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

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

by Rudy Mitchell and Steve Daman

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?

“Boston needs dreamers.”

Rev. Ralph Kee, veteran church planter and animator of the Greater Boston Church Planting Collaborative at EGC, thinks Boston needs dreamers. “God has a big dream,” he says, “and people have dreams. When people start to share their dreams, that builds enthusiasm.”

THE TASK AHEAD

Imagine Boston 2030 has articulated goals in the social, economic, cultural, and physical realms. Through the Prophet Jeremiah, God instructed exiled Israelites to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Urban Christians can seek the prosperity of our city and the success of these goals, finding ways to join in.

At the same time, we have the privilege and mandate to discern together goals and desires God has for our city.

Population growth alone should get our attention. With significant growth in Boston’s population recently and projected into the future, Boston’s churches will need to consider how to expand their outreach and service, as well as replication into new congregations.

Between 2010 and 2030, Boston could add from 84,000 to more than 190,000 new residents. Reaching and serving that many new people would require growing our present churches and planting new ones.

Image from Imagine Boston 2030 draft, p. 19; data source: ACS 1-Year Estimates (2011-2015), U.S. Census Bureau; BPDA Research Department, September 2016

DREAM INNOVATION  

What church solutions would best fit the city in the coming decades? More meeting spaces would be a must—though many new churches may never own a building.

Learn More About Space Sharing: Under One Steeple

“More meeting spaces would be a must—though many new churches may never own a building.”

New churches could take a variety of forms, including small groups, house churches, and cafe churches. Larger traditional churches could meet in a variety of traditional and nontraditional spaces and contexts.

A collaborative of churches could own or rent some multi-use space in Boston’s new neighborhoods. Some developers may already be creating community meeting spaces in new neighborhoods that could be rented by local church groups.

Can we start to envision the possible? What would it take to make the dreams happen?

“Should we convene Christians to talk about Boston 2030,” Ralph Kee asks, “including bankers, architects, real estate agents, construction executives? Can these leaders get together? The city is going to grow. Even what was Suffolk Downs is going to be a mini city. How are we going to get churches there?”

TAKE ACTION

What is your vision for Christianity in Boston in 2030? Would you weigh in by filling out a brief survey? We’d love to hear from you!

Share your Thoughts

Share Your Thoughts

Contact Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher, to continue the conversation.

Connect

Contact Rudy Mitchell

Get to know veteran church planter Rev. Ralph Kee and plan to visit the next Greater Boston Church Planting Collaborative gathering.

Resource List for Reconciliation in Troubled Times

Resource List for Reconciliation in Troubled Times

Compiled by Megan Lietz and Dean Borgman

Prof. Dean Borgman mentioned these resources during his lecture – “Reconciliation in Troubled Times” – as one way that we might learn about how to respond to the division of our time. 

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

The New Jim Crow is a powerful and provocative book that explains how the racism associated with the Jim Crow era has not been removed, but redesigned and perpetuated through the social ill of mass incarceration. This is a must-read for understanding how systemic racism still has a profound impact on communities of color today.

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion Jonathan Haidt (2012)

In The Righteous Mind, social scientist Jonathan Haidt argues that our moral, political, and religious positions come more from our “gut feelings” than reason. He considers the implications this has on how we interact with people of differing persuasions and offers perspectives that can help us learn how to cooperate across dividing lines,

Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities into Unity, Wholeness and Justice by Brenda Salter McNeil

Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil presents a roadmap describing the journey people go through when working towards biblical reconciliation. This book helps people better understand the journey they may be on and equip themselves to progress on to personal and social transformation.

Toxic Inequality: How America’s Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide & Threatens Our Future by Thomas M. Shapiro

Sociologist Thomas Shapiro explores how the historically high economic inequality our country is experiencing must be understood in light of racial inequality. Together, this combination creates “toxic inequality” that must be named, understood, and addressed together to create a more just society.

Preaching Politics: Proclaiming Jesus in an Age of Money, Power, and Partisanship by Clay Stauffer

How can you address the divisive issues of our time in a politically diverse congregation? Preaching politics talks about how issues that underlie our differences, such as our view of money, materialism, and power, impact faith and can be responded to through the teachings of Jesus.

Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness and Reconciliation by Miraslav Volf

Croatian theologian, Miraslav Volf, addresses how we see “the other” in a negative light and calls us to move from a position of excluding those who are different from us to embracing them with the love of Jesus. He provides a theology of reconciliation that he believes, when lived, allows people to experience the healing power of the Gospel.

Tips for Developing Church Leadership

Tips for Developing Church Leadership

by Rudy Mitchell and Steve Daman

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.

1. Pray first. While you might be thinking you need people with particular skills, what you really need are people with spiritual maturity and Christ-like character. These foundational qualities take time to develop and time to discern. Lining up leadership should not be rushed. Do what Jesus did before he chose his team. Get up on the mountain and pray.

2. Examine and test. You don’t want to rush into appointing someone as a leader until you have thoughtfully and prayerfully assessed their potential and discovered their passion. To get there, you’ll need sufficient face time to begin to listen to their hearts.

• Motives: Ask them to tell you their story about their calling to serve Christ and his church, and see if you can discern their motives for accepting a leadership role.
• Beliefs: Are their beliefs sound and consistent with Scripture and with the church’s vision?
• Character: Are they teachable? Faithful? Humble? Do they love Jesus?
• Skills: Talk openly about the candidate’s strengths and potentials, but also weaknesses and limits. (You might go first in this one.)
• Vision: Ask them about their vision for the position and brainstorm together what it might look like for them to take leadership over a particular ministry. See how that conversation goes.

Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to implement this type of assessment as it may save both you and the candidate much pain and difficulty if, in fact, it turns out they are not the right person for the job. For scriptural precedent on testing, read 2 Corinthians 13.

3. Make disciples. Developing leaders can look exactly like making disciples.

• Replicate yourself: Move beyond the rigid supervisor/supervisee relationship and consider that your goal is to replicate yourself, to pass the torch to others who can learn to do the work even better than you do.
• Spend time together: Training, discipling and mentoring require that you and the emerging leader spend time together and become part of each other’s lives in a deep and meaningful way.
• Lean in: Lean in to the relational aspect of leadership development. Make yourself available. Listen well. From listening will grow understanding, spontaneous prayer, love, and maturity.
• Huddle up: Add a regular Bible study time with your mentee with an eye toward applying what you learn reflecting on Scripture to ministry and life situations. This kind of intentional discipling can be one-on-one or in small huddles of three or more.
• Grow yourself: With humility, remember that iron sharpens iron, and through this relationship, you’ll be changing and growing, too.

4. Learn together. Add to the essential, relational side of leadership development some formal training and exploration. Look for opportunities to gain knowledge and insight together.

• Create training opportunities: Learning can happen in regular leadership meetings, special training sessions, or on retreats. Listening, vision casting, and discussion can all help.
• Pick resources: Choose books or articles, and maybe online resources or video series that your team can study and discuss.
• Flex scheduling: If team members seem too busy or have conflicting schedules, you might be able to provide some training through virtual online meetings, one-on-one or in groups.
• Back to school: See what’s available at local Christian colleges, Bible institutes, and seminaries. Encourage your emerging leaders to pursue and gain academic credentials along with practical knowledge. The learning and the credentials may open doors for them for even more effective ministry.

5. Do and reflect. When it comes to raising up leaders, nothing can substitute for hands-on-experience and on-the-job training. Perhaps your church or ministry can offer internships, residency, or apprenticeship training. In the same way that Jesus’ disciples watched and followed, listened and asked questions, and then were sent out, follow that pattern.

