That's the big "why" of Seven Mile Road in Melrose. We're doing everything we can to build a church that loves and gospels people living just north of the city of Boston well. And so whether you were born-and-raised here, are here-to-stay, or are just-passing-through, Seven Mile Road is for you.

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While there is no better way to get a feel for what that means than to spend some time with our pastors and people, reading up on the essentials that drive our church can help. So here are the five values or commitments that shape everything about who we are and what we do. If you read these and find your heart racing with a desire to be a part of a church like that, welcome.

 

1: Gospel Centrality

 

"All that God is for us in Christ animating everything we are and do."

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We love the gospel. It's the fiery center of our church, the animating hope of our lives, and the filter through which everything is run through here. It's the incredible, stunning, unexpected, beautiful, life-altering, propositional truth that God has, in the person and work of Christ, redeemed sinners like you and me from the curse of our sin. It's the story of a loving and holy Father sending The Son to take our place on a cross, pay our debts, forgive our sins, make us right, adopt us as sons and daughters, give us eternal life, and begin conforming us into the image of the One by whom we were created. It is such good news. We could talk all day about what God has done for us. And we do. We talk about it. Sing about it. Preach about it. Study it. Meditate on it. Wonder at it. If you don’t want to hear about the gospel, Seven Mile Road will drive you nuts.

 

2. Holiness and Humility

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"Unwavering commitment to holy living without legalism or pretense."

 

The gospel, rightly preached and embraced, fosters two beautiful dispositions in us. One is a lowly humility. We are saved solely by grace, unmerited. We bring nothing to the table that makes us desirable to a holy God. We are broken sinners, in need of a Savior, full stop. We are nobodies. Our boast is 100%, all the way down, in the goodness and mercy and power and glory of Christ. The other is a desire for holiness. While we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, our faith never remains alone. It is like rocket fuel, propelling us into a life of repentance and obedience. By that we don't mean surface level, box-checking, Americana moralism, but resolving to say "yes" to all of Christ's callings on our lives.

 

3. Orthodox Theology

 

"Scripture as the first and final authority for all our faith and practice."

 

God has spoken in the person of Christ and on the pages of Scripture, and we are convinced that our deepest joy intersects with our clearest apprehension of what He has said to be true about who He is, what He has done for us, and how He calls us to live. We want all all of our thoughts about God and ourselves be shaped by the words of Scripture. And so the Word is always open at Seven Mile Road, whether it be in sermons, in gospel communities, in team meetings, or one-on-one discipleship. If you love your Bible, you'll love Seven Mile Road.

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4: Gospel Family

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"Life shared long-term in tight-knit and transparent community."

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The gospel is not just about showing up to church on Sundays. but about responding to a life-altering message in concert with a community of people who are responding the same way. We need each other. Even a casual reading of the New Testament shows that Jesus’ church was marked by a beautiful, messy, holy intimacy. These saints knew each other’s names, stories, sins, strengths, weaknesses, issues, dreams, fears, all of it. They shared life together in the gospel. That’s what we are shooting for here: to be a church where friendships run deep.

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5. Missional Living

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"Lots of meeting, loving and engaging ungospeled friends and neighbors."

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We love that our church is just north of the greatest city on earth. We want Seven Mile Road to be a force for good in the lives of those who call Melrose, Wakefield, Saugus, Stoneham and the surrounding cities home. And so we are committed to living with boldness, creativity, and hospitality for the long haul in ways that bless our neighbors. Jesus said that His people are a "city on a hill" that lights up the world, and we believe Him and want to live like it.