Welcome
Middle Church is a Welcoming, Artistic, Inclusive, and Bold Expression of Just Love. Period.
Our Vision
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 Leadership
Middle Church’s leaders serve with joy, inclusivity, and a commitment to justice, guiding a community rooted in fierce love and resilience.
Our Story
Middle Church: Rooted in History; Repairing a Broken World
Middle Church is situated at 50 East 7th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, in the heart of Manhattan’s East Village. Our congregation is a proud part of the oldest continuously serving Protestant church in North America, with origins dating back to 1628. This early community was founded by the Dutch West India Company on the land known as Manahatta, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape Tribe—Lenapehoking.
Historical Context and Acknowledgement
The Lenape people, whose name means “original people,” did not view land as a commodity to be bought or sold. Despite this, the Dutch claimed to have purchased Manahatta from the Lenape. The history of Lenapehoking is one of colonization, as the land was taken and developed by both the Dutch and later the British, using the forced labor of African and Indigenous peoples. It is also one of the resilience, tenacity and fortitude of the Lenape people, to who we owe a great debt for shepherding the land on which we do our ministry.
Recognizing this legacy, Middle Collegiate Church acknowledges its responsibility to address these injustices. The church owes reparations, and further information is available through the work of our Reparations Task Force (insert link).
From New Amsterdam to New York
When the British took control, they renamed New Amsterdam as New York. In 1696, King William III of England issued a charter of incorporation to “The Minister, Elders and Deacons of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the City of New York.” This charter established The Collegiate Church, making it the oldest corporation in what would become the United States of America. While historically linked to the Reformed Church of America, Middle Church is now a proud member of the United Church of Christ.
Wherever You Live, You Can Call Middle Church Home
We have members in 49 states and 22 countries. Our members are Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Atheist, Agnostic, and Christians of every denomination and creed. What unites us? Our commitment to follow the teachings of Rabbi Jesus: love God, love neighbor and love self. Love. Period. Everything else is commentary. The only thing we’re missing is you.