• Show and send: After instruction in and modeling specific skills in real life ministry with your mentees along for the ride, start delegating responsibilities and monitor how it goes. Let them lead a small group, or teach a lesson, or get out and get dirty serving.
• Reflect and send again: Observe, supervise, and coach. Give feedback. Reflect together what happened. Pray together. Send them out again.

A couple final hints:

• Articulate roles and responsibilities: Make sure the new leaders can articulate back to you their responsibilities and what they are accountable for so that your expectations and theirs are always in sync.
• Shepherd their hearts: Periodically discern if the leaders find joy and fulfillment not only in doing the work of ministry, but in learning to do it better.

SOURCE: In 2014, the Emmanuel Gospel Center’s Applied Research team completed 41 in-depth interviews with Boston area church planters of various denominations, ethnic groups, and church planting networks. This article was derived largely from responses given by these church planters regarding their own practice and view of leadership development, with added insights from the EGC Applied Research team.

TAKE ACTION

Connect with church planters: Visit the Greater Boston Church Planting Collaborative.

End of Life Care: Starter Resources

End of Life Care: Starter Resources

By Bethany Slack

Modern medical technology has changed the way we experience serious illness and dying. We have more treatment choices, but they sometimes lead to unnecessary suffering. And how does our faith impact how we want to experience death? No matter our age or stage of life, learning about end of life issues can benefit us and our loved ones.

Unsure of where to start? Here are some books and articles that address the changing landscape of dying, medical technology, decision-making, and faith.

How Modern Medicine impacts Aging and Death

Being Mortal: Medicine and what Matters in the End by Atul Gawande

Hailing from Newton, MA, Dr. Gawande teaches at Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health as well as practicing surgery. He offers a vision of how medical practice could prioritize quality of life throughout the lifespan.  

 

End of Life Decision-Making

The Town Where Everyone Talks Death reported by NPR, 3/5/14

This brief article provides a fascinating peek at what can happen when a community decides to get end of life discussions out in the open.

Aligning a Medical Treatment with God's Plan by Karen Kaplan for the L.A. Times, 3/18/2009

From a secular perspective, Ms. Kaplan explores how faith and spirituality affect end of life decision-making.

Honoring Choices Massachusetts

Ready to make a health care plan for you or a loved one? Honoring Choices MA provides information, tools, and legal forms to help you write down your treatment preferences. Having a written plan helps you get the medical treatment you prefer, from now until the end of life.

Perspectives from Christian Voices

When Prolonging Life Means Prolonging Suffering by Dr. Kathryn Butler for Christianity Today, 9/8/2016

Drawing from her experience as a trauma and critical care surgeon, Dr. Kathryn Butler shares her perspective on dying, medical technology, and faith in God. She asks us to reconsider some common viewpoints in light of Scripture. Dr. Butler resides north of Boston.

The Art of Dying: Living Fully into the Life to Come by Rob Moll

Rob Moll has worked as a journalist, hospice volunteer and with World Vision. Here, he reintroduces the Christian tradition of preparing for a “good death”. In this tradition death becomes a significant spiritual event for both individual and community.

Finishing Well to the Glory of God by Dr. John Dunlop

A specialist in geriatrics, Dr. Dunlop provides nine strategies for navigating the end of life. His strategies are based in both medical knowledge and Scripture. Dr. Dunlop also acknowledges and confronts the cultural limitations of writing as a white, middle-class Christian.

Take Action

Questions or comments on any of these resources?

Contact Bethany

Contact Bethany

Are you looking for information on a topic not addressed here?

Bethany Slack, MPH, MT, is the Public Health and Wellness research associate at EGC. Her passion is to see Jesus’ love translated into improved health and health justice for all, across the lifespan and across the globe.

Top 6 Books For Understanding The South End

Top 6 Books For Understanding The South End

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher, Applied Research and Consulting

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.

The books I've selected are not just informative — they also illustrate methods of researching a neighborhood or community. These methods include historical research, biographical research, the use of documents and photographs, interviews, and participant observation. The books also represent different time periods from the 1890s settlement house research to very recent studies. 

Once Upon a Neighborhood: A Timeline and Anecdotal History of the South End of Boston

by Alison Barnet

While Barnet’s history of the South End is not a continuous narrative, it is by far the most detailed study of the neighborhood. The book is arranged chronologically by year, with many years having multiple entries of a paragraph for each fact or anecdote. The history from the 1960s on is especially detailed since the author lived in the South End during that period. This work covers all types of businesses, publications, organizations, and churches. It does an excellent job of covering the rich diversity of groups and individuals which have lived in the South End. Some entries are associated with a founding date or initial activity, but also describe later developments up to the twentieth century. On the other hand anecdotes sometimes also review past history from the associated date. You can dive into this book at any point and find a fascinating mix of people, events and issues from a cross-section of neighborhood life.

Boston’s South End: The Clash of Ideas in a Historic Neighborhood 

by Russ Lopez

The South End is a complex neighborhood which has experienced many waves of change. This is the only full length book to narrate and interpret the overall history of this diverse community. Lopez notes some truth in the standard narrative of the neighborhood rising, declining, and gentrifying, but says the fuller story is more multifaceted and nuanced.  Since this has been a multi-racial, multi-ethnic neighborhood for over 125 years, it offers many lessons in conflict resolution and community organizing for other urban neighborhoods. The chapter on religion in the South End describes several major institutions, but fails to cover some of the largest Protestant churches. Although the book contains occasional factual errors, it is the most comprehensive history of the South End.  

A Block in Time: History of Boston's South End Through a Window on Holyoke Street

by Lynne Potts

See also by the same author, Faces of a Neighborhood: Boston’s South End in the Early Twenty-first Century.

Lynne Potts, a long term resident, writes with flair and adds a personal touch to her concise history of the South End. She also gives those interested in the research process glimpses of her own research methods including trips to archives and libraries as well as detailed first hand observations and interviews. Although the book includes enough general information to understand the neighborhood’s development and trends, its unique contribution is the author’s personal perspectives and experiences woven into the general narrative. The approach of studying a neighborhood beginning with an in-depth look at one typical block works well here because the people, events, and experiences described are representative of the larger neighborhood over the last several decades.

Boston’s South End

by Anthony Mitchell Sammarco

See also by the same author, Boston’s South End: Then and Now.

The Arcadia Images of America Series books are full of historical photos with detailed descriptions and introductions for each of the towns and neighborhoods covered. While these do not give full histories of the communities, they do help the casual reader absorb a visual sense of the history and learn many detailed facts. Photos are organized in chapters about churches, schools, hospitals, businesses, libraries, transportation and other institutions. Many of the photographs show buildings, but quite anumber also include groups of everyday people. By learning about the history of your neighborhood you can join with others interested in history, have common ground for conversations, and gain an understanding of community identity.

Legendary Locals of Boston's South End

by Hope J. Shannon

While a neighborhood like the South End has many historical buildings, its current and past residents are the most interesting and important aspect of what makes it a community. Hope Shannon presents short, illustrated biographies of women and men of the past and recent times who have made significant contributions to the community and wider world. Shannon selects famous, infamous, and everyday people from many walks of life for Legendary Locals. The biographies range from Alexander Graham Bell, Louisa May Alcott, Rev. A.J. Gordon, and Cardinal Richard Cushing to former Mayor James Michael Curley. People who have lived in the South End of Boston over the last several decades will enjoy reading about historical figures and familiar faces, while newer residents and future generations will benefit from the careful research behind all of these biographies.

The City Wilderness: A Settlement Study

by Robert A. Woods, (editor)

In the 1890s the South End House was established as a settlement house, and the residents and associates began living in and researching the neighborhood. This classic book was the result of that research. Although the language and views were shaped by the culture and ideas of that time period, the research opens a window into the lives of South Enders at the turn of the century. The topics covered include history, description of the population, public health, employment, politics, “criminal tendencies,” recreation, the church, education, social agencies and charitable organizations (including an analysis of their methods). The most fascinating elements of the book are three color coded maps indicating for each block, the types of buildings, the nationalities of residents, and the types of employment of the workers. The book can be accessed online at Google books.

