A wonderful, loving church - friendly, diverse (race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic, age, etc.) We are seniors with a UCC background. But we have found in this church direct love of Jesus, devotion, humility, and community. Communion is simple and every Sunday. The senior pastor is a great leader and believer and the other two pastors seem great too. We love our community group, vulnerable, real, probing in Bible study. read more

A secular, humanist church not a Christian one. Very liberal, woke, culture and mindset. An antagonistic attitude by the staff and credo toward mainstream Christian belief ( Blue Ocean faith). During the sermon, no pew bibles to cross reference what is being said. Scripture is cherry picked from the Bible, handed out on a piece of paper and often interpreted out of context in favor of radical social issues, such as Black Lives Matter or LGBT advocacy. In this church, racial diversity is held in higher regard over spiritual salvation; race over soul. In addition, sermons are often about using Jesus to get what you want in life rather than humbling yourself to Jesus for divine direction. The church dropped it's original name, Greater Boston Vineyard Church and affiliation with Vineyard USA for its new name, Reservoir Church, for LGBT, woke advocacy, woman in leadership and not requiring pastors to have a seminary degree. read more

I've been attending since summer 2007, and, through years of expected and unexpected changes, I've found that Reservoir Church has remained accessible to those with a lot, a little, or no organized religious background ("Christian" or otherwise) with the central unifying theme of a benevolent God who is eager to connect with us individually and as a community, simply and helpfully, in our daily lives. Sunday morning service comprises free coffee and bagels, welcoming smiles, and a simple program. But, if the talks are thought-provoking and applicable and the music uplifting and participatory, the real opportunity to maximize your experience is to engage the community: chat with a seat mate after service, attend a class or a weekly small group, help out on a Sunday morning team, or volunteer with community outreach such as the local summer youth "Soccer Nights" (totally according to your comfort and availability)! By and large, the community is diverse, smart, scientific, artistic, networked, compassionate, old, young, curious, humble, hopeful, and committed. One of the mainstays for me has been the safe place to get (and offer to others) dynamic prayer (for literally anything and everything). Say hi if you visit! read more

Update: over the years this church's congregation has become more and more wealthy. My wife thought I should update this though I'm not sure who will read it. In 2020 nearly everyone at this church is a young well-off millennial with 2.5 children. My wife and I are childless and low-income so we have started to stick out more and more. Starting to feel like the local episcopal or presbyterian church, which is a shame. Not as many young people, many have left for other churches. If you're a young professional looking for a place with a good Sunday school for your children this will be a good place for you. read more

No church is ever perfect, but I'm proud and feel lucky to call this my home church. Great community, excellent healing (physical/emotional) programs, diverse both racially and socio-economically, welcome to all, many outreach ministries to the poor and those who need help. Cool, friendly, very kid-friendly, non-judgmental, unpretentious, relevant, and free diapers, bagels and coffee/tea every Sunday. read more

Seven or eight years ago, I would have given this church five stars. I attended around 2000 when it was still relatively young. It was, then, everything I thought a church should be. It had excellent music, a great preacher, an exciting and friendly community, powerpoint accompaniments to sermons, a generally liberal-friendly stance, and a firm grounding in essential Biblical principles. Well, a couple of years ago, my wife and I visited again and were shocked to see how charismatic the church had become. Dave Schmeltzer wasn't there that day (not sure if that had anything to do with it), and the whole service and sermon were geared toward on-the-spot physical healing. As if it didn't feel enough like being in a televangelist's live taping, they even played an informercial about how Vineyard had healed some guy's leg. Then, they had in-person testimonials about people who had been healed that day. Well, I'm all for healing, but that service was a bit much and a little scary. If I, as a long-time devoted Christian, was scared, you can bet any non-Christian newcomer would have been scared out of her wits, too... unless, of course, she got magically healed of some terminal disease that day. Don't go here unless you're cool with praying in tongues and a lot of talk about physical healing. What a shame Vineyard has turned out this way. I think some people in church leadership there should do a sermon about I Corinthians chapter 14. read more

