MAY, 2017
Helping leaders build gospel movements in cities
AMSTERDAM: PRAYING FOR A BREAKTHROUGH
WELCOME ABOARD, TIM KELLER
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For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. HABAKKUK 2:14
GATHERED BY THE GOSPEL: NETWORK LEADERS FORUM At 3:08 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, prayers in Spanish, German, Chinese, Hungarian, Russian, French, English, Japanese and Korean could be heard. After each prayer, nearly 100 voices joined in the universal “Amen.” It was one of many beautiful and inspiring moments that occurred during Network Leaders Forum (NLF). Eighty network leaders representing 41 global cities and 26 countries met in NYC from March 7-9. A network is formed when leaders from the same city, region or even country develop relationships and formally decide to work together to plant churches and reach their geographical area with the gospel. NLF is a gathering of these network leaders. Scott Zeller, pastor and trainer from Dubai opened the forum on Tuesday morning. His text was Habakkuk 2:14.
For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.
He said, “We come from different tribes—both ethnically and theologically— but we unite over the gospel. The work we do of making disciples is to God’s glory alone. He is the cornerstone on which we do all that we do.” Continued on next page.
“We come from different tribes—both ethnically and theologically— but we unite over the gospel.”
Neil Powell, pastor of City Church Birmingham and Network Leader of 2020 Birmingham—both in Birmingham, England, echoed Scott’s premise. “We are committed to the same core gospel DNA, and we’re committed to reaching our city.” Each day opened with worship, followed by prayer and a morning devotion. There were panel discussions given by network leaders and talks given by CTC staff. The staff’s topics focused on theology and CTC’s approach to forming church-planting movements, while the network leaders spoke about successes and failures they’ve experienced. Small group discussions allowed people to process what they heard, to network and to pray together. Al Barth, CTC’s Global Catalyst was encouraged. He said, “We believe the Lord is blessing this movement and tens of thousands of churches could be planted through the people in this room and the networks they represent.” Each afternoon, participants joined a specific “Table Talk.” Topics covered were Funding, Justice and Mercy, Faith and Work, Training the Planter’s Spouse, Growing a Training Infrastructure and Developing a Coaching Pipeline. This was the second NLF for Andras Lovas, a network leader from Budapest. He reflected, “Without CTC, I would know about church planting, but I would not know anything about vision building or how networking happens. A time like this is very fruitful—ideas, encouragement, inspiration.” As CTC Global Catalyst Jay Kyle compared this NLF to others, he remarked, “This time there is a really warm community feel.” Jay observed leaders from different countries sharing openly at the afternoon Table Talk discussions. The leaders are no longer looking just to CTC for all the training. “They are doing it themselves. They are now leading, and I am greatly encouraged.” It’s the gospel that unites these leaders. Victor Cruz, a CTC Latin America network leader from Mexico City said, “We have no other thing to offer. We have no other message. Our only hope for the expansion of the kingdom of God is the power of the gospel.”
AMSTERDAM: PRAYING FOR A BREAKTHROUGH “It’s hard soil, so we are really praying for breakthroughs by the Holy Spirit in this secular context.” In the summer of 2003, a group of reformed churches from Amsterdam sent a letter to Redeemer Presbyterian Church. It was a request for help. The pastors of these churches feared that if the spiritual climate stayed as it was, the day could come where there would no longer by any reformed churches in their city. They wanted to plant churches, but they knew they were very much in need of training, coaching and vision. Redeemer City to City answered their request for help and has since walked closely with them and their city. But Amsterdam is struggling. Bas van der Graaf is a local pastor of a church in Amsterdam. Bas was just recently in New York for the Network Leaders Forum (NLF), and he spoke of the ongoing challenges in Amsterdam. “Amsterdam is a very, very secular city—it’s very, very hard soil. We were early adopters of Redeemer City to City’s training model. We planted many churches, but we are in a period now after 10+ years where some of our church planters are in danger of burn out or just feeling disappointed and discouraged.” Their churches have members, but most of these members were already Christians when they came to these church plants. Bas explains, “We succeeded in bringing Christians together in a new place, but only a few people from the outside were reached. We have not seen many new converts.” He repeats, “It’s hard soil,
so we are really praying for breakthroughs by the Holy Spirit in this secular context.” Bas was glad to receive information on training at NLF. “What was helpful for me was again hearing about training—how to organize training, and also how to organize movements and networks, because in Europe that is one of our challenges. Until now, the movement in Europe has been a movement of inspiration. We have had conferences, but we didn’t have organized training. It is starting now. We will have our first Train the Trainer event in April in Madrid. But I take with me a lot of ideas that help me to move further and to think more in organizational terms about training and network building.” When he thinks about where future church planters should consider planting in Amsterdam, he responds, “I would advise that they listen very carefully to the context. When they start listening to God, to their context, to their own heart – they can identify when it’s a good neighborhood. We have learned to take much time for thinking and praying. We need that in our culture.”