Other more specialized books on the South End

South End Character: Speaking Out on Neighborhood Change

by Alison Barnet

While the book Legendary Locals of Boston's South End highlights South Enders who achieved some prominence or fame, in contrast South End Character gives us a window into the lives of the lesser known “old South Enders.” Barnet also contrasts the perspectives and lifestyles of long-time residents and wealthier newcomers. Many of the chapters are reflections and sketches of people and life in the 1960s and 1970s. These short essays originally appeared as columns in the South End News. The look backward is not just a nostalgic reminisce, but an examination of values and issues in a changing neighborhood. Alison Barnet has also written several other books including South End Incident: A True Story.

Faces of a Neighborhood: Boston’s South End in the Early Twenty-first Century

by Lynne Potts

In this second book on the South End, author Lynne Potts interviewed 24 diverse neighborhood residents. The interviews draw out insights on contemporary issues facing people living in the city today. The 24 South Enders included people from different age groups, economic groups, as well as people who were long-time residents and newcomers.

Boston’s South End

by Lauren Prescott

This annotated collection of South End related postcards covers the period from the late 19th century to the mid Twentieth century. This is not a complete history, but it does have extensive notes with its many pictures of South End churches, hospitals, charity organizations, and businesses. For example, the book gives details on Rev. Edgar J. Helms’ development of Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, as well as historical notes on the Salvation Army, the Union Rescue Mission, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the YWCA, and the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society (founded in the South End). Other chapters cover schools and education; hotels and recreation; and businesses and industry.

Villa Victoria: The Transformation of Social Capital in a Boston Barrio

by Mario Luis Small

Villa Victoria has been a national model of community development. This study looks at the relationship of poverty and social capital, finding in Villa Victoria that poorer urban communities are not necessarily lacking in social capital.

Good Neighbors: Gentrifying Diversity in Boston's South End

by Sylvie Tissot, (translated by David Broder and Catherine Romatowski)

A French Marxist’s perspective on gentrification in the South End based on participant observation and interview research in neighborhood associations and networks.

Take Action

Volunteer or Intern

Volunteer or Intern With Applied Research

White Evangelicals’ Candid Talk About Race: 6 Takeaways

White Evangelicals’ Candid Talk About Race: 6 Takeaways

by Megan Lietz

[Last month I posted A Word to White Evangelicals: Now Is The Time To Engage Issues of Race, a call to action for beginning a journey toward respectful and responsible engagement with issues of race. As an action step, I invited white evangelicals to join me for small group conversation on race. The gathering took place April 1, 2017 at EGC. Here’s what we learned together from the experience.]

With little more than a few key questions and a spark of hope, I wasn’t sure how this first conversation would go. Under a surprise April snowstorm, I wasn’t even sure who would show up. But I sensed that God was in this. Having done my part, I was trusting God to do his.

One by one, eight white evangelical Christians filtered in. Men and women of different ages, life experiences, and church backgrounds came to the table with varied levels of awareness about race-related concerns. Against cultural headwinds of complacency and fear, these eight were ready for an open conversation about race.

Stepping Into the River

To frame our time together, I invited each person in the group to use the image of a river to depict their journey toward racial reconciliation. It was my hope that by recalling our experiences together, we could help one another imagine pathways ahead and find the support to move forward.

As people shared parts of their journey, we heard six unique stories. One man’s engagement with race issues began in the 1960s through his observation of racial discrimination at his university and his subsequent positive reaction toward the leadership of the Black Power movement. This got him thinking and eventually led him to visit a black church. One woman began to seriously think about race only weeks before our gathering because of an eye-opening grad school course.

We then used our river-journeys to reflect together on three simple questions: With regard to our engagement in issues of race...

1. Where are we?

2. Where do we want to be?

3. What can we do to move forward?

Takeaways

As group members began to share their experiences wrestling with issues of race and culture, they did so with relief at the opportunity to speak openly. With a life-giving mix of humility and excitement, the group gave voice to the following shared insights.

1. We Remember A Time Before We Were Aware

Each white evangelical in the room remembered a time in their life before they were aware of the magnitude and significance of racial disparities today. As one participant put it, “I didn’t realize there was an issue. It is hard to know there are racial problems when living in racially homogeneous communities.”

Confronting basic, hard realities shifted their perspective, evidenced by comments such as these from various participants:

• People of color are not treated the same as white people.

• Ethnic injustice was an issue even in biblical times.

• People make assumptions about people’s experiences and needs based on the color of their skin.

• When people just go with the flow, they are unconsciously agreeing with what is going on.

2. We Have Personal Work To Do

The group broadly agreed on the need for white people to engage in personal learning and engage issues of race more effectively. One participant shared, “There are racist systems (that need to be addressed), but I also need to do a lot of [self-]work.”

Another, who became aware of the profound impact race has on people’s lives more recently, added, “Lack of knowledge keeps me from entering the conversation. I’m still learning, so I’m insecure.” A third participant asserted that white people need to do their learning and self-work both before and during their engagement across racial lines.

3. Story Sharing is Key

Many insights affirmed the power of story sharing to bring awareness and practical guidance. It is a helpful step for us to reflect on our own stories and be willing to be honest and vulnerable. It is essential to become good listeners, giving careful attention to the stories of our brothers and sisters of color. Some of our comments were:

• White evangelicals have many things to learn from communities who look different from them.

• We should share our own stories about our journey toward racial justice with our fellow white evangelicals.

• We should take the posture not of “rescuers,” but of mutual learners.

• Sharing our own story can impact others.

• Engaging with white people and people of color who are both ahead of and behind us in the journey can be useful in understanding the self-work we need to do.

4. We Need More Skills to Do Hard Conversations Well

The group identified an obstacle in their work around race: limited skill for hard conversations. They attributed the problem to a lack of good models, especially within the white evangelical community, for listening, dialogue, and engaging conflict.

One participant said that white evangelicals are not good at engaging conflict. He went on to explain that, in his experience, people often announce their opinions in ways that shut down conversations rather than invite genuine dialogue. “When people are not listening and are argumentative, it’s difficult to have the conversations that propel people forward in their journey [toward racial reconciliation].”

5. We Need Brave Spaces

When discussing what these leaders would look for in a healthy conversation, they used words like “open,” “humble,” “honest” and “authentic.”

One participant observed, “Lack of [such spaces] keeps us locked in coasting mode or in the status quo.” Brave spaces to engage in uncomfortable conversation are needed for growth.

6. Growth Requires Ongoing Community

These white evangelicals were seeking brave spaces not just for conversation, but to walk with one another in community. One participant declared his need for a “community of inquirers… that address the current social tensions.”

Another added that single events, while helpful in sparking interest and fostering growth, are less effective in supporting lasting transformation. “We need continuity…There needs to be a group who is doing this work over a length of time.”

Pilot Cohort

With a shared longing to experience new ways of listening, dialoguing, and learning in community, the group committed to experiment together as a cohort for a time. The group agreed to use two upcoming meetings to discuss Debby Irving’s book Waking Up White. We will also attend a lecture with the author.

Through this pilot cohort in EGC’s new Race & Christian Community initiative, we aim to:

• Create a space where the group can try, fail, learn, and grow.

• Practice dialogue that nurtures respectful and responsible engagement around issues of race.

Take Action

Are you a white evangelical Christian interested in a similar, future cohort?

Do you have advice or resources that could help our cohort function more effectively?

Do you want to speak into the development of the Race & Christian Community initiative at EGC?

Please connect with us! We invite the insights of the community and are excited to see where the Lord may lead.

