Why Start a Church in the City?

Many have asked me why I am planting a church in the city.

Some of the various questions and comments that I have heard reveal that, generally-speaking, people see the city through negative lenses. They assume that the city is not only an unimportant and peripheral context for Christians, but that it is too liberal for a church to exist and thrive. Such questions and comments by many also appear to indicate that it makes more sense (to them) to start a new church in the suburbs, due to its apparent infinite expansion and its conservative culture. Therefore, this makes the suburbs more open to hearing the Gospel and becoming part of the Christian culture.

Although these are good initial questions and assumptions, the reality is that due to the explosion of technology and the increasing population (in the U.S., as well as globally), cities are growing tremendously and are becoming powerful forces of influence. In short, cities are centers of cultural dominance.

Think about it....where do we go to watch our favorite sports teams? where are our government centers located at? where are our laws created, discussed, and voted on? where do our young adults go for education (in the university)? where are the best hospitals located at? where do we go to attend venues of high culture (i.e. opera, plays, concerts, museums, etc.)? where are the centers for advanced technology and medical research? where does the communication of information originate from (TV, radio, magazines, etc.)? where does national and international commerce and trade intersect?

The answer to all of these questions is the city. Due to these factors, the city is influential and critically important in how it shapes and directs the rest of our society, including the Christian culture. In short, cities are pace-setters for our society.

Why start a church in the city? If Christians (including myself) are able to reach our cities with the Gospel and renew the culture of the city, then we are able to influence and re-direct the culture and society nationally and even internationally.

As Timothy J. Keller claims, "As the city goes, so goes the culture." May it carry the gospel!