I PLANTED THE SEED, APOLLOS WATERED IT, BUT GOD HAS BEEN MAKING IT GROW. — 1 Corinthians 3:6
Will you join CTC, Bas van der Graaf and all our co-laborers in Amsterdam in praying for endurance for the sometimes tired and struggling workers and for a breakthrough by the Holy Spirit to soften this hard soil?
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A GREAT GOSPEL FOR
A GREAT CITY
On February 8 and 9, more than 1,000 people gathered in Mexico City for CTC Latin America’s first official conference—A Great Gospel for a Great City. Christianity is deeply woven into the fabric of Latin American culture. While many Christians living in Latin America read and apply the Bible as a group of doctrines and laws, the gospel is a phrase that is not used much, even by pastors. As a result, legalism and moralism are common.
a skeptical, pluralistic person could hear it. These pastors heard how they can help their parishioners see connections between faith and work—that their work matters. It’s empowering. It’s inspiring.” Latin America is 80% urban. Millions of people have moved to the city to escape poverty, terrorism, guerilla warfare, and to find better options for education and work. The city is a necessity. Andres explains, “The city was not on anybody’s radar—as an organism. People ask, ‘Do you mean the buildings?’ No. We mean
For the people experiencing significant suffering or poverty, teaching that focuses on financial or personal prosperity has not fulfilled its promises and has left many disappointed and discouraged. The confluence of these factors makes Latin America a region ready for a new message. Andres Garza, Regional Director of City to City Latin America, explains, “People have been waiting for something like this for a long time. When we discover grace and see how the gospel can be applied to every part of life—we discover a completely new world.” During the CTC Latin America conference, Tim Keller preached on Jonah 4. Three times God refers to Nineveh as “that great city,” and God asks Jonah, “Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh?” The book of Jonah demands a response, and those at the conference heard the challenge. Tim Cox, CTC’s Director of Communications & Media and Clara Kim, CTC’s Content Manager, attended the conference. Clara noted how engaged the audience was. “The message was so well-received not just because it was new but because it was applied to real life, practical situations, not theoretical.” Tim Cox added, “The gospel was unpacked in a way that 4 2
culturally, socially and spiritually. So when they hear the message of Nineveh—it’s a completely different message from anything they’ve ever even considered. Andres was amazed at the number of people that attended, but there was something that encouraged him even more. Andres explains, “There were big leaders in attendance. These leaders typically host conferences. They do not attend conferences.” But these mega church leaders came, and Andres says, “It is overwhelming—the response.”
And Andres says the incredible response continues. “Guadalajara—they are emailing me. They want me to come. They want vision casting and training. We are reaching Pentecostals and Charismatics. They are looking at what CTC is teaching as a very good option for them.” Andres’ wife, Ruth, is part of Parakeleo—a ministry for church planters’ wives--and churches want to know more about this too.
“We are experiencing a new reformation in Latin America. It’s about a real understanding of grace.”
Francisco Calderon, Training Coordinator for CTC Latin America, is encouraged but sobered. Francisco says, “We need to slow down to train leaders for the future, but these leaders need to be really immersed in the gospel.” Both Francisco and Andres want this current gospel momentum to continue into the next generation. Andres sums it up perfectly when he says, “We are experiencing a new reformation in Latin America. It’s about a real understanding of grace. It’s a new way to understand what a Christian is and what a Christian church should be.” At the heart of this reformation is the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is at work in hearts in Latin America.
