learned so quickly from the insights (and) from these other folks sharing their perspective,” Reid said. “Adding insights and ideas and concepts and perspectives that I would have not ever known or thought of had I not been at a table with them and in a space where we could kind of quietly listen and learn from each other.”

Cagua-Koo noted that the work of listening to one another and “humanizing” individuals within the group has been a critical outcome.

Franco echoed this idea. “The learning for me has been the (human) part — the humanity of all the players,” Franco said. “Because you know what? I can read books about strategies and how to support families, how to recruit families — there are tons of materials … but this has been my best social work education in terms of bringing the humanity of the field in front of me.”

Shared humanity has brought more than a perspective shift: it has brought healing, compassion, and mutual trust.

“Regardless of what progress looks like to each person, nothing will move forward if we cannot maintain each other’s humanity and change the way in which we view systems and our place in them.”
— Liza Cagua-Koo

This shared humanity has the potential to become a foundation from which leaders in the system can work together to reimagine better ways to support vulnerable families and their children.

“Descriptors of the child welfare system in the urban context vary from ‘needed’ to ‘broken’ to straight up ‘demonic’ — and what word you use largely depends on your felt experience with its institutions and your vantage point in a society with a history of separating children from their families and over-policing families of color. Some activists would like to see the child welfare system radically overhauled, even abolished,” Cagua-Koo said. “But regardless of what progress looks like to each person, nothing will move forward if we cannot maintain each other’s humanity and change the way in which we view systems and our place in them.”

Like Cagua-Koo, members of the group have come to recognize that the child welfare system is not simply a machine to be overhauled, endured, or defended but that it is also a broad web of human beings working to support children and their families — human beings who are all subject to the limits of their organizational systems and institutional worldviews.

And while each group member lives within these limits, they have found that — together — limits of understanding, worldview, and best approach can be challenged.

Nevertheless, entering a deeply relational space that brings tangled, messy narratives to the forefront requires humility, patience, and commitment. It demands both the desire and the capacity to make space for critical conversations amid organizational priorities, family routines, external meetings, and overflowing schedules. It involves a willingness to journey into unknown areas and follow the path as it unfolds.

“Certain people stick, but not everybody stays,” Cagua-Koo said. “The more that you have a singular focus on quick and ‘effective’ action, probably the harder it is for you to be in the group because of the way the group has had to flow.”

The work needed within these complex systems is not simple or easy, but it is possible.

A few years into the process, this group is still just beginning — a crack, if you will, in the concrete. But out of this crack, a flower of collective learning, mourning, celebration, humanity, and possibility is beginning to grow.

Kay Rideout

About the Author

Kay Rideout served as a Summer 2022 Communications and Research Assistant at EGC. She is currently working towards a B.A. in Multimedia Journalism at Taylor University in Indiana and plans to graduate in 2024. Kay is passionate about in-depth narratives (specifically those coming from lesser-seen spaces), storytelling and the value of an individual’s lived experience. While still in the process of discerning post-graduation plans, she knows narratives will play a key role in whichever field she enters! Having grown up both overseas and in the Greater Boston area, she enjoys Boston’s unique culture and culinary experiences (Mike’s Pastry topping the list!).

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Christianity & Culture Emmanuel Gospel Center Christianity & Culture Emmanuel Gospel Center

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students

This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

Skyler via Lightstock

College Ministries and Churches Serving University Students in Boston

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

With its 150,000 students and 35 colleges and universities, Boston has long been known as one of the leading college towns in America. The greater Boston area has about 50 colleges and universities and over 250,000 students. Known as the Athens of America, Boston also hosts many thousands of international students, scholars, and researchers.

Here is a selective guide to some Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.

If you are a prospective student, parent, youth worker, or advisor, this information can help you find a Christian group or staff worker. If you believe God is calling you into campus ministry, Boston is a strategic area with many opportunities for ministry. If you have a concern to pray for Boston-area campuses, students, and ministries, this guide provides an overview and some information to start with. Current students with questions about God or the Christian faith can use this guide to find fellow students or campus workers to talk to or meet with.

