A Church for the City

This Sunday at Redeemer Fellowship we will look at our final core value: CITY. Our text is Jeremiah 29.4-7. The city is not only something I'm deeply passionate about, but this text is also part of my journey that gave me a theological framework for church planting in the urban core.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate the first Sunday of Advent than by talking about how the "peace of the city" is found ultimately in the Prince of Peace.

I've included two videos below that are helpful in communicating the kinds of things we mean when we talk about our commitment to the city. The first is part of the vision campaign of The Austin Stone Community Church and includes interviews with David Taylor, Darrin Patrick, and Daniel Montgomery. I've linked the second video here several times before. It is almost twenty minutes long, and beautifully articulates the vision of City Church San Francisco to be "a church for the city." I have also benefitted tremendously from their essay entitled "God's Love for Cities."

A Church for the City (Reprise) from The Austin Stone on Vimeo

A Church for the City from steven starfas on Vimeo

RECOMMENDED READING

Ray Bakke, A Theology As Big As the City

Ray Bakke, The Urban Christian: Effective Ministry in Today's Urban World

Harvie Conn, The Urban Face of Mission: Ministering the Gospel in a Diverse and Changing World

Harvie Conn & Manuel Ortiz, Urban Ministry: The Kingdom, the City, & the People of God

Robert Lupton, Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor

Comments

[Heath]

Thanks for a very challenging and informative sermon! I needed educated in this area and also thanks for the list of resources so I can keep learning.