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EQUIPPING LEADERS IN CHICAGO
“Our vision is to see a movement of church planting in Chicago that helps Jesus Christ to be tangible in every neighborhood in our city.” These are the words of Jon Dennis -- a pastor who has always loved cities and planted Holy Trinity Church in downtown Chicago 20 years ago. In 2000, four years after planting, Jon attended an event where Tim Keller spoke about the importance of collaboration and cooperation in reaching a city with the gospel. Inspired by what he heard, Jon returned to Chicago, and Holy Trinity Church partnered with two other churches to create a fund that would give small grants to city church plants. When Jon saw that there were others who shared his passion for urban church planting, he helped start the Chicago Partnership for Church Planting (CPCP). “We assess church planters, give them a grant, and then coach them,” says Jon. “But to go to the next level, we knew we needed more in-depth training.” Working with Redeemer City to City made perfect sense. Having seen it at work in Latin America and Australia, Jon knew that CTC had the resources that CPCP needed. “City to City not only brings great content, great coaching and time-tested material, but there’s also flexibility that lets you work it out in your own city.” At the end of 2016, CPCP hosted a Train the Trainer event led by Mark Reynolds and John Thomas, both from CTC. Train the Trainer prepares local leaders to train urban church planters. The program orients trainers to CTC’s Urban Church Planter Incubator curriculum, a two-year course that can be adapted and 4
delivered in their own cities. Twenty-three leaders attended, with 14 being from Chicago. The other leaders were from San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. The event was a unifying factor that brought these leaders together. Though they may be from various denominations, they are united over mission and their love for their cities. They went home to their cities as learning communities and as networks ready to work together. Jon and his team have a vision of planting 100 churches in Chicago in 10 years, and they’re now better equipped to see a gospel movement in their city. “Chicago is known for a lot of things right now, and Jesus is not necessarily one of them,” says Jon. “My hope is that in 20 years, people will look back and see that our city is a totally different city. They’ll wonder what happened, and the answer will be that God did something.”
WELCOME ABOARD, TIM KELLER
On February 26, Tim Keller announced he will transition to a full-time position with Redeemer City to City (CTC). He has been steadily laying the groundwork for this transition for years, and CTC is ready. This move to CTC will allow Tim to be more engaged in The New York Project, fueling the growing movement of churches and leaders in New York. This role is crucial going forward because, while the financial cost of doing ministry in a city like New York is high, the greatest shortage and need is leaders. One of Tim’s primary roles at CTC will be teaching courses at the collaborative ministry training program of CTC and Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS). This program is designed for ministry leaders in global cities and offers two important components: + A two-year Master of Arts of Biblical Studies program through RTS + A year of practical ministry training through CTC called the City Ministry Year Tim will teach all or part of the following courses in the 2017-2018 academic year: + In the M.A. Program: Introduction to Pastoral and Theological Studies, and Christian Life and Ministry in a Secular Culture + In the City Ministry Year: Expository Preaching, Preaching Christ, Preaching in a Secular Culture, Preaching and Application, Reformed Spirituality, Church and Ministry, Center Church, and Evangelism and Apologetics.
While there will always be ministry opportunities for Tim, his highest priority will be teaching and mentoring these ministry leaders. Tim has learned much in his years of ministry, and he is passionate about sharing this knowledge with others. He explains, Kathy and I feel that God has given us the most astonishing education and preparation for ministry possible. I am not referring only to our formal schooling and professors and teachers, but also to our colleagues, relationships, models and experiences. We emerged from all that so wellequipped to minister in our time and place. But over the years I have mainly used this training directly—to preach, pastor, evangelize and lead. I have done relatively little in the way of passing along what I’ve learned to a new generation of ministers. That is about to change, and CTC is the ideal place for me to do that. Gospel movement is happening in cities around the world. Lives are being transformed. God is using CTC, and the timing for this transition couldn’t be better. 5 7
A PARTNER STORY: JOHN AND HEE-JUNG MOON
John and Hee-Jung Moon are long-time supporters of Redeemer City to City (CTC). “We believe church planting and church building are an important element of what Christian believers are called to do. And CTC is exceptional at selecting pastor leaders and equipping them to follow their calling. It’s extremely gratifying to see how CTC prayerfully goes about this recruiting process for future church planters.” There are many aspects of CTC’s work that encourage them, the first being its passion for cities. “The emphasis on urban ministry is forwardthinking, anticipating where the world is headed.” And they resonate with CTC’s approach to church planting. “It’s about setting roots, committing to be a part of that particular city, meeting the needs of a local community in their local language and respecting the local culture.” But while every context and culture is unique, the gospel remains the same. “We like how CTC talks about transferring its gospel-centered DNA to churches around the world.” They appreciate how CTC trains church planters to contextualize without compromising the message of the gospel. They love the inspiring anecdotes of how God is at work all over the world—whether in a place previously unreached by the gospel, or a historically vibrant center of Christian faith that is now showing signs of spiritual life again. They think of how the Dutch were so influential in the Reformation, so they love that there are church plants in Amsterdam. And they’re encouraged by the gospel movement in Edinburgh for the same reason. “One of the aspects of CTC’s work that gets us excited – that is really encouraging – is to see the rebirth of Christian communities in historically important centers of Christian thought and tradition.”
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“One of the aspects of CTC’s work that gets us excited – that is really encouraging – is to see the rebirth of Christian communities in historically important centers of Christian thought and tradition.”