General Campus Ministries

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF)

"The purpose of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is to establish and advance at colleges and universities witnessing communities of students and faculty who follow Jesus as Savior and Lord: growing in love for God, God’s Word, God’s people of every ethnicity and culture, and God’s purposes in the world." — IVCF, Our Purpose

InterVarsity has ministries, groups, or staff covering the following campuses: Babson College, Berklee College of Music (including Boston Conservatory), Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Bunker Hill Community College, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), New England Conservatory, Northeastern University, Radcliffe College, Tufts University, and the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Some ministries on various campuses are focused on serving specific undergraduate or graduate groups. For example, Harvard Graduate School Christian Fellowship serves Harvard graduate students in the Law School, Business School, and others.

For contacts and information on staff or groups, visit intervarsity.org/chapters.

Cru Boston

“Cru is a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. Our purpose is helping to fulfill the Great Commission in the power of the Holy Spirit by winning people to faith in Jesus Christ, building them in their faith and sending them to win and build others. We help the body of Christ to do evangelism and discipleship in a variety of creative ways. We are committed to the centrality of the Cross, the truth of the Word, the power of the Holy Spirit and the global scope of the Great Commission. … Cru offers spiritual guidance, resources and programs tailored to people from all cultures in every walk of life.” — Cru, What We Do

Cru has groups, ministries, or staff covering the following campuses: Babson College, Berklee College of Music (including Boston Conservatory), Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Bunker Hill Community College, Emerson College, Emmanuel College, Harvard University, Lesley University, Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), New England Conservatory of Music, Northeastern University, Roxbury Community College, Simmons University, University of Massachusetts Boston, Wellesley College, and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Navigators

“The Navigators Christian Fellowship at Boston University is a community of students and friends who want to know God and Jesus Christ and who want to love and encourage each other while walking through life together in Boston.” — The Navigators Christian Fellowship at Boston University

The ministry has weekly small-group Bible studies and large-group meetings.

Navigators is a 90-year-old international, interdenominational Christian ministry known for its emphasis on discipleship and its motto, “to know Christ and to make him known.”

Chi Alpha

Chi Alpha is a campus ministry that seeks to reconcile students to Christ and build a strong foundation for a lifelong relationship with Him. It is affiliated with the Assemblies of God denomination.

In Boston, there are Chi Alpha Christian Fellowships at Boston College, Boston University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Christian Union

Christian Union seeks to “bring spiritual transformation and renewal to campus by seeking the Lord, growing in knowledge and love of His Word.” Staff teach “intellectually rigorous Bible courses, disciple students one-on-one, and coach students to develop as Christian leaders.” — Christian Union

Christian Union ministers at Harvard University and Harvard Law School.

Coalition for Christian Outreach

Coalition for Christian Outreach is a national student ministry partnering with local churches. Its vision is to see students empowered by the Holy Spirit to live out the public implications of their personal transformation in every sphere of life. They love Jesus intimately, view the world Biblically, live obediently, join in Christ’s restoration of all things, and invite others to do the same.

Locally, the ministry serves students at Boston College and Berklee College of Music and partners with the Church of the Cross.

  • Leadership: Garrett Rice, Campus Minister, Boston College


International Students Inc. (ISI)

“International Students, Inc. exists to share Christ’s love with international students and to equip them for effective service in cooperation with the local church and others.” — International Students, About Us

Boston International Student Ministry

“Our mission is to collectively serve international students, scholars, and their families by providing valuable services and activities. … The services we offer consist primarily of friendship partners, holiday host families, seminars, tourism, and ESL classes (conversational and academic). Spiritual activities such as Bible studies and church participation are also offered for those who are interested.” — Boston International Student Ministry, About Us

For more information on international student ministry in Boston, see the Emmanuel Gospel Center’s New England’s Book of Acts, Section 2, pp. 103-113.

Reformed University Fellowship (RUF)

“Reformed University Fellowship - (RUF) is a campus ministry that reaches college students from all backgrounds with the hope of Jesus Christ. College is a time when beliefs are explored, decisions are made, and lives are changed. We invite students into authentic relationships and the study of God’s Word.” — Reformed University Fellowship

Sojourn Collegiate Ministry

Sojourn is a New England campus ministry with a focus on community, justice, and faith. Serving Northeastern University, Boston University, University of Massachusetts, Boston and Tufts University (Bread Coffeehouse).

The Archdiocese of Boston has a Campus Ministry Office with links and information about its many Catholic campus ministries: bostoncatholic.org/chaplaincy-programs/college-campus-ministry.

Athena Grace via Lightstock

Churches with college student ministries or serving college students

Abundant Life Church, Cambridge

A number of college students attend this church led by Pastor Larry Ward. Associate Pastor Kadeem Massiah is experienced in campus ministry.