Connect

Thank you for reaching out to to the Race & Christian Community team! Please tell me a little about your interest. I look forward to connecting with you. — Megan

Megan Lietz, M.Div., STM, helps white evangelicals engage respectfully and responsibly with issues of race. She is a Research Associate with EGC's Race & Christian Communities ministry.

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Saffron: A Refugee Story [VIDEO]

History of Revivalism in Boston

History of Revivalism in Boston

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

Emmanuel Research Review reprint
Issue No. 24 — January/February 2007

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher, Emmanuel Gospel Center, Boston

Read the full version online here.

Executive Summary

“Revivalism,” according to the Dictionary of Christianity in America, “is the movement that promotes periodic spiritual intensity in church life, during which the unconverted come to Christ and the converted are shaken out of their spiritual lethargy.” David W. Bebbington, professor of history at the University of Stirling in Scotland and a distinguished visiting professor of history at Baylor University, describes revivalism as a strand of evangelicalism, a form of activism (which he identifies as one of evangelicalism’s four key characteristics), where a movement produces conversions “not in ones and twos but en masse.”

Dwight L. Moody revival meeting in Boston

In this 2007 study, EGC’s Senior Researcher Rudy Mitchell traces Boston’s key evangelistic revival movements from the First Great Awakening in Boston in 1740–1741 through the Billy Graham campaign in Boston, starting on New Year’s Eve in 1949. With 23,000 attending services on the Boston Common in 1740 to hear Whitefield (without the benefit of electronic amplification) to an estimated 75,000 gathered at the same spot in 1950 to hear the same Gospel preached by Rev. Billy Graham, the story of revivalism in Boston gives color and texture to the waves of revival.

Rudy introduces us to a few of the key players, remarkable crowds, recorded outcomes, while weaving in familiar faces and places, from Charles Finney, Dwight L. Moody and Billy Sunday to Harvard Yard, Park Street Church and the Boston Garden. We sense history coming alive as we read how God moved in remarkable ways through his gifted evangelists and preachers, and we gain a deeper appreciation for Boston’s vibrant Christian history.

“History of Revivalism in Boston” was first printed in the January/February 2007 issue of the Emmanuel Research Review, Issue 24. It was subsequently published in New England’s Book of Acts, a collection of reports on how God is growing the churches among many people groups and ethnic groups in Greater Boston and beyond.

Table of Contents (with key themes and names added)

Revivalism
First Great Awakening in Boston

George Whitefield

The Revivals of 1823-24, 1826-27

Second Great Awakening, growth of evangelicalism, church planting, Rev. Lyman Beecher

The Revival of 1841-1842

Rev. Edward N. Kirk, Charles Finney, Elder Jacob Knapp, resulting church growth

The Revival of 1857-58

“The Prayer Revival,” noontime businessmen’s prayer, daily prayer meetings by and for women

The Dwight L. Moody Revival Meetings in Boston

YMCA, Ira Sankey, A.J. Gordon, social justice, temperance, 1877-78

The 1916–1917 Billy Sunday Revival

celebrity status, campaign prayer events, mass rallies, businesswomen’s luncheon, 64,000 declarations of faith, 133 sermons delivered

The 1950 Billy Graham Revival

Harold J. Ockenga, Boston Garden, New England-wide follow-up rallies

Learn More

Read the full version of “History of Revivalism in Boston”

Contact Rudy Mitchell with questions, or to request a printed copy.

Email Rudy

Contact Rudy Mitchell

A Good Death: The Benefits of Talking About End of Life

A Good Death: The Benefits of Talking about End of Life

by Bethany Slack, MPH, MT

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die…” - Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a 

As human beings, we all share the common experiences of birth and death. But we tend to focus our time and energy planning, living out, and seeking to improve our time here on earth. Many of us give little attention to how we wish to experience the end of earthly life.

Passage into extreme old age or the discovery of terminal illness can stir up confusion and conflicting desires. Miscommunication with family and medical staff is common.

If we have avoided discussing End of Life (EOL) issues as families, churches, and communities, there are usually medical, relational, financial, and spiritual ramifications. But open conversation benefits both the individual and the community.

You May Be Surprised To Learn

• Research indicates that 80% of people would like to die at home, yet only about one third do.

• Dying in a hospital is pricier and comes with more aggressive treatments than dying in other facilities or at home.

• Hospice services offer treatments that make a terminally ill person comfortable at the end of life, and more people than ever are choosing to receive hospice care.

• Persons with terminal cancer who are part of a highly supportive spiritual community are more likely to receive aggressive care and die in the hospital, rather than choose hospice or home care.

• Among those with highly supportive spiritual communities, racial/ethnic minorities and those reporting strong reliance on God are even more likely to receive aggressive treatments at the end of life.

Introducing a Boston Public Health and Wellness Initiative

The Public Health and Wellness (PH&W) initiative at the Emmanuel Gospel Center is beginning to explore such end of life questions, building on our ministry partners’ wisdom, insights, and contributions to the field.

Observing the needs of her own congregation, Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, M.D. of Bethel AME Church began Planning Ahead, a ministry to encourage discussion of EOL issues and advance directives.  Michael Balboni, Ph.D., Th.M., affiliated with Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has published extensively about the role of spirituality and spiritual care in medicine and end of life care. Both have a desire to see EOL issues more widely engaged in faith communities.

With Dr. White-Hammond and Dr. Balboni, the PH&W initiative is planning a 2017 convening in the Boston area with the hope of connecting pastors and other Christian leaders with medical professionals. We hope to spark a new vision in faith communities of what a “good death” can look like, and how planning for good deaths can benefit and bless our city and society.

Take Action

1. Learn more about the current state of EOL in the United States.

2. Connect with me for further conversation.

Contact Bethany Slack

Contact Form

3. Financially support the Public Health & Wellness Initiative at EGC.

Bethany Slack, MPH, MT, is the Public Health and Wellness research associate at EGC. Her passion is to see Jesus’ love translated into improved health and health justice for all, across the lifespan and across the globe.

Report from the 2017 New England City Forum

Report from the 2017 New England City Forum

by Kelly Steinhaus

OVERVIEW

The New England City Forum brought together 103 Christian leaders from across New England to learn from each other, develop deeper relationships, and ultimately increase effective ministry in each of our cities. We met on February 16, 2017 at First Assembly of God in Worcester.

The New England City Forum is sponsored by the Emmanuel Gospel Center (Boston), Vision New England, Greater Things for Greater Boston, and the Luis Palau Organization (who bought us lunch!).

The New England City Forum is linked intentionally with Vision New England’s GO Conference, which this year was February 17 and 18 at the DCU Center in Worcester.

OPENING PRESENTATION

Jeff Bass and Liza Cagua-Koo from the Emmanuel Gospel Center shared a Powerpoint Presentation about the complexity of effective ministry. God’s work in a city is hard to understand because we often don’t see important things, nor do we interpret what we do see effectively. Because different people see things in different ways, and our biases interfere with our seeing and our understanding, we will be more effective in ministry if we can look and interpret together. This points to the importance of strong, diverse relationships within our ministry teams, and across our collaborative networks, as we work together to advance the Gospel in our cities and regions.

CITY PRESENTATIONS

We heard stories from Worcester, MA; Portland, ME;  New London, CT; and Rhode Island.

Here are some highlights of what we learned from the various presentations.

Leaders from Worcester

Worcester, MA

The second-largest city in New England, Worcester is an ethnically, racially, culturally and socio-economically diverse urban center where the church is starting to leverage the strategic opportunities presented by its diverse community.  Although historically a more siloed and isolated city, here Christians are coming together to serve their neighbors.  The Worcester team highlighted collaboration efforts around Christian sober house "Turn The Page" and the work of Worcester Alliance for Refugee Ministry (WARM), which connects urban and suburban churches together to welcome the city's incoming refugee neighbors. In fact, Worcester has the highest number of refugees of any city in Massachusetts.  Ministry efforts in Worcester are undergirded by Kingdom Network of Worcester, which is a strong inter-denominational prayer movement, and John 17:23 pastoral support groups. The group compiled a handout describing an overview of the history of God's work in Worcester, its current challenges and opportunities.

