Gospel-Changed Communities

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God at Work: The Journeys of Four Church Planters in Africa

A university city in Ghana where students live only for themselves. A densely populated neighborhood outside Nairobi with not one gospel-preaching church. A township in Uganda struggling with unemployment, corruption and crime. A community between Pretoria and Johannesburg where many search for security and belonging.

The challenges facing these places differ, but Bernard Twumasi, Dan Gachuki, Lauben Ataho and David Kobedi share the same conviction: their cities need the gospel, and God has called them to bring it.

By Susan Thorson
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Gospel-Centered Training For African Church Planters

28 African church planters received training grounded in and centered on the gospel. They were challenged to preach Christ through the whole Bible because it all points to Him. They became reacquainted with their Heavenly Father, who loves them and redeemed them at a great cost. Each of these leaders is now participating in a year-long residency program to deepen their understanding from the Intensive, strengthen their relationships with their fellow planters, and expand the influence of gospel-centered churches in their cities.

By Rachel Ojo
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Why Plant a Church in Brooklyn Now?

In 2002, Tim Keller wrote what, for me, was the most compelling case for planting new churches. His argument was two-fold: new church plants are not only evangelistically most effective to grow the body of Christ in a city, but they’re also necessary for the renewal of existing churches.

By David Lee
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The Incredible Ripple Effect of the Gospel

One Sunday, Pastor Isidore’s preaching sounded different. And it sounded different the next Sunday and the one after that. And it wasn’t just the preaching. “We started seeing the Christ-centeredness of his preaching,” Yves said. “It was really remarkable. … Pastor Isidore was now more concerned about how to build the lives of the people in the church on Christ, more than focusing on the church’s day-to-day problems.”

By Susan Thorson
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Bringing the Gospel to Students at NYU

Most of these students have never seen a Bible and will live their lives never entering a Christian’s home or having any kind of relationship with one. When I chose to join RUF-I, these are the things that excited me. This really was “world mission” in my home city. I could not have been more excited at the opportunity to share Jesus with them.

By Graham Girard
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Staying in Hard Places Because of the Gospel

Political instability, a plummeting dollar resulting in a severe financial crisis, echoes of a Civil War that didn’t end until 1990, and a general hopelessness from repeated cycles of corrupt government. This is what Marwan Aboul-Zelof and his young family entered when they moved to Beirut, Lebanon in 2016 to plant a church.

By Susan Thorson
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Introducing: A Fire Is Lit Podcast

It is unlikely that Redeemer City to City would exist today without the sermon ministry we now call Gospel in Life. Beginning in the early 1990s, Tim Keller’s Sunday sermons were recorded and distributed on cassette tapes. By the middle of the decade, Redeemer was shipping a staggering 25,000 tapes per year to 32 states and 17 countries.

By Brandon O’Brien
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Out of Violence, Forming New Community through the Gospel

Lavonas Troupe had lived in Chicago his whole life. His dad left when he was young, and his mom used drugs. He and his siblings grew up in poverty. He’d been told he would have three vocational choices when he got older: policeman, firefighter or criminal. His choice disappeared that day on the basketball court.

By Susan Thorson
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Moved by the Gospel: A Cuban Pastor’s Urban Transformation

Allapattah, a vibrant neighborhood with a rich cultural tapestry, faces significant economic challenges. Over 34% of families live below the poverty line. Yet, amidst these struggles, Wilfredo’s story shines as a beacon of hope and transformation.

By Nilza Oyola
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The Connective Tissue that is the Gospel of Grace

In October Redeemer congregants and attendees at a pastor’s conference gathered at the Church of the Advent Hope on East 87th Street, a Seventh-day Adventist Church. The two groups were present to witness the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the ministry and legacy of the late Timothy Keller.

By Christina Stanton
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Houston Ballet Debuts New Work Based on … C.S. Lewis

Farley, a retired dancer with the New York City Ballet, is close friends with composer Werner. They met at church in New York City. Though the collaborators want everyone to be able to connect with Four Loves no matter their background, the ballet does depict their Christian artistic vision. As the curtain rises, three dancers are already spinning in a circle, representing the trinitarian love of God that was active before time began.