Bethel AME Church

College Corner is Bethel AME’s college ministry.

Boston Chinese Evangelical Church (BCEC)

BCEC has a long history of serving college students.

  • Website: bcec.net

  • College ministry staff

    • Ryan So, Director Young Adult & College Ministries, (617) 426-5711, x219

    • Chris Horte, Director of Student Ministries, Newton Campus, (617) 243-0100 x207

Central Square Church, Cambridge

The conveniently located congregation tends to have many college students attending.

Christ the King Church, Cambridge

Christ the King is centrally located between Harvard and MIT at 99 Prospect St. in Cambridge and supports several Reformed University Fellowship groups on campuses.

Church of the Cross

The campus ministry is a partner with Coalition for Christian Outreach, which is a national student ministry partnering with local churches: ccojubilee.org/about-us.

City Life Church

City Life Church serves students from many campuses with community groups, monthly city-wide meetings, and retreats.

Cornerstone Church of Boston

Cornerstone has both young adults and students in its congregation. Its campus ministry contact person is Danny Yoon.

Jubilee Christian Church

Jubilee’s College & Young Adult Ministry is called “Influence.”

Park Street Church (PSC)

PSC partners with Cru Boston to reach undergraduates and InterVarsity to reach graduate students on campus, but college students involved at Park Street Church also participate in other on-campus ministries.

Symphony Church

The Symphony College Congregation meets at 967 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston.

*For more complete information on churches, see our online Church Directory and map.

Aimee Whitmire via Lightstock

College Campuses & Christian Ministries Serving Them

  • Babson College

    • Cru, IVCF

  • Berklee College of Music

    • Cru, IVCF, Coalition for Christian Outreach, Berklee House of Prayer

  • Boston College

    • Cru, IVCF, Coalition for Christian Outreach, Chi Alpha, Asian Baptist Student Koinonia (ABSK)

  • Boston University

    • Cru, IVCF, Navigators, Reformed University Fellowship, Sojourn Collegiate Ministry, Chi Alpha, Asian Baptist Student Koinonia (ABSK)

  • Brandeis University

    • Cru, IVCF, Asian Baptist Student Koinonia (ABSK)

  • Bunker Hill Community College

    • Cru, IVCF (Christian Fellowship)

  • Curry College

  • Emerson College

  • Emmanuel College

    • Cru, IVCF, Mission and Ministry (including Community Service)

  • Harvard University

    • Cru, IVCF, Christian Union Gloria, Southern Baptist Chaplaincy, Foursquare Church Chaplain, Reformed University Fellowship (PCA), Asian Baptist Student Koinonia (ABSK), and other denominational chaplaincies. Radcliffe also has an IVCF group.

  • Lesley University

  • Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt)

    • Cru, IVCF

  • Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS)

    • Cru, IVCF

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

  • New England Conservatory of Music

    • Cru, IVCF (NEC Christian Fellowship)

  • Northeastern University

    • Agape Christian Fellowship (CRU), InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Asian Baptist Graduate Student Koinonia, Chinese Christian Fellowship, Open Table (Lutheran-Episcopal Campus Ministry), Sojourn Collegiate Ministry, Youth Empowerment Ministry, and YWAM Friends (International Students)

  • Roxbury Community College

    • Cru

  • Simmons College

    • Cru

  • Suffolk University

    • Youth Empowerment Ministry

    • See nearby Park Street Church, City Life Church, and Cornerstone Church

  • Tufts University

    • C. Stacey Woods Programming Board (Partnering with IVCF), University Chaplaincy, Sojourn Collegiate Ministry (Bread Coffee House)

  • University of Massachusetts, Boston

    • Cru, IVCF, Sojourn Collegiate Ministry, UMB Christians On Campus, First Love UMass, and Life On Campus

  • Wellesley College

    • Cru, IVCF, Asian Baptist Student Koinonia (ABSK), Wellesley Symphony Church group, Awaken the Dawn (Christian Acapella Group), Wellesley CityLife Church group

  • Wentworth Institute of Technology

    • Cru, Alpha Omega

To find further information about specific campuses and groups, you can typically use a search with the following pattern: “name of school” and “student organizations” (category: religious & spiritual).

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Race Megan Lietz Race Megan Lietz

We’re following the lead of people of color. Here’s why you should too.