I attended this church for 10 years (and then moved to Los Angeles). They worship is excellent without feeling like a performance and the preaching feels engaging and helpful. If you've visited in the past you should know that the main preacher and founding pastor, Dave Schmelzer, left a year or two ago. The kids program is fantastic and there are plenty of small groups to join. Some of my favorite things about the church: 1. easy to get involved and get to know people. Help out on Sunday morning (put out coffee and bagels, greet, direct parking, etc) or join a small group. 2. There's a strong sense of expecting God to be present and active. Bonus: no one's creepy or pushy about it. It's a farily large place which can be intimidating, but people are friendly. I wish I could still be there. read more

Church community is hard to do well, and Reservoir accomplishes a deft balancing act of being welcoming, helpful, and growth-inspiring to folks with longtime church experiences and those with none. My wife and I have been coming here for 8 years and we're sold-out for Reservoir's positive engagement with secular culture, diversity, and welcoming stance to many who may feel out of place at traditional churches in the area (ourselves included). Disclosure: My wife liked being a part of Reservoir so much, she left teaching to go on pastoral staff almost three years ago! But if this church sucked, I would tell you even if my wife worked there. Most importantly, free bagels and coffee. read more

I love this place!!! A community of open minded people that show God's love in simple things. Expect a casual place where you are welcome to be yourself. read more

Before entering the doors of this church, I attended a class they offer last fall, called Seek. The course provided an open environment for my questions, doubts, and hesitation about faith. Each week, I became more comfortable and was able to be honest because of the non-judgmental hearts of the leadership staff. This experience gave me the courage to enter the doors of church for the first time in years. I've been searching for a long time....and I just may have found my home. It feels good! http://www.reservoirchurch.org/connect/exploring-faith/ read more

I've been attending this church for about 2 1/2 years, and its unlike any church I've ever attended before. I had been "shopping" for a new church for about two years before I found this one, and I truly felt blessed to have landed here. For the first time in my life, I'm a regular attendee at a church and I honestly look forward to going each week! The pastors are great - very relevant teachings and how they apply to modern day. Also, very open about their experiences and struggles and how we can learn from their lives. One of my favorite things about attending this church initially was that I felt welcomed. Numerous people stopped to say hello or to greet me, and it was a very positive experience. Overall, I feel people here are very genuine and really live the life that they preach. I'm surprised and confused to hear about A.Y.S's experience about speaking in tongues, as that's never been something I've witnessed as a regular attendee, and certainly nothing I'd want a part of with a church that did! There are also free bagel/coffee/juice each week, so that doesn't hurt either! :) read more

My family and I tried the Reservoir Church for the first time this week. I heard about this church through a friend. Her daughter attended a soccer camp that they provide for kids in the area. First impressions make a huge impact, and they did a nice job right from the start. We were greeted at the door, instructed on where to get coffee, gave our kids the option to attend a children's program, and provided a pleasant first experience. read more

The church service is held in this beautiful old church. Lots of college students go, and they have some transportation programs set up to get them there. But its not exclusive to college students- lots of working folk, and families go too. And its pretty ethnically diverse. On Sundays, its not too hard to find street parking just before the services (9:30 & 11:30 AM). The worship music is contemporary and upbeat. They don't make first time visitors feel out of place by standing up and introducing themselves, so that's a plus. If you're going in the summer, be aware that there's no air conditioning in the chapel. read more

I've been coming here for a while. This is the most diverse church I've ever seen, with a real commitment to community and Jesus. Catch me at the sound board once a month. read more

Eight years later, and I'm still enjoying being a part of this dynamic church! There's new leadership but the same solid and practical Jesus-centric teaching is available every Sunday morning at 9:30 and 11:30. plus a ton of home groups that meet during the week in locations all over the city. There is also greater diversity now than when I first began attending and that's been enriching; There are excellent kids' programs and community outreach activities with many opportunities to serve the neighborhood if that's what you like to do. I'm grateful to call this community my church home. read more

After a 15 year hiatus from God and seeing an ad on the red line I went to what was called the Vineyard. Many years of meeting good people (2010-2015). Best of all I met my wife there after 2 decades of searching for a woman. This church was an important part of my story. read more

