Redeemer City to City

Why do global cities matter so much for the future of Christianity? If culture flows downstream from cities, how should the church respond? These are two questions that I am sure Tim Keller, the founder of Redeemer City to City, was thinking about. Keller founded Redeemer City to City in 2001. This is a faith-based nonprofit organization focused on church planting and urban ministry training. City to City’s mission is to train and support leaders to start gospel-centered churches in major cities around the world. Keller saw that over half of the world lives in cities, but that the church was not keeping up. He knew that this was a problem and did not just stop there. He decided he wanted to make a redemptive impact.

Keller knew that if cities are the center of our cultural production and influence, then if we can reach cities, we can shape nations; if we lose cities, we will lose generations. These are not just words or empty phrases; City to City is actually operating globally in major urban centers such as New York, London, Tokyo, Johannesburg, and São Paulo. City to City operates in these cities by following their model of training leaders, contextualizing deeply, and planting gospel-centered churches in global cities.

This non-profit organization is so cool because Keller saw a weakness in where the church was headed and attacked it head-on. Many Christians know how important cities are, but many either think they are too far gone or that it is too difficult a task, so why take it on? Keller said, “No,” if we do not bring the gospel to cities, then we will lose the whole nation. In doing so, Keller has demonstrated that faithful and bold church planting in global cities is not optional for the church’s future.