Despite good intentions, white people tend to run ahead and take the lead, taking action that is uninformed, misdirected, and not well received by BIPOC communities. How can they learn to adopt a role that better reflects the redemptive power dynamics of God’s kingdom? 

Pearl via Lightstock

We’re following the lead of people of color. Here’s why you should too.

Four reasons white people should follow BIPOC leaders

By Megan Lietz, Director, Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI)

It was one week after the murder of George Floyd. Communities of color were reeling. Newsfeeds were exploding. And white evangelicals, wrestling with expanding worldviews and anxious energy, were asking the well-intended but complicated question: “What can we do?”

I remember a white church reaching out to me to discuss the possibility of them hosting a panel. While their language reflected openness, the event was well underway. “Have you been in communication with Black people or sought their perspective on what they think would be a helpful response?” I asked. The line went quiet. I was rather certain they had not. Because at that point, many of the Black folks I’d spoken with were wrestling deeply with hard emotions and trauma. They had not yet gained clarity on a collective response.

This is one example of how white people can seek to respond to racism without following the leadership of those most impacted. Despite good intentions, white people tend to run ahead and take the lead, taking action that is uninformed, misdirected, and not well received by Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities.

“Despite good intentions, white people tend to run ahead and take the lead, taking action that is uninformed, misdirected, and not well received by BIPOC communities. ”

The Bible sets a different example for us in Acts 6:1-7. Here we see Hellenistic Jews, a part of the ethnic minority within Christianity at the time, speaking up because their widows were being overlooked in the daily food distribution. The disciples, who were of the Hebraic majority, appointed wise and Spirit-filled Hellenists to lead the response to this problem. The dominant group supported the leadership of godly people on the margins as they led the efforts to make things right. The result was the spreading of the gospel and the making of disciples.

As a ministry that seeks to build shalom across racial lines, the Race & Christian Community Initiative (RCCI) has not always followed this biblical example. That’s because we have been shaped by a sin-sick society too. But as we explored in a recent article, we’re pivoting to better align our beliefs with our actions, shifting from being a “leader” to a “follower” of BIPOC leadership. 

This article explores why white people are not best suited to take the lead and invites them into a role that better reflects the redemptive power dynamics of God’s kingdom. 

Positioning: People of color are best positioned to understand racism and how to respond

People of color are closer to and more experienced with the problem. Not unlike how a person might benefit by speaking to a pastor or counselor who has been through the experience that person is navigating so we should learn from those who have firsthand experience with the problem of racism. People of color are more likely to understand how the oppressive systems of racism work and what the impacted communities need in order to overcome its manifestations. 

White people, on the other hand, have not experienced oppression because of the color of their skin. They also tend to lack proximity to those who have this experience. This distance can often contribute to misperceptions, blindspots, and biases. 

I often see this play out among my fellow white evangelical brothers and sisters when we seek to address racism through personal discipleship and interpersonal relationships. While of some value, this approach doesn’t address many of the realities that established and continue to uphold racism. People of color tend to address racism through community, organization, and systems-wide approaches that generally have longer-term and broader impact. We need both approaches to nurture shalom in our communities. 

RCCI leans heavily into personal discipleship but also has a strong communal element and is learning how to support BIPOC-led efforts that contribute to longer-term and systemic impact. 

Because BIPOC communities have struggled against racism for centuries, their history includes resistance and communal wisdom about navigating racism. From assuming interdependence and mutual liberation to community organizing and creatively incorporating resistance into daily life, they have developed principles, practices, and different ways of thinking that have faithfully supported the movement for liberation over the years.

Emmanuel Gospel Center

By and large, white folks have not resisted racism throughout history. As a result, they tend to lack the examples, theological frameworks, and imagination to respond to racism most effectively. 

One of the most common obstacles I hear from my fellow white evangelical brothers and sisters is that we simply don’t know how to confront racism in our context. We are neither aware of nor know how to navigate pathways for change. The American political and socio-economic system generally works for us as white people. That’s not to say that white people don’t experience challenges, but those challenges are not on account of the color of our skin. As a result, we have not had to learn how to advocate to ensure our own well-being. 

Even I, as the leader of RCCI and someone who seeks to actively and intentionally confront racism in my personal life, feel like there are basic processes around how to advocate for racial equity in my community I still don’t know. I, like many white evangelicals, am ignorant and inexperienced in areas many BIPOC folks have had to learn out of necessity. 