In response to A.Y.S.'s review, I visited the Cambridge Vineyard twice in August of 2007. Both services were not visibly charismatic. If people were speaking in tongues, I didn't hear it. Both sermons were very good, given by Dave Schmeltzer. Nothing out of the ordinary happened that I could see. People seemed laid back and genuine. Prayer was offered at the end of the service. I don't normally attend church but I would feel comfortable attending this one and will probably go back at some point. They have an extensive website with a huge number of sermons online (www.bostonvineyard.org). I am pretty sure the Vineyard started out as a charismatic movement with a heavy emphasis on healing so that's nothing new. I would actually not have minded at all hearing the testimonials of people who had been healed during the service. How else can one assess if divine healing is valid? It's only if real people talk about their real experiences. "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony"....(Rev 12:11) read more

All are welcome and valued. Good teaching and music. Free food/coffee, and a lot of creative minds. Even if you are not sure you'll like it, be your own judge and try it out. I found a great small group in my neighborhood and some genuine friends. Come September 9th for our 2007 fall kick off. read more

The Reservoir Church is a church of non restricted welcome, a church that embraces and accepts all who walk through their doors. Prepare to be taken with a church that wants you to come as you are and to bring your questions. We began attending almost a year ago, and have become regular attendees. The sermons by the outstanding pastors are meaningful and relevant. Always something to talk about on the ride home. If you have had a tough time finding a Christ centered church loaded with heart, community and warmth for all, without restrictive strings of old that was a turnoff, come check this church out. Worth a visit to see for yourself. A place where you can find your best self for sure. read more

I've been attending this church for over four years and love it. As another reviewer mentioned, there is a site in the South End as well as the one in N Cambridge. I attend the South End site. Some of my favorite things about it: 1. lots of friendly people! 2. the attitude of expectancy - that God can act in our lives, that things can get better, that people can be healed physically / emotionally / relationally 3. the chance to work together with some great people to try to love our neighborhood 4. free bagels and coffee As others mentioned, its welcoming towards people less familiar with the Bible or Jesus, which is also fun. read more

I love this church. One of the best there is. Congregation is large and progressive. Anyone can fit in. Very active and respected in the city. read more

This is one of the most diverse churches I've ever seen. In all aspects - race, age, thought process, approach to beliefs, etc. You name it. I feel like the leadership goes out of their way to set a stage allowing that to happen. Even though there is a Senior Pastor it really does feel like a team of people leading the way. I don't feel like it is just one person telling me their opinion and or belief on something. Opportunities to get involved are abundant as is care for the kids. read more

I have been attending this church for close to 2 years and my life was not much impacted until I began getting involved. Once I put time into investing in this church did my relationships and growth in God begin to flourish. I appreciate the many ways the Vineyard has to offer for personal growth in a relationship towards God. I have taken advantage of many of these classes and seminars and my life has been much better as a result. read more

I have recently started attending the Vineyard in Cambridge and for the first time in my life, eagerly look forward to going, and do go to church almost every Sunday, which is a shocker for me. I had very, very sporadically attended other protestant churches in the past. (five times a year?). Dave Schmelzer (Stanford educated, former agnostic like me, just published a very sweet book, "Not the Religious Type") is an excellent speaker who I really never find boring and uses film clips on occasion to illustrate or dramatize a theme in his sermons, the (rock) music is fun and uplifting, it is totally "come as you are" in terms of dress (more well worn jeans than "church clothes") and most of all is the sense that God is not some musty historical figure who did some great things in the past and then went on vacation but actually real and present in our daily lives and reaching out to us if we will but open our hearts to him. It feels like a miracle to have found this place. Dave and the other pastors sprinkle their sermons with anecdotes from their imperfect lives, there are no special vestments or the sense that these are the annointed ones, just regular folks,struggling to follow Jesus. And what a lovely old building, the old French Canadian Cathedral with the stained glass windows with French inscriptions beneath. I have found my church home. Very young crowd with some older folks like me too, and ethnically diverse. Good Christian book store right there on site too. . read more