Who We Are

Highrock is a dynamic and diverse spiritual community that worships, serves, eats, and laughs together (mostly virtually these days). We hope that our church will be a place where you, your family, and friends can connect with God.

Our Story
Our Mission
Our Values
Our Vision
Our Strategy
Our Logo
Our Affirmations
Our Denomination
Our Partnerships

Our Story

Highrock began in 1999 around a dinner table. A small group of believers shared a dream for a church where people of all backgrounds, ages, and ethnicities could encounter Jesus. In time, this small group became a congregation, outgrowing several spaces in Cambridge and Somerville. In the Spring of 2006, Highrock set down roots in Arlington. Today Highrock is a dynamic and diverse spiritual community with congregations worshiping and serving in ten locations across Greater Boston and eastern Massachusetts. We're excited about Jesus and what He can do through the lives of ordinary people. We hope you’ll take the time to get to know us and join in what God is doing at Highrock!

The Highrock Network

The Highrock Network of churches is made up of ten, locally-focused congregations in the Greater Boston area.

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Our Mission

Everything we do at Highrock is driven by our mission to create communities that encourage questions & inspire each other to love like Jesus. This can be summed up in three simple words: Community, Curiosity, and Compassion.

Our Values

Hospitality

Compelled by God’s love, we remove barriers in order to welcome all people into God’s community.

They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. (Mark 2:2-4)

Honesty

Freed from shame by God’s grace, we offer one another truth and our true selves, both our weaknesses and strengths.

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:5-7)

Humility

Awed by God’s grandeur and mystery, we depend on God fully while holding convictions humbly.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Curiosity

Captivated by God’s self-revelation, we seek wisdom by asking questions, wrestling with Scripture, and learning from many voices.

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” (Exodus 3:2-3)

Solidarity

Inspired by the passion of Jesus, we share the burdens of others, and put love into action.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:3-8)

Our Vision

The original vision of the church has remained strong over the years and is encapsulated in a single simple statement: Transformation through Connecting with God Personally, God's People, and God's Purposes.

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All churches share the common call from God to fulfill the Great commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) and Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). In addition, Scripture offers models for the role of the Church in Ephesians 4:11-16, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Corinthians, and throughout the whole Bible. Beyond that general call, our Lord gives particular calls to churches and individuals to serve as certain parts of Christ's worldwide body, which He fills with His Spirit and through which He continues His work of serving, speaking, and suffering for the salvation of all creation. Highrock’s founders, leaders, and members have discerned God’s call to us as articulated in the following Vision Statement:

To see God transforming every neighborhood and institution in Greater Boston through locally-focused congregations who live and love in such a compelling and Christ-like way that our neighbors are challenged to seriously consider the claims of Christ, be reconciled to God, engage in Christian community, and serve others in the unique ways God designed them to, so that Boston becomes a “city on a hill” that will be a blessing to the world.

Our Strategy

Connecting to God Personally

Continually drawn by God's love, filled by God's Spirit, shaped by God's Word, and attentive to God's presence, we worship the living God with our hearts, minds, souls, and strength above all else and in all else. This includes practicing praise, prayer, obedience, sacraments, Sabbath, study, service, singing, silence, confession, celebration, fasting, feasting, forgiving, thanksgiving, and seeking God's presence, power, and purposes in every aspect of our lives.

Connecting to God's People

Most of God's promises are made not to individuals, but to the collective Christian community called the Church, and apply to all who belong to her. In our uniqueness that results from diverse ethnicities, experiences, preferences, and perspectives, we are reconciled in Christ's one body by a love that compels us to confront, confess, comfort, counsel, and celebrate each other in God's name so that we might all grow in Christlikeness and reflect Christ to a world that longs to see Him still alive among them. We cannot love God, follow Christ, or fully preach the Gospel if we do not love one another, including our enemies. The primary context for individual spiritual growth and Gospel proclamation is Christian community. Through shared laughter, tears, prayers, experiences, and mutual submission, our relationships will become environments in which mutual dignity is protected, truth is shared, and forgiveness is sought, extended and received, resulting in repentance and reconciliation as we enter into the battle for each other's souls against the power of sin and death.

Connecting to God's Purposes

We continue God's work of creation and redemption of all creation in our worship, our work, and our relationships as we engage the world as servants of Christ, empowered, energized, and equipped even to suffer for the Gospel so that God's will "will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven," and in order to hasten the day when "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the Glory of God the Father." As the body of Christ, we want God to do through our body the very kinds of things He did through Christ's body as we imitate our Lord's passion for the least, the lost, and the left out and the lonely. We have been created and called by God, and we want to use "whatever gifts we have received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." We pray for and invite those who are estranged from our Savior and His Church to experience His Spirit alive in our community. Seeing our love for them and one another that transcends our differences and sins, they will get to taste of our Lord's own love, and long to enter into community, initially with us and ultimately with God Himself.

