Our Mission
Welcoming sojourners of every generation home to be loved and to love like Jesus
Our Core Values
Encountering God | Trusting Scripture | Experiencing Home | Uniting Diversities | Raising Disciples | Proclaiming Together
Our Story
Boston Chinese Evangelical Church (BCEC) began in 1961, when Pastor James Tan led a small group of 17 believers with a simple vision from God: to share the Gospel with Cantonese-speaking immigrants in Boston. What started as humble worship at home soon grew into a vibrant Christian community, moving from rented spaces in Chinatown to building the first church building of our own at 249 Harrison Avenue in 1979.
As our church family grew, so did our heart for ministry. We launched an English service in 1983 to reach the next generation, and a new Mandarin service followed in the 1990s. In 2003, God opened the door to expand into the suburbs with a second campus in Newton, MA. Along the way, we celebrated milestones together, such as our 50th anniversary in 2011, and the purchase of another ministry building at 120 Shawmut Avenue in 2014. Every step is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and provision, guiding us to serve an increasingly diverse community.
Today, BCEC is one church with six congregations in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English across two campuses. No matter the language or generation, we invite you to join us and be part of this story God is still writing.
To learn more about our journey of faith, we invite you to check out our 50th Anniversary Publication (PDF).
Statement of Faith
We believe in:
- God in the triune, everlasting God, Creator of heaven and earth and everything therein.
- Scripture that the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are wholly the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and written by human hands.
- Man & Sin that man is created in the image of God, and that our first parents, having been tempted by Satan, rebelled against God, and have sinned and fallen; because of this the whole human race has been sin-stricken and has thus lost its spiritual life.
- Jesus Christ that the Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of the Virgin Mary, and bled and died for the sins of all men, crucified as a ransom upon the cross; He was buried in the grave, rose up from the dead on the third day, ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, having finished the marvelous work of redemption.
- Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit has descended to convince men of their sin, so that they could repent and be born again.
- Salvation that man is justified by faith in Jesus, saved by grace, and except for this there is no way of salvation.
- Second Coming that the Lord Jesus Christ will come to this earth again at the end of time to judge in righteousness the living and the dead, and those who believe in the Lord will resurrect to gain eternal life, whereas those who do not believe will suffer eternal punishment.