CENTER CHURCH
Today many pastors are struggling to adapt to a post-Christian culture without abandoning orthodox theology. How do we communicate the classic doctrines of grace and substitutionary atonement in our globalized culture and context? In Center Church, Timothy Keller offers challenging insights and provocative questions based on over twenty years of ministry in New York City. This book outlines a theological vision for ministry—based on classic doctrines but rethinking our assumptions about church for our time and place—organized around three core commitments:
Gospel-centered: The gospel of grace in Jesus Christ changes everything, from our hearts to our community to the world. It completely reshapes the content, tone and strategy of all that we do.
City-centered: Cities increasingly influence our global culture and affect the way we do ministry. With a positive approach toward our culture, we learn to affirm that cities are wonderful, strategic and underserved places for gospel ministry.
Movement-centered: Instead of building our own tribe, we seek the prosperity and peace of our community as we are led by the Holy Spirit.
Visit Centerchurch.com to receive exclusive extras and resources to help your team work through the ideas in Center Church. A new group of resources, including a video and discussion questions, will be posted each month.
Now available as 8 separate ebooks.
“We don’t need another “do ministry like my church does ministry” book. Nor do we need another book that critiques other church models. We need a book that helps us think critically and biblically as we structure our churches. Center Church is packed with Tim Keller’s experience, humility, and wisdom. This book will help you if you are serious about seeing your city transformed by the gospel of grace.”
“This outstanding book, like the Manhattan ministry out of which it has come, shows how Reformed theological acumen and wise pastoral intelligence may combine to achieve spiritual fruitfulness in urban contexts everywhere. Every page illuminates. Keller is a huge gift to today’s church.”
“In Center Church, one of the great missionary statesmen of our times lays out a vision of the church vigorous enough to transform entire cities through its agency of the gospel. Tim is a gifted teacher, an outstanding leader, and an exemplary disciple of Jesus. A worthy read!”
“Center Church is not only a doctrinally rigorous and socially perceptive explanation of a sustained and remarkable work of God in Manhattan but also a hugely important, original, and timely call to mission that is appropriately contextualized for contemporary urban culture. We need to carefully learn from these principles if we are to reach our cities for Christ””