To be clear, white ignorance and being ill-equipped cannot be an excuse for inaction. We must do our self-work and learn as we go, but we should go forward with BIPOC folks in the lead.

People of color also are not as invested in the status quo because, unlike white people, it’s not designed for them and doesn’t center their needs or experiences. As a result, they may be more likely to resist unjust policies that white folks see as acceptable, personally benefit from, or may not be willing to sacrifice for change. 

For example, if the admissions policies and locations of exam schools in Boston are more likely to accept and be accessible to white children, white families will be less likely to advocate for changes. Instead, they may vehemently oppose it! BIPOC families, on the other hand, will be more likely to advocate for change because it’s their children who could be excluded if they don’t. If the status quo works for you, you’ll be less likely to invest the energy and make the sacrifices needed to work toward equity. You’ll protect your advantage instead of ensuring the whole community’s well-being.

Unexamined Socialization: White people are not aware of the profound way their socialization impacts them 

Similar to anything we’re immersed in during our upbringing, it’s often hard to see: It’s the water we swim in, the air we breathe. Like any culture, we’ve been socialized to value certain ways of thinking, doing, and being over others. 

While cultural preferences are not a problem per se, because we’ve been socialized in a society that values white people over people of color, we often think that white ways are “right,” “normal,” and even normative. This is usually not determined by biblical prescription but by the dominant culture.* 

Because our socialization runs deep, we can end up defaulting to our conditioning instead of following in the footsteps of Jesus.

“Because our socialization runs deep, we can end up defaulting to our conditioning instead of following in the footsteps of Jesus.”

For example, I grew up believing meetings that began and ended on time, stuck to the agenda, and achieved pre-determined goals were better than those that did not. When I hosted multiracial workshops, these beliefs impacted my practice. I’d value starting on time over extended fellowship, “getting through the content” over making space for wrestling with questions or hard emotions, and teaching from the facilitators over the stories or perspectives of the group. This didn’t mean I wouldn’t allow such stories or wrestling, but I had to choose to make space for them with intentionality. I did so because of my ideological commitment and training, but deep down, I’d feel anxious. I’d be concerned that if we pressed in too much, we wouldn’t get to the “more important” content, and “my” gathering or leadership wouldn’t be seen as a “success.”

Through direct and indirect feedback, I saw my posture and approach contributed to some people of color feeling they didn’t have the space to engage fully and authentically. I had to work — and continue to work — to hold my conditioning and its value in tension with flexibility, being present with others, and caring for the holistic needs of the group. Though doing the latter is something I feel less comfortable and experienced with, I continue to see how Jesus modeled and uses these practices to nurture his transformation.

Limitations: The leadership and presence of white people naturally create limitations to engaging across racial lines

Due to their socialization in the dominant culture, white folks often have deeply rooted mental models that shape their cultural understanding of what’s “right.” As a result, they can uphold the dominant culture in ways that constrict space for BIPOC folks who do not conform to or feel at home in these spaces. This is true regardless of their awareness or good intent. 

Even if a white person tries hard to develop trusting relationships and create space for genuine collaboration, barriers remain. Because white folks are seen not only as individuals but also as a representative of their racial group, their very presence can trigger undesirable emotions, bring to mind personal and communal histories, and enact power-laden patterns of behavior to which both white folks and people of color default. These are not the patterns Jesus desires for us. They are the fruit of a sin-sick world. 

When I first started RCCI, I would host and initiate multiracial events to cultivate constructive conversations and nurture multiracial community. I learned, however, that even if I invited people of color to shape the vision and collaborate early on, I held power that functioned to preserve my vision because I convened the meetings and offered the initial ideas.

José Roberto Roquel via Lightstock

While people of color did speak into an event’s vision or agenda, they tended to offer suggestions that adjusted or developed my ideas. Despite my explicit invitation to make the events their own, they tended not to operate outside of the framework I provided. I believe this wasn’t because they always agreed with me, but because my own postures, practices, and processes did not invite them to express dissent. Perhaps it was because I didn’t invest the time to develop trust in the way I could have. Perhaps it was because I assumed — and inevitably projected — that my ideas, shaped by my mental models and experiences as a white woman, were exciting and effective across racial lines. Perhaps it was because I shied away from asking hard questions or creating space for real conflict. Or maybe, people of color simply found challenging me not worth the energy it could take them to help me understand.