Another place of interest for them is Japan. Hee-Jung was a visiting student in Japan during college, and John’s dad was born in Tokyo. They understand the hard-soil that global missionaries and church planters face there, and how isolated a new believer might feel, so they were drawn to the work of the Samurai Project. The Samurai Project’s mission is for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to be taught and shared increasingly throughout the city of Tokyo, and, from there, to all of Japan. John and HeeJung’s prayer for Japan is that leaders and the small Christian community would feel loved, well-cared for and encouraged. John and Hee-Jung have formed many lasting and meaningful friendships through the CTC community—staff members, fellow CTC partners and global leaders. “Many of the staff members have become close friends of ours. We’ve also enjoyed meeting like-minded Christian believers from other parts of the world and learning from them.” They would encourage other partners to take advantage of any opportunity to meet the global leaders who are out doing this gospel work. “There’s nothing like meeting the local leaders to get a better sense of what is going on on the ground.” John and Hee-Jung are very involved with their church, Central Presbyterian, with John serving as an elder and Hee-Jung as a Trustee. John is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and an adjunct professor of finance at the Columbia Business School. Hee-Jung is a former lawyer who has chosen to stay at home with their boys. She serves on the board of Hope for New York. They live in Manhattan with their two sons, David and Stephen.
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STORIES FROM AFRICA A
ccra is the largest city of Ghana with an estimated four million people. The city is the most important cultural, economic and political city of the country. All of life in Ghana revolves around major cities, of which Accra is the foremost. As the city grows, it continues to attract migrants from other parts of the country and the rest of West Africa. Accra serves as a center of opportunity for students and young professionals, and the largest and fastest growing segment of the population is 20-24 year olds. Sam and his wife Gifty have a vision for a church in Accra that reaches the quickly-multiplying Samuel Boateng - Accra, Ghana professional class. They believe the city desperately needs churches that preach and demonstrate grace and the gospel, that point people to Christ and that bring renewal to every aspect of the city’s life. Currently in the research and planning phase, they are working to better understand the context within which they’ll be planting and are looking for like-minded people to be part of their core group. Join us in praying for Sam and Gifty as they seek to engage the spiritually hungry and lost of Accra with the gospel. Specifically pray for direction to know and find the best location for the church, and pray that God will help them find others who share their heart and passion for Accra.
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ic launched Le Phare Church in Bukavu in 2012 with a vision to reach his city for the gospel. Originally just a French-speaking church, in 2016 they launched a second service in English to appeal to the many people in the city who want to speak English more regularly. They currently have 100 adults attending their church and nine small groups that meet across the city. They are now praying about planting another church to continue to reach new people in the community.
There are several ways you can pray for Le Phare. Pray for these small groups—for the leaders and Nicolas Kyalangalilwa - Bukavu, DRC that these groups will be harbors of light within their neighborhoods. Pray for Nic as he considers greater financial, time and energy investment with the potential launch of a second church. And pray that God will grow this new English-speaking service and that even more people in Bukavu will be renewed by the gospel.
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STORIES FROM AFRICA
Rooted Fellowship Leadership Team - Pretoria, South Africa
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n 2014, One and Confidence Mokgatle launched Rooted Fellowship in Pretoria, South Africa with a vision to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ in a transcultural community for the renewal of Pretoria and beyond. With a distinct vision to have a church that is representative of the racial diversity of their city and country, they set out to reach the people of Pretoria. With this goal in mind, the leadership team has learned two key insights. First, striving for multicultural community takes much intentionality. For them to really build a diverse community, they have needed to keep that goal in focus every step of the way. Whether it is the selection of worship songs,
the composition of the leadership team or even the choice of community-building activities, there must be intentionality toward multiculturalism. Second, their vision for gospel renewal in their city has been transformed and made more robust through engaging with people from a variety of backgrounds from across their city. Members of the team reflected that through engagement with different types of people, they have experienced God in new and exciting ways. Please pray for discernment and wisdom for the Rooted Fellowship leadership team as they continue their mission in Pretoria. Pray for unity in the gospel to unite the members of their church together as one body.
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THANKS, PARTNER. Your faithful support helped equip a training center in Chicago, launch CTC Latin America through a conference in Mexico City and gather 80 network leaders from across the globe in New York City.
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Stories from Africa by Ruth Leary. All other articles by Susan Thorson. Additional editing by Jessica Rice and Tim Cox. The CTC Snapshot is sent to a special group that helps us continue this work. We thank you for your generosity, passion and devotion. Together we see movements of the gospel spread through the world’s major cities, and we are humbled that you join us on the journey. Redeemer City to City
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