First time at Middle Church?

The diversity of our congregation and staff looks like a New York City subway but it feels like a home full of love. Welcome to church like you’ve never experienced it before.

Our Story

Who We Are

Middle Church is where therapy meets Broadway; where art and dance meet a gospel revival; where old time religion gets a new twist. We are Bach, Beatles, and Beethoven; we are jazz, hip-hop, and spirituals. We are inspired by Howard Thurman, Ruby Sales, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Martin Luther King. We are on-your-feet worship and take-it-to-the-streets activism. We feed the hungry and work for a living wage; we fight for LGBTQ+ equality and march for racial/ethnic justice. We stand up for the stranger and the immigrant; we care for women’s lives and Mother Earth.

We’ve been to the border, we’ve rebuilt in Puerto Rico; we’ve been arrested while fighting for health care and supporting survivors of sexual violence. From Trayvon to Mike to Sandy to Eric—we know that when Black Lives Matter, all lives will matter.

Middle Collegiate Church and The Collegiate Church of New York is co-affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Reformed Church in America.

Our Vision

God’s Reign. Right Now.

Middle Church is a multicultural, multiethnic, intergenerational movement of Spirit and justice, powered by fierce, revolutionary Love, with room for all. Following in the Way of Jesus’ radical love, and inspired by the prophets, Middle Church is called by God to do a bold new thing on the earth. We aim to heal souls and the world by dismantling racist, classist, sexist, ethnocentrist, ableist, cisheterosexist and other systems of oppression.

Because our God is still speaking in many languages, we work in interreligious partnerships to uproot injustice, eradicate poverty, care for the brokenhearted, nurture our planet, and build the Reign of God on earth. This activism is fueled by our faith; our faith is expressed in art; our art is an active prayer connecting us with the Holy Spirit. Middle Church affirms the transformative power of moral imagination, reclaiming and reframing Christianity inside our walls, on the street, and in virtual spaces around the globe.

Our Work

We believe in the power of Love. Period.

Through Love, we are each created in God’s image and filled with the Divine Spark. No matter whom we love, no matter how we look, no matter where we are on our journey, God’s imprint is in every person of every race/ethnicity, every gender, and every sexual orientation. We believe God speaks many languages and is calling us on many paths to peace—Shalom. We believe that Love put on flesh—brown, poor, Jewish baby flesh—and came to live among us. We believe God lives among us still; we are the living body of Christ. We are the hands, feet, and heartbeat of God. We believe the Spirit of God calls us to freedom, and we are not free until all of us are free.

We are committed to these norms within Middle Church’s community and spaces we hold together:

We listen to understand until the speaker has finished and we do not interrupt

We ask clarifying questions (I’m so glad you share that, do you mind if I ask you a clarifying question)

We do not cross-talk (Thank you for your perspective, here’s my point of view/take on that/I have a different thought  VS I think you are wrong or I disagree or That is so stupid)

We speak for ourselves, not our cohort, our group, or anyone else

We use “I statements” as often as possible. (When I am interrupted I feel frustrated and find it difficult to stay engaged VS You interrupt me and it makes me frustrated)

We keep confidentiality in our groups

We do not make triangles, we say what needs to be said to the person who needs to hear it.

We tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Lying is disrespectful and anti-community. We know there might be more than one truth in a system but we try to tell ours and own it.

We step up and step back to allow all voices to be heard.

Zoom participants will adhere to demonstrating Revolutionary Love at all times. If a participant’s behavior is deemed inappropriate by the meeting host, they will be removed. Inappropriate behavior includes but is not limited to harassment, threats and bigotry of any kind. If you experience behavior that feels inappropriate, we invite you to remind the participant of this covenant and also message the host.

Come Join Us

WORSHIP CELEBRATIONS

Sundays

11:45 AM

Celebration is livestreamed on our homepage, Facebook and YouTube Channels

Worship in-person is located at East End Temple,  245 E 17th St, New York, NY

*Masks are required for in-person worship

Our New: Online Worship Celebration

3:00 PM

Celebration will premiere on  YouTube Channels

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Sundays

9:00 AM – 3:00 PM


Mondays – Fridays

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Due to the fire, our physical facility is closed until further notice. But no fire can stop revolutionary love! Visit our event calendar for all the ways you can join us.

MAP & DIRECTIONS

112 Second Avenue
(Between 6th & 7th Streets) | New York, NY 10003

Join

Do you yearn to not just belong, but be celebrated for exactly who you are? Do you want a community of folks committed to radical love and justice? Wherever you live, you can call Middle Church home.

Give

This movement needs you! We need your time and talent, but we also need your resources. Make a contribution today and help us be midwives to love and justice.

December 5, 2020

A six-alarm fire spread from the building next door and destroyed our beautiful sanctuary. And yet, no fire can stop revolutionary love! Learn how we’re rising from the ashes and what you can do to help.

Find Your People!

Middle hosts small groups for everything from beginning ukulele lessons, Queer Black Men in the Middle or our Voting Reform team. And all of them have options to gather virtually! Join the groups that best fit your passion and the love you want to offer the world.

Liberative Learning

How do you change the world? First, you change yourself. Part of how we fulfill our commitment to God’s gospel of liberation is by training leaders with the skills you’ll need to bring freedom wherever you go. Thousands have participated in our digital courses. Will join them?

What We Believe

Middle is on a mission to reclaim and reframe Christianity—to realign our faith with Jesus’ teaching and take it back from the folks who have stolen it. We do this work joyfully, fueled by the Spirit, and strengthened by the community we create with one another.

Celebrate LOVE with Us!

Middle’s worship is a joyful, diverse celebration that gives a taste of what heaven feels like—an experience to soothe your soul and fill you with God’s liberatory fire! Every week is different, but what remains constant is how we tell the story of love through transformative art.

Do Justice

Faith comes alive when our love radiates outwards. At Middle, we’re committed to building an intersectional movement that both addresses the particular needs of different communities and unites us in common solidarity. This is God’s work, and we hope you’ll join us in it.