Not only were the gatherings confined by my initiation, leadership, and vision, but the conversations were limited as well. Now, I’m not saying the discussions were not rich and meaningful: I remember people asking bold questions! But the conversations were not as deep as they could have been had I not been facilitating.

In a multiracial space, especially a white-led multiracial space, people of color might not feel they have the safety or support to “go there.” Without status-quo-challenging BIPOC leaders facilitating and having full authority, which may not be possible under white leadership, people of color may be less likely to take risks, speak truth, and offer perspectives that can help us all eliminate white supremacy. When people of color are in the lead, or even the conveners and hosts, this dynamic can shift and create more spaciousness for BIPOC communities.

Kingdom Reality: Modeling power dynamics of the kingdom

Most importantly, when white folks follow BIPOC leadership, it models the power dynamics of the kingdom. God created each of us in his image (Gen. 1:27) and intended for us to be in right relationship with one another. He created us as members of an interdependent body (1 Cor. 12:12-26) with equal value and standing before him. We are to interact with mutuality and respect that honors the image of God in each person and each ethno-racial community.

When white folks follow BIPOC leadership, they are taking a step to correct an unjust and human-made hierarchy. They’re choosing to live into ways of being that can work to restore the equal power dynamics the Lord intends.

“When white folks follow BIPOC leadership, we’re taking a step to correct an unjust and human-made hierarchy. We’re choosing to live into ways of being that can work to restore the equal power dynamics the Lord intends.”

Living into these redemptive power dynamics is hard. Society does not teach or equip white people how to do this. People’s imaginations are small and their experiences are smaller. 

RCCI desires to nurture multiracial community that can model redemptive power dynamics and — through kingdom ways of being — work together to build shalom across racial lines. We are committed to learning how to do this and to creating pathways and resources so others can do the same. 
For more information, check out our homepage or connect with Megan to hear more about RCCI’s journey and how we might be able to support you.

How these dynamics can play out in real life

I would like to share a story that offers examples of when I did and didn’t follow BIPOC leadership, illustrating some of the dynamics mentioned above. I hope the Lord might use it to speak and inspire his kingdom reality.

I remember the excitement I felt when I received an email about a Christian conference highlighting justice, mercy, and humility. I eagerly clicked through the website to explore the topics addressed. I was disappointed that the conference, led by a predominantly white organization in 2016, did not seem to address racial justice. I expressed my disappointment to the event organizers and shared how I felt this negatively impacted the witness of the church. Though I don’t believe any changes were made at the time, the event organizers invited me to lead a workshop on racial justice the following year.

I was pumped. As a young woman and the new program director of RCCI, this felt like a great opportunity. I enlisted a good friend and woman of color to develop the workshop and lead with me. We put lots of time and energy into preparing, but at the end, I felt like our presentation was one of my most successful flops.

Due largely to my influence, we designed a lecture-style presentation. It focused on conferring knowledge and centered the experiences of the people at the front of the room. While this may have been more appropriate for the large crowd the organizers told us to expect, it fell flat before the dozen or so practitioners who actually attended. In retrospect, it should have been more interactive, more relational, more honoring of the other experiences in the room, and more engaging of heart, body, and spirit.

The following year, I was informed that the same conference was now taking applications for workshops to fill a limited number of spots. I reached out to those who had led race-related workshops the previous year so we could ensure racial justice was represented.

A Black leader replied, saying he had an idea for a multiracial panel, but he did not have the bandwidth to coordinate it on his own. Instead of submitting my own proposal, I chose to support this leader’s vision by helping complete the application, being a liaison between him and the conference coordinators, and addressing logistics on the ground. In the end, the panel was a success. It convened a group of practitioners who had been laboring together for over 15 years and allowed them to reflect on how racial reconciliation movements had changed over time. Each panelist shared their unique stories and perspectives in ways that interacted with one another and the audience. The panel was followed by an informal lunchtime discussion where participants could ask questions and go deeper.

Upon further reflection, I noticed that the approach in my own workshop reflected the dominant patterns and pitfalls I’d seen in much of my white-evangelical education. However, the postures and practices in the BIPOC-led workshop seemed more transformative and appropriate in that context. As I opened myself to a different expression of the body of Christ, I learned how to better invite folks into ways of being and learning that nurture the kingdom of God.