By Emily Belz
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Reaching London with the Gospel

Neil is working to create a Dunkirk-like operation for a different type of mission: seeing the gospel reach the hearts of men and women living in one of the world’s largest and most diverse cities: London. Neil sees the need for a unique effort to unite churches in London to “seek shalom for the city,” as the late Tim Keller would say. “What if a truly collaborative answer to the call is possible? What if there is a way for faithful churches across denominations, ecclesial styles, and theological traditions to partner in a rescue effort that would rival Operation Dynamo?” This past spring everything changed.

By Christina Stanton
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All About Not Being a Superhero

He is a pastor and has been for more than a decade. He planted a church, ministered to people, gave advice and counseling to others, and helped many along their journey. Through the years rarely has someone done the same for him. And that came at a cost. “As a pastor, because I was constantly helping others resolve their issues and helping them solve their problems,” Ignacio says, “I began to focus on being self-sufficient.”

This past spring everything changed.

By Gospel in Life
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Moving Out with the Gospel

Presenting the gospel from the Old Testament really helps someone who is Muslim relate to what I’m saying because they are familiar with those stories in the Quran. I’m now able to explain how to see Jesus in the Noah story. And I see more Muslims responding to the gospel. Some of them will say, “We’ve never heard the gospel preached this way.” And I say, “Well, I also just learned it.” And I’m not seeing the same hostility toward the gospel.

By Davud Pumaya
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The Gospel at Work in Madagascar

Although 85% of the population of Madagascar identifies as Christian, Tank says the gospel message is often eroded. “Religiosity mixed with a health and wealth message is very challenging right now. Due to that, many people are being tossed back and forth, deceived and blinded. Lots of syncretism where people are trying different religions and hoping that maybe one will work and sort out all of life’s problems, especially poverty.”

By Christina Stanton
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An Actor Brings His Faith Into His Work

Christians in the arts—theater, dance, music, etc.—face suspicion from both their colleagues and from their fellow Christians. Max McLean’s story is one of immersing himself in theater and finding a better way with the gospel, of both pursuing his calling and honoring his Lord.

By Christina Stanton
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A Polish Church Comes to the Aid of Ukrainian War Refugees

Our church doubled in size during the pandemic and when the war started, it almost doubled in size again. Because of Krakow’s location, the city has been serving as a gate to safety because Krakow is one of the first large cities you hit once you have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border. We were given an incredible opportunity and privilege to serve those who were fleeing from cities that were under the Russian attack in Ukraine and we primarily served women with children.

By Christina Stanton
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The Resurrection Is Historically Verifiable or Our Faith Is Nothing

…Increasingly the culture doesn’t believe in facts or truth. It believes that people create their own truth, they create their own facts. There’s no certainty on what the right take on reality is. And so here we have the Christian church of all things being the center of emphasis on the idea that there are historical facts that can be verified.

By Tim Keller
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The Scars of Racism Can Only Be Healed by Jesus Christ

As I began to go into shock, I heard a shot close by and felt a body collapse on top of me. Blood ran over me, and I tried to crawl out from underneath it. When I got free, I looked back and could see it was an old man who the police had killed. Then I passed out. When word of the violence spread, my relatives raced to every clinic and hospital searching for me (Xolani had made it out ok). They couldn’t find me, and assumed I’d been killed.

By Christina Stanton
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The Creator in You – A Book Review

Whether it is washing dishes or building spaceships, we have the image of God in us as ones who bring order out of chaos and call it good. In giving us his creation mandate, God asked men and women to discover the potential in his creation and care for it. With the publication The Creator in You, this message has been clearly and attractively presented to children.

By Missy Wallace

This Month's Featured Book

Get two copies of The Reason for God

After decades of conversations with skeptics, Dr. Keller wrote this book to provide readers a compelling case for belief in God. Using literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and potent reasoning, he explains how belief in the Christian God is, in fact, a sound and rational one.

Donate now and get the book