Church Landscape Review: Executive Summary Report
In 2014, the Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) conducted a research study of over 40 church plants in the Boston area. It involved in-depth interviews with a diverse group of new churches from different denominations, ethnic groups, and networks. While the study focused on women in church leadership, it yielded a treasure trove of information on the church planters and their congregations.
Ten years later, EGC’s Applied Research team revisited the snapshot the 2014 data had produced and re-interviewed almost two dozen of the original churches. The team wanted to examine any shifts in the church landscape over a challenging and tumultuous period.
The research team gathered their findings in a series of reports they will release periodically throughout 2025. The Executive Summary Report provides a broad introduction to the study along with major data trends. The other reports revolve around four different themes:
Pastors Under Pressure
Evolving Vision*
Open Doors in Boston*
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*Titles are subject to change.
Churches have experienced plenty of change and faced much upheaval over the last 10 years. If you could take a snapshot of your church before and after that period, what would it look like? Would you see any big structural changes? How would the leadership of your church have changed? What about the congregation?
How has the church landscape in Boston changed over the last ten years? EGC’s Applied Research team analyzes the data from before-and-after snapshots of a group of newer churches between 2014 and 2024.
Christians look on in dismay as empty churches are converted into luxury condos, but congregations are beginning to reassess how their sacred spaces are used outside Sunday worship.
Many white Christians in evangelical churches feel isolated in their desire to discuss race, often encountering silence or pushback from their communities. Engaging with racial issues from a biblical perspective is essential for fostering unity and effectively following Jesus in a diverse world.
This guide showcases organizations addressing some of the most pressing social issues. Their endeavors range from supporting vulnerable children and families to promoting environmental stewardship.
The Church in Boston needs to wrestle with our region’s involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This resource list provides a wealth of material to grow in awareness of how the legacy of slavery continues to impact our communities.
EGC’s fundraisers have expanded over the years to embrace the diverse gifts of our staff members and ministry partners, adopting more creative content expressions.
Which books help you pursue the shalom of the city and the glory of God? Here are some titles that have contributed meaningfully to our shalom-seeking in Boston.
From community-based participatory research to social-network analysis, there are various ways Christians can learn more about the communities they serve.
A Christian church or ministry functions in the context of a particular community. To effectively minister in that community, it’s important to understand it.
From population trends to social needs, this illustrated guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.
From population trends to social needs, this guide lists the factors to consider when learning more about a local neighborhood or community.
A discussion group for people involved in the child welfare system in Boston has led to collaboration as members learn from each other and better understand the system which affects their lives and directs their work.
This guide includes Boston-area Christian campus ministries and a sample of churches serving college students.
Despite good intentions, white people tend to run ahead and take the lead, taking action that is uninformed, misdirected, and not well received by BIPOC communities. How can they learn to adopt a role that better reflects the redemptive power dynamics of God’s kingdom?
The Boston Church Directory Directory may be used for a variety of scholarly, relational, and spiritual purposes.
The Boston Church Directory lists Christian churches located within the city limits of Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge.
Explore the history of the Church in Boston with a look at Christian movements through the centuries.
We can have a strong ideological commitment without corresponding actions. This disparity can be seen in how I collaborated across racial lines in the early years of RCCI’s ministry.
The arts are an important opportunity for spiritual formation. How can churches reach unbelievers through the arts while caring for the creatives in their pews at the same time?
After almost 50 years of providing theological education to urban ministry practitioners, CUME’s vision and mission are still being turned into a beautiful reality each semester.
When I only engaged my mind, I was limiting my own and others’ healing.
A new way of thinking helped launch me into ministry. It also changed me in the process.
RCCI’s founding director, Megan Lietz, shares three key lessons that are forming the ministry and that could serve your own pursuits of building shalom across racial lines.
Pastor Clarence McGregor, a beloved member of the local community, passed away in September 2022. He had served with Starlight Ministries at EGC and as associate pastor at South End Neighborhood Church for many years.
The Boston Public Schools Engagement Toolkit resource includes data, opportunities for volunteers to engage, stories of church-school partnerships, a prayer guide, and more.