Pearl via Lightstock

As I continue in the ministry of racial reconciliation, I’m committed to following the leadership of godly people of color. In practice, this is easier said than done. The process of learning how to follow BIPOC leadership is challenging and time-consuming. It takes a relentless examination of my socialization, reflection on how my actions are functioning, and honesty about where I’m defaulting to my cultural conditioning when it doesn’t uphold the ways of God. I don’t always have the mindfulness or energy. Too often, I jump into engaging race-related issues in the lead. But by God’s grace, I’m learning to do differently. I’m learning to be differently.

God is our healer and the one who brings about change. May we follow him and those best positioned to lead his work of healing and justice. I hope you’ll reflect on the reasons we’ve offered for following the leadership of people of color and consider doing the same.

* In A Many Colored Kingdom (pp. 134-142), Gary Parrett talks about how the Bible celebrates, connects with, challenges, or condemns culture. While there are some things the Bible celebrates that we should strive for, and others that it challenges or condemns that we should question or avoid, much of our culture today is not directly addressed in Scripture. There are connections between now and then, but what people should eat on Thanksgiving or the best way to preach a sermon, or the type of music that should be played Sunday morning are simply not addressed in Scripture. As a result, we should not ascribe an unbending moral value to those things Scripture leaves open for cultural conditioning. The Bible should be our guide, however, for the practices about which morality is clear.

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Despite good intentions, white people tend to run ahead and take the lead, taking action that is uninformed, misdirected, and not well received by BIPOC communities. How can they learn to adopt a role that better reflects the redemptive power dynamics of God’s kingdom? 

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Churches open to reimagining how their spaces can be utilized may discover new ways to serve their communities, build stronger connections, and contribute to the financial sustainability of their facilities.

Christianity & Culture, Church Spaces
Four Ways Churches Use Their Space for Economic Empowerment
Christianity & Culture, Church Spaces
Four Ways Churches Use Their Space for Economic Empowerment
Christianity & Culture, Church Spaces

Some churches have successfully transformed their properties into dynamic community centers offering various services, from food pantries and after-school programs to cultural events and neighborhood meetings.

Christianity & Culture, Church Spaces
Boston Church Directory
Boston General, Boston Churches
Boston Church Directory
Boston General, Boston Churches

The Boston Church Directory may be used for a variety of scholarly, relational, and spiritual purposes.

Boston General, Boston Churches
Nurturing Black Church vitality
Churches/Church Planting, Christianity & Culture
Nurturing Black Church vitality
Churches/Church Planting, Christianity & Culture

The Boston Black Church Vitality Project (BBCVP) at the Emmanuel Gospel Center is kicking off its Thriving Initiative with a cohort of ethnically and denominationally diverse Black churches that are located in four predominantly Black neighborhoods in the city.

Churches/Church Planting, Christianity & Culture
Ethiopian Churches in Greater Boston [map]
Churches/Church Planting, Christianity & Culture
Ethiopian Churches in Greater Boston [map]
Churches/Church Planting, Christianity & Culture

Find Ethiopian churches in the greater Boston area.

Churches/Church Planting, Christianity & Culture
Ethiopian Christians in Greater Boston: Diverse Journeys
Communities, Christianity & Culture
Ethiopian Christians in Greater Boston: Diverse Journeys
Communities, Christianity & Culture

Newly updated resources for understanding the diverse journeys of Ethiopian Christians in Greater Boston.

Communities, Christianity & Culture
From the Bible Belt to Boston: What God's Doing in New England
Churches/Church Planting, Spiritual Health/Vitality, Communities, Christianity & Culture
From the Bible Belt to Boston: What God's Doing in New England
Churches/Church Planting, Spiritual Health/Vitality, Communities, Christianity & Culture

Are you ministering in a spiritual desert? In a recent study, Boston was ranked one of the most “Post-Christian” cities in the U.S. Kathryn Hamilton, an EGC communications intern from West Texas, weighs in about her experience with Boston’s spiritual climate and Christian vitality.

Churches/Church Planting, Spiritual Health/Vitality, Communities, Christianity & Culture
The Chinese Church in Greater Boston
Intercultural, Churches/Church Planting, Communities
The Chinese Church in Greater Boston
Intercultural, Churches/Church Planting, Communities

From just two Chinese churches in greater Boston 50 years ago, the number has grown to more than 25 congregations serving an expanding Chinese population. The growth of the Chinese church in and around the Boston area is something to celebrate. Its strength and integrity, and the quality of its network—unified for prayer, for youth and college ministry, and for international missions—stand as a model for other immigrant and indigenous church systems.