Portland, ME

Portland's presentation highlighted the rising percentage of church attendance: older churches are being revitalized and new churches are being planted. These churches are strengthened through the Mission Maine pastors group which meets monthly to collaborate in mission and fellowship. Ministry in Portland is characterized by strong compassion-based ministry. To address the drug/opioid epidemic, the Root Cellar community center provides after-school programs, food, and clothing. Portland also has a large percentage of immigrants, and the largest number of asylum-seekers in New England. Churches have come together to help the immigrant community through trauma and marriage/family counseling, individual discipleship, language instruction, and legal services. Additionally, a team of street pastors from various churches are sharing the gospel with folks on the street, and they have seen a decrease of 70% of crime in the neighborhoods where they have been serving! 

New London, CT

CityServe eCT is an informal network of churches and ministries united to proclaim the gospel in word and deed through collaboration for prayer, outreach, and service. With a 40-member team of ministry leaders and no paid staff, they have come together for a variety of efforts including: restoring Fulton Park; hosting a CityFest festival in the park (attended by 1,200 with 90 people taking steps of faith); through a "Love 146," training of staff in motels to recognize signs of trafficking and child exploitation; developing a team of police chaplains; and coordinating a multi-church vacation bible school.  Many more joint initiatives are planned for the coming months.  Check out their Powerpoint and Notes to learn more!

Rhode Island:

Inter-church collaboration in Rhode Island began with approximately 100 pastors participating in prayer summits and monthly pastors’ breakfasts. This led to a desire to work together, and the organization Love Rhode Island emerged, which encourages churches to pray for people, to care in practical ways, and to share the good news of Jesus. Love RI held a large citywide gospel festival in 2010 that was attended by over 100 churches. They also began to bring together entire congregations for prayer through People’s Prayer Summits. In 2013, the Summer OFF (Outreach, Friends, and Faith) program developed, which is a vacation bible school on wheels with 13 churches, bible stories, free lunches, and crafts.  Then, in 2016, the Together initiative trained pastors and leaders in servant evangelism, intercession, and church planting. This ministry is now launching “Together we Pray,” 35 churches engaged in 24/7 prayer for the region. Learn more with their Powerpoint and Handout.

TABLE DISCUSSIONS

A key feature of the forum was table discussions, which gave participants a chance to share their perspectives, reflect with other leaders from their cities and together gain deeper insight.  Each presentation concluded with questions for leaders to digest what they are hearing and how it applies to the unique ministry environment in their cities.

In the last part of the day, participants engaged in a large-group processing and sharing exercise to determine the key learnings that were emerging throughout all the cities. Through "flash hexagoning," individuals responded to the question “What have you learned today?” on sticky notes, and then shared these with their table. The table then grouped responses by common themes and chose up to three overarching key learnings to be highlighted for the entire room. Each table's key learnings were written on larger sticky notes, which were then themed on the wall by the large group. Ten key insights emerged, which we used to focus our concluding prayer time for God’s continuing gospel movement throughout New England.

The ten key principles from the forum are stated below, with select, undergirding sticky notes in quotes and additional insights from day-long notetaking at the tables.

LARGE-GROUP LEARNINGS

1. Unified prayer is essential

Praying together is the foundation of a gospel movement, and "precedes an environment of collaboration and love." "Commnunity-based prayer launches community action." It is no surprise that many of the cities with strong Gospel witness also had a strong inter-church prayer network across denominations. Truly, we can’t expect the Holy Spirit to move in our cities without unified prayer. 

2. Leadership and structure is required

"Effective moments require engaged and available leadership." "A structure is needed to capture and accelerate partnerships." Pastors are often the gate-keepers for collaboration; if they don’t know other pastors, then churches won’t work together.  "Training of pastors/leaders" is key. At the same time, we need to restructure the current church system so these initiatives are not entirely placed on the pastor. There is much momentum around training congregation members working in secular fields to disciple people in their occupations to further the kingdom of God. To this end, pastors in Hartford have been discussing a Kingdom in the Workplace conference to help people network across churches vocationally.

3. Know your community

Needs within cities are ever-changing: we must become multidimensional in our thinking and approaches to serve our communities.  Initiatives should be birthed through the assets and needs in the community, so that ministry is transformational rather than transactional.  "Understanding demographics for Gospel impact" by tuning into the "kairos opportunities" presented by who is in or coming to a city--through immigration, refugee resettlement, etc. There is a lot of momentum throughout New England around refugee ministries, and God is bringing us an opportunity to engage the nations through the refugees among us.

4. Be present in your community

A "ministry of presence" is key, and upon this foundation events can be leveraged--we must "prioritize presence over events."  Church leaders are continually seeking to find a good balance between initiating collaborative events and adopting a consistent ministry of presence-- a dynamic that plays out not just when a church engages the community, but also when churches engage each other. All of the great gospel movements are happening outside the four walls of the church.  Leaders in Portland have found that the less church-centric and the more sent out into the neighbors a church can be, the better.

5. Seek to align with what God is doing

Rather than just starting new things, leaders should find things that are already happening and join in, asking “How can we be a part of this?” This curious, open, discovery-oriented approach identifies and celebrates where "God is at work," and enables us to see our ministry within God’s bigger picture.

6. Build trusted relationships

Leaders across New England continually attribute gospel movement to strong, trusting relationships between leaders. God speaks to many people at once - we can only discern what God is doing by being in relationship with one another. Developing authentic relationships that cross traditional boundaries and divisions is also key, but taking time to build trust cuts against our natural proclivity for “productivity.” However, trust-filled relationships make #7 (below) possible, and are also the basis of #8.

7. Unity and collaborative partnerships are needed to tackle complex problems

At least nine cities honed in on the importance of collaboration: collaboration is not just an optional goal for ministry, it is essential for united and effective gospel witness. Cities are complex, and churches miss major opportunities when they do not see secular/governmental organizations as potential allies, rather than obstacles. Boston has seen the incredible value of intentional partnership between churches, community organizations, and social service agencies within small geographic regions of the city. In Portland, church leaders have come together to serve the refugee population and address the drug crisis, complex situations that are too big for any one church to tackle. Leaders in Worcester describe the need for some kind of clearinghouse that brings us together and helps to coordinate our prayer, witness, and service. 

8. Intentional diverse leadership is needed

Churches and ministry efforts are richer when they are diverse because more diversity equals more lenses, resulting in a clearer vision. We need to get outside our cultural and denominational bubbles in order to gain insight on our own stereotypes and biases, so we can see God and others more clearly, as well as our part in what He is doing.  Pursuing diversity in any context (church, leadership, collaboration) needs to be intentional and it is not going to happen naturally.  Churches in Cambridge have found that diversity is built through food, friendship, and giving voice to people at the table.  Who is at the table when something starts often means that the starter group ends up being the decision-makers, so having multiple entry points where new people at the table can co-create, not just "follow," makes functional diversity more likely.

9. We need to engage hard conversations

"Comfort zones are a prison in the growth of God's Kingdom."  Therefore we have to break outside of our comfort zones and pursue hard, vulnerable conversations with those who are different from us, but this isn’t easy.  Working together "disrumpts comfort and process" and we need to anticipate that and press through.  Our "unconscious mental models"-- how we think the world is or how it works-- really matter, and these can be challenged when we work together.  Even with the best intentions, sometimes we can operate counterproductively (for example, through "toxic charity"), and our willingness to engage in hard conversations will determine whether these blindspots can be addressed.  One of the biggest challenges is for churches to create collective long-term change, rather than the tendency to follow the “flavor of the month.”