Our Logo

The combination of an upwardly directed arrow, a house, and a starburst, our logo is representative of the three core aspects of what we are all about: Transformation through connecting to God personally, connecting to God's people, and connecting to God's purposes.

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Our Affirmations

Our essential beliefs are summed up in what are called The Covenant Affirmations. Their purpose is to make clear the values and principles that have guided Highrock since the beginning.

We affirm the centrality of the word of God.

We believe the Bible is the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. The dynamic, transforming power of the word of God directs the church and the life of each Christian. This reliance on the Bible leads us to affirm both men and women as ordained ministers and at every level of leadership. It is the reason we pursue ethnic diversity in our church and is the inspiration for every act of compassion, mercy, and justice.

We affirm the necessity of the new birth.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV). New birth in Christ means committing ourselves to him and receiving forgiveness, acceptance, and eternal life. It means being alive in Christ, and this life has the qualities of love and righteousness, joy and peace. New birth is only the beginning. Growing to maturity in Christ is a lifelong process for both individuals and communities of believers. God forms and transforms us—and it is through people transformed by Christ that God transforms the world.

We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the Church.

At Highrock, we desire to carry out God’s mission both far and near. This includes evangelism, Christian formation, and ministries of compassion, mercy, and justice. We follow Christ’s two central calls. The Great Commission sends us out into all the world to make disciples. The Great Commandment calls us to love the Lord our God and our neighbors as ourselves.

We affirm the Church as a fellowship of believers.

Membership in Highrock is by confession of personal faith in Jesus Christ and is open to all believers. We observe baptism and Holy Communion as sacraments commanded by Jesus. We practice both infant and believer baptism. We believe in the priesthood of all believers—that is, we all share in the ministry of the church. We also affirm that God calls some men and women into professional, full-time ministry. The church is not an institution, organization, or building. It is a grace-filled fellowship of believers who participate in the life and mission of Jesus Christ. It is a family of equals: as the New Testament teaches that within Christian community there is to be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Highrock affirms the Trinitarian understanding of one God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The New Testament tells us that the Holy Spirit works both within individuals and among them. We believe it is the Holy Spirit who instills in our hearts a desire to turn to Christ, and who assures us that Christ dwells within us. It is the Holy Spirit who enables our obedience to Christ and conforms us to his image, and it is the Spirit in us that enables us to continue Christ’s mission in the world. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to us as individuals and binds us together as Christ’s body.

We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1, NIV). This freedom is a gift of God in Christ, and it manifests itself in a right relationship with God and others. It is not a private gift to be used selfishly, but is given to serve the community and the world. For Paul, this freedom means that we are set free from the power of those things that on their own tend to divide. United in Christ, we offer freedom to one another to differ on issues of belief or practice where the biblical and historical record seems to allow for a variety of interpretations of the will and purposes of God. At Highrock, we seek to focus on what unites us as followers of Christ, rather than on what divides us.

Our Denomination

Highrock is a part of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). We know that, for many, the term “evangelical” is a difficult one. It is often associated with judgmentalism, division, political manipulation, and the mistreatment of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. People are right to be angry and suspicious because of many things done in the name of evangelicalism. And we are too. Our association with the term is a historic one. Historically, evangelicalism was characterized by four things:

The belief that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ brings about God’s renewal of our world.
The belief that lives need to be transformed through a life-long process of following Jesus.
The belief that the Bible is central to informing our relationship with God and others.
The belief that the teachings of Jesus are rightly expressed through social justice and community engagement.

Those four things are at the heart of who we are at Highrock, and we strongly condemn the sinful attitudes and actions that are so commonly linked with evangelicalism today.

We live out these values by being:

Evangelical, but not exclusive
Biblical, but not doctrinaire
Traditional, but not rigid
Congregational, but not independent

The ECC is a rapidly growing multiethnic denomination in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents of the world.

Our Partnerships

Highrock is connected to a diverse network of people who are serving God and others in a variety of ways all around the world. It is our joy to be in partnership with them as they serve the poor in India, students at Boston universities, immigrants in our communities, families in Japan, and many more populations. Below is some information about our partners. If you have additional questions, please contact Pastor Walt Quick at walt@highrock.org

Global Partners

Local Partners

Campus Ministry Partners

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
- Susan Park - Graduate and Faculty Ministries (New England Area Director)
- Marianne Smith - Graduate and Faculty Ministries (Brandeis)
- Ryan Yi - Graduate and Faculty Ministries (Harvard Business School)
- Mickey Sanchez - Graduate and Faculty Ministries (Northwestern University)
- Sherami Hinders - Scripture Engagement, Spiritual Formation and Prayer
- Derek Wu - Undergraduate Ministries (New England Regional Director)
- Greg Hsu - Undergraduate Ministries (Harvard and MIT)
Cru
- Todd and Tara Humphreys (Babson)
Boston International Student Ministry
- Bill Coolbaugh

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