About Us

City Church in Newton

Our Story

City Church was born out of a desire to see people from around the world come to Greater Boston and meet Jesus. Our story began in 2005 with three people gathered in a living room. As God brought others to join us, many of them college students, a core team of twenty launched Fenway Church in 2008. We watched as people who had never experienced God in a real way encountered Jesus and began following Him.

As the church grew, God expanded our vision beyond one neighborhood. In 2013 we began gathering in Allston, and in 2014 we changed our name to City Church Boston to reflect a growing conviction that God was calling us to love and serve neighborhoods across Greater Boston. While our name changed, our heart remained the same: helping each other live like Jesus.

Throughout our journey, we've been committed to living authentic lives together. We are far from perfect, we're not afraid of hard questions, and we don't simply gather on Sundays. We share life together in community groups throughout the week, encouraging one another to follow Jesus in our homes, workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods.

As we've followed Jesus, He has led us to serve our city, minister on college campuses, partner with local organizations, and support His work around the world. We believe God is still writing our story, and we'd love for you to be part of it.

A group of smiling people, diverse in age and ethnicity, are gathered in a circle or huddle, looking down at the camera as it is pointed upwards. They appear to be in an indoor setting with a ceiling that has square patterned tiles.

Mission

Our mission is to be a church for every generation and nation, seeking the restoration of Greater Boston as we learn to live like Jesus together.

Vision

Our vision is to see our world transformed by the love of Jesus as people from every generation and nation become disciples of Jesus and join His mission of restoration.

Four people are in a bar or nightclub, with two women in the foreground and two men in the background. One man appears to be bowing or inspecting a young woman who is sitting in a large metal tub labeled 'Countyline.' The young woman in the tub is smiling and holding her head with both hands. The woman standing nearby is watching and smiling. The scene is lively and cheerful.

Generations

A group of people gathered in a backyard for a social event, sitting on chairs and standing, with a small white shed, trees, and a wooden fence in the background.

Nations

A group of ten people standing behind a table with empty cardboard boxes in a room with dark walls, framed pictures, and red pendant lights, smiling at the camera.

Restoration

Our Values

Two women are dancing closely together at a social event, with one woman in a plaid shirt and the other in a brown leather jacket. They are in a room with a brick wall decorated with framed art, and there are other people in the background, some seated and some standing, in a lively atmosphere.

  • Spirit & Truth

    We believe in both the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit today and in the final authority of Scripture.

  • Trinity & Community

    We are included in the love that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have for each other. That means church is a family and a team where every member contributes.

  • Grace & Lordship

    We accept one another on the basis of Christ’s grace, not our performance, and we encourage one another to follow Jesus as Lord in every area of our lives.

  • Local & Global

    We serve the city and our neighborhoods through various initiatives, and we participate in God’s global mission to reach all nations.

Our Leaders

We are a church in Newton that values team-based ministry and servant leadership. Our leadership team (LT) guides the church and is responsible for the pastoral care of our community. Our Community Groups (CGs) and Ministries are led by men and women committed to learning to live like Jesus and helping others do the same. Meet some of our leaders below!

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David W. Hill - Lead Pastor (Elder)

David W. Hill leads City Church’s leadership team and serves as the pastor and primary preacher for City Church. Raised in Boston, he has a unique vision to help others live like Jesus. He and his wife, Betsy, formed the team that planted City Church. They have four children and live in Hyde Park.

A smiling man wearing glasses and a patterned maroon shirt standing outdoors on a city street with cars, trees, and traffic lights in the background.

Paul McFarthing - Elder

Paul coaches community group leaders, provides pastoral care for members, teaches and mentors, and lives in Brighton with his wife, Abigail, and their five children.

  • A woman with long reddish-brown hair smiling outdoors near a tree and parked cars, with a cityscape and traffic lights in the background.

    Betsy Hill

    Evangelism & Kids (LT)

  • A woman with long brown hair smiling outdoors in a city street, wearing a blue floral dress with short sleeves.

    Abigail McFarthing

    Teaching & Worship (LT)

  • Close-up of a woman with dark hair, glasses, and a bright smile outdoors with sunlight casting shadows on her face.

    Keerthana Desta

    Community Group Leader & Women (LT)

  • A smiling man with short curly hair wearing a dark blue shirt, standing on a city street with cars and trees in the background.

    Israel Desta

    Community Group Leader (LT)

  • Close-up of a smiling man with blond hair, wearing a navy blue shirt with white stars, standing outdoors in an urban setting with trees, parked cars, and buildings in the background

    David Jackson

    Incarceration Ministry & Setup/Breakdown (LT)

  • A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes smiling outdoors on a city street, wearing a light blue shirt and a gold necklace with a small animal pendant.

    Emilie Osman

    Worship & Community Group Leader

  • A smiling man with short dark hair and a beard, wearing a dark green T-shirt, standing outdoors on a city street with buildings, trees, and cars in the background.

    Siwar Osman

    Community Group Leader & A/V

  • A smiling, bald man with a beard wearing a blue collared shirt standing outdoors on a city street with cars, trees, and traffic lights in the background.

    John Krewson

    Worship

Part of A Global Movement

We are a part of a global family of churches called Newfrontiers. Newfrontiers is a growing group of apostolic leaders partnering together on global mission, joined by common values and beliefs, shared mission and genuine relationships. Newfrontiers was founded in the UK by Terry Virgo and today it consists of over 20000 churches, working in different spheres in over 70 nations.

In the United States, we partner with a Newfrontiers sphere of around 30+ churches that identify as Confluence Churches. For more information go to Confluencechurches.org.

Together we are on a mission to make disciples, train leaders, start churches, practice New Testament church life, and reach nations.  Newfrontiers emphasizes a vibrant life in the Spirit, Bible-based theology, the grace of God, and team based ministry.

Confluence Churches in Boston include Abundant Grace Church and our own.

Regions Beyond

City Church Boston is also committed to seeing churches planted beyond on our own city particularly in regions where people have not had an opportunity to hear the story of Jesus.  We have partnered in sending teams of people living like Jesus from our church to cities in the Middle East and are working with Confluence Northeast on other global missions’ opportunities.

New Frontiers logo with red text and a green and yellow swoosh.
Logo of Confluence Churches Together For Mission, featuring a large stylized 'C' and the text 'CONFLUENCE Churches Together For Mission'.

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