City Ministry

Our goal as Christians is never simply to build our own tribe. Instead, we seek the peace and prosperity of the city or community in which we live through a gospel movement led by the Holy Spirit, a movement united by the gospel of Jesus Christ, a common mission to reach and serve others, and a commitment to be gracious and generous to those who disagree with you. In Serving a Movement, best-selling author and pastor Timothy Keller looks at the nature of the church’s mission and its relationship to the work of individual Christians in the world.

Many pastors struggle to translate their theological beliefs into fruitful ministry in the places they are called to reach. It’s not enough to simply know what to believe (theology), or on the other hand, how to do ministry (methodology) - they need something in between. They need help thinking about ministry in a culture that no longer believes Christianity is a force for good, let alone the source of ultimate revealed truth in the person of Christ.

In 2023, the LORD shared multiple visions with me that burdened my heart for the depraved state of the Church at large today. As I fasted and prayed, I was impressed to walk around my city - just like the Israelites marched around the city of Jericho in the book of Joshua. For seven days in a row, I walked around specific buildings and journaled what I heard the Holy Spirit speak to my spirit. As you listen to these revelations, your heart will be touched and I pray you will be inspired to walk around your own city.

In Loving the City, bestselling author and pastor Timothy Keller looks at the biblical foundations for contextualizing the gospel as we communicate to the culture in a way that is both respectful and challenging. He articulates the key characteristics of a city vision, showing how the city develops as a theme throughout Scripture, from its anti-God origins, to its strategic importance for mission, to its culmination and redemption in glory.

Gospel-centered ministry is more theologically driven than program driven. To pursue it, we must spend time reflecting on the essence, the truths, and the very patterns of the gospel itself. The gospel is neither religion nor irreligion, but something else entirely—a third way of relating to God through grace. In Shaped by the Gospel, bestselling author and pastor Timothy Keller addresses several current discussion and conflicts about the nature of the gospel and shows how faithful preaching of the gospel leads to individual and corporate renewal.

In 1977, David and Anna Teis moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, to plant a church in the city where David had grown up. Among all the "usual" fears, questions, and concerns a young couple beginning ministry together would experience, the Teises grappled with questions related to raising a family in the place infamously known as "Sin City". Well-meaning friends even cautioned against it. But David and Anna knew this was God's leading in their lives. They saw a city with people who needed Christ, and they knew that if God's principles for raising children were true, they could work anywhere.