10. Humility and vulnerability are non-negotiables

We must "learn to communicate with a humble posture."  "Humble, honest relationships must be prioritized."  Like Jesus, we must have the attitude that we came not to be served, but to serve. Our humble approach is something that should stand out about the Christian Church and as we engage one another.  Looking through the lens of our own need/brokenness opens us up to better understand and come alongside others; this shifts how we reach out and understand ministry. In many cases, when partnerships are empowering the community and the local leadership so that they are leading locally, the Church may not get the immediate credit.  (Good thing we have an audience of One.)

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

Through reflecting and dreaming together, and through fellowship and prayer, a vision for growing the Kingdom of God in New England was expanded and strengthened. Here are some comments from participants:

• “I was surprised that God’s work in New England is fairly common from city to city. The same “city issues” exist everywhere!”

• “Today, I learned the value of accessing as many lenses to view my city as possible, and that building relationships across our differences is worth whatever it costs.”

• “I learned about the need for diversity to be present in our dialogues.”

• “It was inspiring to see what God is doing in our region.”

• “It was cool to see how prayer and John 17 unity is resonating throughout the region.”

• “The flash hexagon activity was a great way to digest the information, and made me think about the art of God’s refracted light.”

• “I learned about the importance of fostering united prayer and authentic relationships with others outside of my normal silos.”

• “I was encouraged to see that there are many in my city who have a heart to come together and see God do a good work!”

NEXT STEPS:

• New London: Leaders in New London were encouraged by Worcester’s model of two churches collaborating to run a sober house together and are exploring implementing this in New London. They are also considering starting a free arts and crafts in the park once/week during the summer.

• Rhode Island: Based on the New England City Forum conversations, leaders in Rhode Island thinking about how to rebrand their movement towards the “Together” terminology, developing a sub-area strategy using the NH Alliance as a model, and continuing to develop the 24/7 prayer network.  

• Connecticut: CityServeeCT is now working to invite more than 100 additional pastors to their monthly meetings and rotate the meeting location between cities.

• Maine: Leaders in Maine are considering implementing a street pastor’s ministry in Lewiston and how they can respond well to immigrants in Portland.

• Hartford: A pastor's luncheon is taking place on March 30th to consider how to foster greater unity and relationship among diverse leaders in the Urban Alliance Network. 

• Worcester: In a follow-up meeting, Worcester church leaders discussed the need for their team to represent the full racial, ethnic, gender and denominational diversity of Worcester. They are also considering how to nurture better church/community collaboration through focused research, a street pastor's ministry, and local school partnerships.



After the President's Refugee Order: Greater Boston Refugee Ministry Update

• Gaining Perspective in the Light of Executive Orders

• Upcoming Refugee Ministry Training Opportunities

by Gregg Detwiler, Director, Intercultural Ministries, EGC

Hello friends, I want to give you an update on our ministry and hopefully encourage you as well.

As you might guess, this has been a really intense time of ministry for us in the Greater Boston Refugee Ministry. Since President Trump gave his initial executive order on January 27, 2017, and his new executive order on March 6, reducing and temporarily ceasing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), the debate and even the rancor of our nation has really ramped up. I recognize that those of you reading this report may have a variety of opinions on this and other issues. Regardless of your personal position, I want to encourage you, even as I encourage myself and our team, that we would have the proper moorings to keep us steady and faithful in this season of debate.

I want to give you four things to consider:

1. GET WELL INFORMED

First of all, it is my hope that we would all seek to be well informed, that we would make sure that we get our facts and information from balanced and well-founded sources. One example of a good resource is to review the refugee vetting process already in place. You can see an infographic of that process at this site.

If you have questions or concerns about refugees coming into the United States and how that process works, please reach out to us. We will be happy to point you to some resources that we feel are reputable and accurate to help you understand what exactly happens. You can either send us a message through the “Contact EGC” button on this page: https://www.egc.org/take-action or call us during regular business hours at 617-262-4567 and ask to speak to someone in the Greater Boston Refugee Ministry.

2. ENGAGE IN POSITIVE ACTION

Secondly, regardless of where you may stand about whether refugees should continue to come in or whether the number should be decreased or increased, the fact is we already have refugees here! And the scriptural mandate for us to welcome and serve refugees—the foreigner, the alien, the stranger, the widow, the orphan—those mandates have not changed. And so even as this debate rages, I would encourage you to direct your energy toward acting and doing something positive right now regarding this population, and there are many opportunities for you to get involved. If you are in the Boston area, we would love to help direct you toward that positive action. Please get in touch with us. If you live to the west of Boston, contact our partners at WARM, the Worcester Alliance for Refugee Ministry. And if you live in other places around the country, I will try to point you toward people serving refugees where you are.

3. ATTEND A GBRM TRAINING

Thirdly, in order to take action in ways that are really helpful and not harmful, it’s very important we are first trained. This month, we are offering several trainings in the Greater Boston area. In the coming months, there will be more. Please visit our web page at https://www.egc.org/refugee for a list of current opportunities. On March 11, 2017, we will be at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. On March 18 and April 29 we will be in Belmont, Mass. Contact us to ask for details about these, or check our website.

4. LISTEN TO THE STORIES OF REFUGEES

One excellent way that we can get better informed about the real story is to hear from refugees themselves. The Greater Boston Refugee Ministry was invited to be part of a news feature story produced by NBC Boston on January 29, 2017. They asked us to bring some of our refugee friends, and so we brought a refugee couple, a Christian family from Syria, who talked about their reactions to the executive order and how those events were making them feel. I am sure you would find this short video informative and inspiring as you view this couple’s story linked here.

Thank you for your active partnership in serving refugees with us. Your prayers, encouragement and financial support help us equip churches in Greater Boston to serve the many families who have recently arrived and are trying to settle in.

For the GBRM Team,

Gregg

To support the work of EGC settling refugee families, click here.
To learn more about EGC’s Greater Boston Refugee Ministry, click here.

A Word to White Evangelicals: Now is the Time to Engage Issues of Race

PERSPECTIVES

by Megan Lietz, ARC Research Associate

We are at a critical moment in the history of our nation—a time not when new problems have arisen, but when old problems have been revealed. The violence against young Black men, the tension that inspired the killings of police officers, the division surrounding a heated election, and the exclusion of the Muslim community are just a few indicators that things are not well.

How will we respond in our increasingly diverse nation as racial tensions flare across our land?

Like a doctor removes a bandage to reveal a festering wound, these national incidents are exposing deep-seated racial inequities. As a physician exposes a wound to provide treatment, so does exposing these inequities create opportunity for healing. How will we respond to this opportunity? In our choices, we are accountable to the Lord.

The Current Reality 

The racial diversity of our nation is increasing. The US Census Bureau projects that by 2043 more than half of the nation will be people of color. We have already seen this shift occur in Boston when we became a “minority majority” city in 2000. Diversity is our future, and the future is indeed here.

With this diversity also comes division. Some division comes from the differences inherent in diverse cultures, such as disparate worldviews or languages. These types of differences are not inherently bad. Other divisions, however, happen because disparities exist between White people and people of color. These disparities have a profound impact on people’s daily lives and foster tension and fear.

Consider the racial disparities in education, health care, and financial well-being in Boston. In 2016, rates of graduation from the Boston Public School System in four years were 13 percentage points lower for Black students, and 15 percentage points lower for Hispanic students, than their White counterparts. In 2015, a 2011 health report found that, compared to White people, Black and Hispanic people in Massachusetts have higher rates of infant mortality, cardiovascular and circulatory system related deaths, and diabetes.

