There’s a new church in Needham: Avenue Church, which meets in the Village Club in Needham Heights on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. It’s led by the Rev. Burt Parker, and currently has about 40 members, many of whom had previously attended churches in Avon and Westwood but decided to start attending this church to help kick-start it.
Rev. Parker had been through a “church planter” training program run by the SEND Network, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Since 2010, the SEND website says, Southern Baptists have planted more than 11,000 churches all across North America.
Why Needham? This was Parker’s wife Lindsay’s hometown, and after First Baptist Needham closed in 2023, there weren’t any other Baptist churches around. “I love Needham, and want to serve it,” said Parker. They thought about trying to have a partnership or share space in some way with First Baptist Needham, but realized it wasn’t feasible, especially because an older church building is extremely expensive to maintain. This led to renting the Village Club.
The Avenue Church shares many of the common beliefs of Christian congregations, but with some differences. They believe the Bible is infallible, although that doesn’t mean they’re Biblical literalists. “If things are prescriptive, we obey; if they’re descriptive, we interpret,” said Parker. One way this is reflected is in their service of Holy Communion, where they use grape juice instead of wine out of respect for congregants who might be struggling with addiction.
Parker is originally from Augusta, Ga. He received a degree in broadcast media from Augusta University, but after spending some time working in media he decided to pursue the ministry. His parents had become Christian when he was in middle school, and seeing the change in their lives after converting made a big impression on him. This led him to attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. While studying there he met Lindsay. One day he got a call from someone he knew who had started a church in Stoughton: Would he be interested in starting a new church in Massachusetts? He said yes.
The organizers chose not to include Baptist in the church’s name, wanting to be a welcoming congregation that anyone can feel comfortable going to. “We don’t want that to be a hindrance to the Gospel,” said Parker. Part of this inclusivity is having children attending the main worship service, and having a children’s Bible study during the service. They also feel strongly about having an intergenerational community where people of different ages can come together in small groups to share in their faith.
The church takes a complementarian approach to men’s and women’s roles, meaning that men and women are supposed to complement each other, as laid out in the Bible. This includes the traditional Christian belief that wives should submit to their husbands. “We think submission is a dirty word in the 21st century,” said Parker. Their interpretation is that this means a wife should trust her husband, and that a husband should always be first to sacrifice for his wife or his children. They wouldn’t have a female pastor, although they would have female deacons and music directors.
Members of the church have been visiting and cooking meals for Needham residents at the Center at the Heights, Needham’s senior center. “I have a conviction for senior citizens – people that are by themselves,” said Parker. They’ve also volunteered at events in Needham run by Parks and Recreation. “We want to love our community,” said Parker.
Gretta Gaffin is a freelance writer from Boston
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