Intercultural, Churches/Church Planting, Communities
Read More
Boston Churches Emmanuel Gospel Center Boston Churches Emmanuel Gospel Center

Church History

Explore the history of the Church in Boston with a look at Christian movements through the centuries.

Explore the history of the Church in Boston with a look at Christian movements through the centuries.

Resources
EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List
Books, Justice, Urban, Systems Practice, Diverse Voices, Shalom, Race, Reconciliation, Immigration, Church History, Economics, Conflict, Poverty, Indigenous, Worship, Peace, Resilience, Liza Cagua-McAllister, Book Recommendations
EGC’s (Inaugural) Shalom-Seekers Book List
Books, Justice, Urban, Systems Practice, Diverse Voices, Shalom, Race, Reconciliation, Immigration, Church History, Economics, Conflict, Poverty, Indigenous, Worship, Peace, Resilience, Liza Cagua-McAllister, Book Recommendations
Books, Justice, Urban, Systems Practice, Diverse Voices, Shalom, Race, Reconciliation, Immigration, Church History, Economics, Conflict, Poverty, Indigenous, Worship, Peace, Resilience, Liza Cagua-McAllister, Book Recommendations
Do you know where you’re standing?
Churches, History, Boston Neighborhoods, Church History, Hanno van der Bijl
Do you know where you’re standing?
Churches, History, Boston Neighborhoods, Church History, Hanno van der Bijl
Churches, History, Boston Neighborhoods, Church History, Hanno van der Bijl
History of Revivalism in Boston
Emmanuel Research Review, ERR, NEBA, New England's Book of Acts, Revivalism, Revival, Applied Research, History, Church History, Rudy Mitchell
History of Revivalism in Boston
Emmanuel Research Review, ERR, NEBA, New England's Book of Acts, Revivalism, Revival, Applied Research, History, Church History, Rudy Mitchell
Emmanuel Research Review, ERR, NEBA, New England's Book of Acts, Revivalism, Revival, Applied Research, History, Church History, Rudy Mitchell
Examples of Collaboration in the Greater Boston Church Community
Collaboration, EGC, Unity, History, Church History, Ministry Collaboration & Partnership
Examples of Collaboration in the Greater Boston Church Community
Collaboration, EGC, Unity, History, Church History, Ministry Collaboration & Partnership
Collaboration, EGC, Unity, History, Church History, Ministry Collaboration & Partnership
New England's Book of Acts
New England's Book of Acts, Church Growth, Church Planting, NEBA, New England, Ethnic Ministries, New England Book Of Acts, Boston Churches, Applied Research, History, ARC Services, Church History, Intercultural Ministry, Data Dive
New England's Book of Acts
New England's Book of Acts, Church Growth, Church Planting, NEBA, New England, Ethnic Ministries, New England Book Of Acts, Boston Churches, Applied Research, History, ARC Services, Church History, Intercultural Ministry, Data Dive
New England's Book of Acts, Church Growth, Church Planting, NEBA, New England, Ethnic Ministries, New England Book Of Acts, Boston Churches, Applied Research, History, ARC Services, Church History, Intercultural Ministry, Data Dive
Understanding Boston's Quiet Revival
Quiet Revival, ERR, Emmanuel Research Review, Boston History, History, Churches, Revival, Church Planting, Church Studies, Applied Research, EGC, Church History, Steve Daman, Data Dive
Understanding Boston's Quiet Revival
Quiet Revival, ERR, Emmanuel Research Review, Boston History, History, Churches, Revival, Church Planting, Church Studies, Applied Research, EGC, Church History, Steve Daman, Data Dive
Quiet Revival, ERR, Emmanuel Research Review, Boston History, History, Churches, Revival, Church Planting, Church Studies, Applied Research, EGC, Church History, Steve Daman, Data Dive
Read More
View fullsize EGC staff and Boston Community friends at the Evangelical's for Justice's conference, Liberating Evangelicalism: Decentering Whiteness.
View fullsize Praying at the New England City Forum.
View fullsize What's your favorite Boston neighborhood?
View fullsize Woven ladies.
View fullsize Fun on the Charles.
View fullsize Greater Boston :)
View fullsize Starlight peeps.
View fullsize Aerial pic of Timilty Middle School.
View fullsize Reading at the Boston Library.
View fullsize We heart New England :)