Most notably, in 2015 the median net worth for White families in the Boston area ($247,500) towered over that of Hispanic ($3,020 for Puerto Ricans, $2,700 for other Hispanics) and Black families ($12,000 for “Caribbean Blacks” and $8 for “U.S. Blacks”). Furthermore, there is little hope of this improving without significant change, as these national wealth gaps by race have remained relatively consistent for the last 50 years.

These inequalities shape the future ministry of the Church and invite White evangelicals to the work of racial reconciliation. The invitation is open. Our city isn’t waiting. Will we see the problem before us? Will we respond in a Christ-like way to the hurt and division across our land?

Stepping Up 

I believe it is time for White evangelicals to step up in this moment of crisis and walk into the opportunity for conciliation it provides. As a White evangelical myself, I am choosing to step up. Neither my faith nor my conscience allows me to do otherwise.

“These inequalities shape the future ministry of the Church and invite White evangelicals to the work of racial reconciliation.”

I am stepping up by calling other White evangelicals to join me on a journey toward racial reconciliation, and I am committing to walking with them along the way. More specifically, I am developing an initiative at the Emmanuel Gospel Center called Race and Christian Community. I’m designing the initiative to meet White evangelicals where they are and help them take concrete steps to engage in racial issues respectfully and responsibly.   

While my primary motivators for action are God’s Word (e.g. Eph. 2:11-14, John 17:20-23, Jer. 29:7) and the grave need, my desire to engage is also personal.  There was a time when I was unaware of my race and privilege and culture, when I didn't know what God's Word had to say about the racism and division and discord that sullies our land. At that time, I had fellow Christians come alongside me as I began my own journey towards racial reconciliation.

Born and raised in a predominantly White, rural town, growing up I never imagined myself in multiracial ministry. It was not until I was immersed in communities of color during my college years that I wrestled with my own race and culture. It was not until then that I had considered how racial reconciliation related to my faith.

“I had fellow Christians come alongside me as I began my own journey towards racial reconciliation.”

As I reflect on my involvement in those early days, I recall my desire to help, my good intentions, my uncertainty about what to do, and my remarkable ignorance. At the same time I recall God’s faithfulness. He extended me grace and guided me, through the Spirit and the saints.

In this space I came to discover my culture and racial identity. I began to genuinely appreciate the cultures of others. My view of God expanded, and I began to more fully live out my faith.

Similar to how the Lord used others to lead me on my journey toward racial reconciliation, it is my hope that I can partner with the Lord to guide others who are starting out.

Join the Journey

I invite you to join me in reflecting on the racial tension our nation is experiencing and to consider how you might respond. As the inequities and divisions are coming to light in ways that White evangelicals can no longer deny, we are posed with the question, "What will you do about it?" It is a question that, though powerful, is often brushed off by a barrage of competing priorities: the problem of good people having too many good things to do.

I challenge you to not brush off the question of how you will respond too easily. In our complacency, we hurt both people of color and ourselves. After centuries of being largely disengaged from pursuits of racial equity, now is the time for White evangelicals to begin to change our legacy.

Perhaps the incidents of violence and upheaval that cross our television screens are a means of God’s grace to us. Perhaps God is using these incidents to interrupt our daily routine with moments of clarity—moments that  invite us to engage in the reconciling work that is not a partisan issue but is essential to the work Christ did on the cross (Eph. 2:11-21).

“Now is the time for White evangelicals to begin to change our legacy.”

Will you join me, broken and faulty as I am, on a journey toward racial reconciliation? Will you join me, with wounds and fears and insecurities? Will you join me with confidence, not in our ability to bring about reconciliation, but in Christ’s ability to work through those who say, “Yes, Lord, send me”?

Take Action

I invite you to :

• Attend an EGC small group conversation for White evangelicals. Saturday, April 1, 10 am - noon, at Emmanuel Gospel Center, 2 San Juan Street, Boston. Discuss obstacles and insights you’ve encountered in your own engagement of race, and brainstorm how EGC could support you to do so more effectively.

SIgn Up for Group Conversation

Thanks for your interest in the small group conversations on race for White evangelicals! Sign up below to RSVP for this or future group events. - Megan

• Speak into the development of EGC’s Race & Christian Community initiative by connecting with me personally. I value your perspective and want this initiative to be shaped by the voice of the community!

Connect with Megan

Would you like to speak into the development of EGC’s Race & Christian Community initiative? I value your perspective and want this initiative to be shaped by the voice of the community! Sign up below and I'll be happy to contact you. I look forward to connecting with you! -- Megan

• Explore my recommended resource list to begin learning about race and how to engage these issues.

• Refer a church, organization, or individual who is already engaging racial reconciliation. I’d like to connect with them, learn from them, and explore how what we do at EGC can complement, not duplicate, their efforts.

Refer Someone

Refer an Individual, Church or Organization Engaged in Racial Reconciliation

• Offer financial support to EGC’s Race and Christian Community initiative.

If you are willing to join me, I welcome you to the journey. May we walk it together, bearing the good news of Jesus' reconciling power and allowing him to use us as his hands and feet.

Jamaica Plain's Journey Through Time: History + Resources

Jamaica Plain Over Time: History + Resources

by Rudy Mitchell, Senior Researcher

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

Some Jamaica Plain Firsts

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

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

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

Historical Overview

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

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

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

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

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

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

Early Infrastructure: Water Supply & Transportation Systems

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

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

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

Early Factories

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

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

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

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

Immigration, Population Growth & Churches

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

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

Jamaica Plan: Population vs. Year

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

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

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

Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana was started in 1975.

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

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

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

Jamaica Plain IN RECENT DECADES: Current & Future Developments

J.P. Licks ice cream shop

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

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

The future Jackson Square Recreation Center.

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

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

Map of Jamaica Plain, Boston Planning and Development Agency

Recommended Resources

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WEB SITES

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

Jamaica Plain Historical Society – www.jphs.org

EGC 365 Campaign

EGC 365 Campaign

by Jeff Bass, Executive Director

Dear Friends,

In a season when our nation and Greater Boston are facing ever increasing challenges, do you believe that God is at work? Do you believe God is at work through his Church? Do you believe God is at work through you?

Since the mid-1960s, God has used immigrants, migrants, students, businessmen and businesswomen, and even some home-grown Bostonians to revitalize his Church. EGC gets behind Christian leaders of all types and helps the Church:        

• Love refugee families and people who are affected by homelessness

• Fight human trafficking and the exploitation of women

• Partner together to strengthen our public schools

• Proclaim the good news of Jesus to a growing city

EGC is a “backbone organization” that others depend on for learning, connection,   technical support, and strategic assistance. We have been doing this work for many years, and the fruit is seen throughout urban Boston and beyond.

Of course, this work depends on partners like you who support the Church and EGC with your prayers, finances and involvement. The work we do is staff intensive. It takes time to develop and maintain relationships and to do the hard work of learning, thinking, planning and working together, especially across the lines of community, race, denomination and ministry approaches/interests. We need steady, dependable support to be effective over the long term.

We have initiated this EGC 365 campaign to help EGC be sustainable, day in and day out, 365 days a year. We are seeking investment to strengthen our work, as well as 365 new monthly donors. We invite you to join us in this important work of strengthening Christian leaders by investing in EGC or by becoming a monthly donor.  

Rev. Eva Clarke, Chair of the Board & Jeff Bass, Executive Director

PS - EGC’s work has never been more needed! Please join us in strengthening Christian leaders to serve urban communities.

EGC Strengthens Christian Leaders to Serve Urban Communities

We believe healthy leaders lead to healthy churches and related systems, which lead to healthy communities and positive change in the world.  

We strengthen leaders by helping them:  

• Learn: by taking time to understand the city and the systems in which we operate.

