The Church of Christ, Scientist, is designed to make the healing and educational system known as Christian Science available and accessible to everyone. The Church was founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879 with a healing mission that embraces all humanity. It consists of The Mother Church in Boston, Massachusetts (The First Church of Christ, Scientist), and nearly 2,000 branch churches worldwide.

The Original Mother Church, built in 1894, is at the heart of the Christian Science Plaza and remains today much as it was when first built. The building is Romanesque in style, made of New Hampshire granite. Most of the stained glass windows depict Bible stories. Designed to seat nearly 1,000 people, it was soon outgrown.

Among its many activities are church worship services and the publication of The Christian Science Monitor, a variety of magazines, and Web sites to engage the public in a global dialogue about spirituality and its relation to health and well-being.