Mission & Vision

What does the Lord Require of you?
To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
-Micah 6:8

Located in the bustling heart of Boston, we are a vibrant, intergenerational, multicultural, theologically progressive Christian church. A congregation of the United Church of Christ, we worship a God who is bigger than we can know or comprehend. Welcome to the church of Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams, of Phillis Wheatley and the Boston Tea Party. Welcome to a church that is more than 350 years old and still making history.

What we’re all about

WELCOMING
As recipients of God’s radical love, our doors are open to everyone. Bearing God’s Good News we welcome all ages, genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, classes, marital statuses, physical or mental abilities — we believe that all people are made in the image of God.

WORSHIPING
We believe that worship is no benign activity. It is intended to radicalize us, change and form us into the followers of Jesus. Worship is our most elemental and formative work, renewing us, challenging us, and creating space for the rituals that mark the seasons of our lives.

GROWING
Whether through sacred text, searching conversations, book groups, or listening from the pews, we nourish learning and growth at every age. We are curious and open, exploring big questions together while remembering that no one has all the answers.

SERVING
As an urban church, we minister at the intersections of great affluence and even greater need. From here, we take our faith into our community and the world. We welcome all who enter, offering resources for doing justice, practicing kindness and walking humbly with God.
 

Land Acknowledgement

Old South Church in Boston resides on the ancestral and un-ceded land of the Massachusett People, past and present, whose name was appropriated by this Commonwealth. We pay respect to the Massachusett elders past and present. We name and recognize the Massachusett People as traditional stewards of this land and we acknowledge the enduring relationship that exists between them and their traditional territories. We admit the truth of violence perpetrated against the Indigenous Peoples of the land; perpetrated, moreover, both in the name of this country and in the name of Christ, and make a commitment to uncovering that truth. We comprehend that a land acknowledgment is a small yet important step towards ensuring a culture of respect, truth, and accountability in our church, in our City, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in our nation.

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