• Connect: by getting to know the people involved and facilitating strong working relationships, and by connecting the dots of stories and narratives to facilitate understanding.

• Equip: by providing teaching, training, tools and resources for effective ministry, and by helping others learn and connect. Learn, Connect and Equip always work together and lead to action.

EMMANUEL GOSPEL CENTER HIGHLIGHTS

Seeking God, to understand the times and seasons

EGC’s learning has fueled Christian ministry in Boston and the New England region for decades. The city is constantly changing, the world is becoming increasingly urban, and the pace of change everwhere seems to be accelerating. Living System Ministry is needed now more than ever, so Christian leaders can understand and cooperate with how God is at work through the larger social systems in which we operate. Living System Ministry provides strong roots and soil for effective evangelism and outreach, and is critical for churches and communities to effectively understand and systemically address homelessness, youth violence, education, and the critical issues of our day.

A Growing Collaboration, that reflects the diversity in our city

The Abolitionist Network Director Sarah Dunham leads two cohorts consisting of 16 Christian leaders dedicated to increasing their church and ministry impact on human trafficking through education, prevention, safe and effective response, and holistic community to support survivors. Sarah and the cohort have led the charge in training over 30 churches, including the Emmanuel Baptist Church of Norfolk which is now taking the lead in their community in the fight against sex and labor trafficking.

The Boston Education Collaborative teamed up with Bethel AME Church’s Generation Excel Program to implement the Peer Mediation Program in a Boston public school that had recently experienced several tragic student deaths. This program trained 14 student mediators and served close to 70 students, providing them a healthy outlet to resolve peer conflicts or heal from trauma.

The Greater Boston Refugee Ministry (GBRM) trained over 200 Christian leaders from 50 congregations on how to conduct refugee ministry. After taking leaders through the training, GBRM assisted with deploying these leaders by creating and supporting functional teams dedicated to serving refugees through resources, fellowship, and social integration.

Sharing God’s story, to see hearts changed & renewed

In February 2017, EGC partnered with Vision New England and Greater Things for Greater Boston to host the second annual New England City Forum. This brought together 103 participants representing 32 churches and 30 nonprofits to discover what God is doing in the region, learn from each other, and plan for collaboration between Christian leaders.

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WHAT LEADERS ARE SAYING ABOUT EGC

“I have had the privilege of partnering with the Emmanuel Gospel Center for many years in strengthening youth ministry in Boston. EGC’s applied research has been a catalyst for all kinds of ministry development in our region. EGC plays a vitally important role, and I am grateful for their ongoing work.” – Rev. Ray Hammond, MD, Pastor of Bethel AME Church, Jamaica Plain

“For decades and for many of us, EGC has been an anchor, one cohesive place in the city that helps hold us together like family to grow together across multiple generations and seasons of ministry.” – Rev. Lorraine Anderson, retired Senior Pastor of International Community Church, Allston

“Emmanuel Gospel Center’s leadership in research plays an important role in helping to understand our largest cities. EGC provides a best-of-class model of the power of applied research based on decades of work in Boston. Their model is inspiring similar efforts in other cities, including New York City.” – Dr. Mac Pier, Founder and CEO of the New York City Leadership Center

“I’ve had the privilege to observe and appreciate deeply EGC’s critical role as servant-leaders of the Church in this city for almost 40 years. Going beyond theoretical biblical knowledge, my friends at EGC have struggled to discern and align themselves and their ministry to the Word and Spirit in the city, its people, and its systems.” – Rev. Eldin Villafañe, PhD., Founding Director, Gordon- Conwell Theological Seminary’s Boston campus

“Building bridges across various Christian traditions and cultures can be extremely difficult. EGC came alongside me in cultivating the vision for Christian unity that God has given me. Without their support and encouragement to persevere, I wouldn't be the leader I am today.” – Kelly Steinhaus, Founding Director, UniteBoston

“When I visited the EGC team, I saw a model of a ministry that had city-wide vision and impact. It was a synchronistic moment, as I had a vision on my heart for something similar when I returned home to Mumbai, India, to put into practice some of their principles. I saw the Center bring together the church in Boston while developing new patterns of ministry which effectively combined proclamation with praxis.” – Rev. Viju Abraham, Co-founder and Chairman, Association for Christian Thoughtfulness (ACT), Mumbai, India

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OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH EGC

EGC’s work is staff intensive. As Boston becomes more and more expensive, it becomes more and more challenging for an urban ministry like EGC to retain, and fairly compensate the talented people we need for the time-demanding work that we do.

Currently, our funding base is strong. We are grateful for the 1,000 individuals and 100 churches that support EGC regularly, for the major donors that invest in our work, and for the foundations that entrust us with grants. However, there is a lot of opportunity for growth, and you are invited to partner with us. We lack an endowment to provide stability as project support ebbs and flows, and our current support base is not large enough to adequately support critical staffing needs going forward. For EGC to continue to be strong and do the important work we are called to do, our funding base needs to grow.

SUSTAINING SUPPORT      

Become a monthly donor!

You can become a foundational part of EGC’s funding by becoming a monthly donor. This will make you part of EGC’s most valuable (and stable!) form of support. You will be joining 75 donors who currently give a total of almost $5,000 each month. Growing sustained giving to the General Fund is a major priority, as it supports and strengthens all that EGC does.

Our goal is to find 365 new monthly donors to support EGC’s General Fund. Will you support EGC with a gift of $10, $25, $50, $100 or any amount per month, and become a core sustaining partner of EGC?

• # of Donors Monthly Annual

• 25 $100 - 500 $60,000

• 75 $100 $90,000

• 100 $ 50 $60,000

• 100 $ 25 $30,000

• 65 $ 5-24 $10,000

• __________________________________________

• 365 $250,000

 

STRATEGIC INVESTMENT      

Become a strategic investor!

Perhaps you are interested in a strategic investment in EGC’s heart of innovation. EGC is seeking $250,000 per year for the next 3 years to invest in our core capacity to learn about how God is at work in urban Boston, and connect and get behind those making a difference. This is the engine which drives EGC forward.

Your investment will help EGC continue to build long-term sustainable collaborations across urban ministries and churches. Your return on investment will be evidenced in terms of both community outcomes and indicators of collaborative urban ministry growth. Your investment makes the Church more unified and relevant.

Will you help us reach our goal of $250,000 annually for the next three years for EGC’s heart of innovation?      

LONG-TERM STRENGTH              

Leave a lasting legacy!

You may be more interested in being part of ensuring EGC’s long-term health. Ultimately, EGC will be most sustainable with a healthy endowment. A $5 million endowment will replace the need for ongoing investment and provide $250,000 of income per year to fund EGC’s core capacities.

At this time, such an endowment is the stuff of dreams and prayers. We know several people have included EGC in their estate plans, so perhaps one day this dream will become a reality.

If making a long-term impact by endowing EGC’s core capacity is exciting to you, or if you have ideas about how to make this happen, please talk with us!

EGC 365 Campaign

Strengthening Christian Leaders to Serve Urban Communities

• 35 Staff • $2 million Annual Budget • 200+ Churches Served Annually

• 500+ Leaders Served Annually

2 San Juan Street, P.O. Box 180245, Boston MA 02118  •  617.262.4567  •  egc.org  •  Jeffrey Bass, Executive Director jbass@egc.org

Our Principles

• We seek the Lord's leading and timing in making ministry decisions.

• We seek to build relationships with those to whom and with whom we minister.

• We seek to build the Kingdom of God in Boston, not just an individual, group, church or ministry (including our own).

• We draw on the resources that the Lord provides and we are confident that God will provide the people and the resources to do his work.

• We choose to take a fiscally conservative approach, and strive to maintain high standards of fiscal management.

• We seek long-term results.

For more of the story visit us at egc.org