Seven fast facts about New England for volunteer mission teams
1. New England needs Jesus!
According to the 2017 Gallup Poll, New England is the least religious region in America. In fact, Gallup found that the four least religious states in American are all located in New England: Vermont is the least religious, then Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. According to the Barna Group, the five most post-Christian cities in America are all located in New England: Springfield, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; Providence, Rhode Island; Burlington, Vermont; and Boston, Massachusetts. There is no place in America in greater spiritual need than New England. That is why mission teams like yours are so important! Thank you for being mission partners with us in New England!
2. God is at work in New England!
Despite the overwhelming lostness of this region, the 380 churches affiliated with the Baptist Convention of New England have reported increased baptisms for seven of the past eight years. No other state or regional convention in the country has experienced that kind of growth. All across the region, new churches are being planted and New Englanders are coming to Christ. It may even be accurate to say that, except for the Great Awakenings of the past, greater Kingdom growth is underway right now in New England than at any other time in history.
3. New Englanders are connected to their local communities.
In colonial times, New England towns were built around a public meeting house and a school adjacent to an outdoor common. Townspeople gathered in meeting houses not only to worship but also to discuss governance and local issues. From the very beginning and continuing to the present, New Englanders have shown a strong interest in the affairs of their local community. Mission projects that improve the community are appreciated, help churches build a positive reputation with their neighbors and establish credibility with government officials. For new church plants, which often rent meeting space in public school buildings, this is essential.
4. New Englanders tend to be private.
To many people, New Englanders appear to be unfriendly. They mind their own business and generally don’t make small talk with strangers. They can even be suspicious of strangers who attempt to have conversations with them. But why are New Englanders this way? Some blame the long, cold winters, which keep people at home for extended periods. But that can’t be the reason: Minnesota has long, cold winters too, but Minnesotans have a reputation of being some of the friendliest people in America. A more plausible theory is that the socially reserved personality of New Englanders is a result of their primarily English heritage. Whatever the cause, it is generally true that native New Englanders are less open to conversations with strangers. However, with patience and consistency, you can build rock-solid friendships with New Englanders. With that in mind, mission projects that help New England pastors and church members meet and build long-term relationships with their neighbors are very strategic and, over the long-haul, are most effective.
5. There are two main demographic groups of New Englanders.
One group consists of urban, mobile New Englanders who live primarily along the densely populated coastline, and in most of Connecticut. The other group consists of New Englanders who live in the rural parts of western Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, where population density, as well as household income, is comparatively low. Most New Englanders will fit into one of these two significantly different. In planning your mission team projects, it is critical that you understand the distinct demographics of the New England community you will be working in.
6. New England’s urban centers are multiethnic.
In Boston, New England’s largest city, less than fifty percent of the population is Anglo. Nearly twenty-five percent of Bostonians are African American, twenty percent Hispanic or Latino and ten percent are Asian. Some of the largest and most thriving churches in New England are non-Anglo churches. It is especially urgent to assist church pastors of different ethnicities in reaching these large segments of non-Anglo New Englanders.
7. New England churches are small but critically important.
In comparison to churches in other parts of the country, New England churches, especially churches in rural areas, are generally smaller in size and often have bivocational pastors. To be sure, larger churches do exist in New England, but they are the exception. In fact, it is not uncommon for one of these small churches to be the only evangelical church in town. Apart from these congregations and their hardworking bivocational pastors, the populations of entire towns and hamlets all across New England would have almost no hope of hearing the Gospel. As you consider which New England church to start a mission partnership with, do not “despise the day of small things.” Remember that small churches are the only hope of salvation for thousands and thousands of souls throughout rural New England, and they are critically important!
Sam Taylor serves as the Boston area regional coordinator at the Baptist Convention of New England.