Tim Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer PCA in Manhattan, told attendees of Lausanne III that if Christians want human life to be shaped by Jesus Christ then churches need to go into cities.

Speaking at the Lausanne III Worldwide Conference on Evangelism, being held in Cape Town, South Africa, Keller said that cities are where churches can reach the next generation (young adults want to live in the city); reach more unreachable people (people are far more open to the Gospel in the cosmopolitan city than in their hometown); reach people who have a big impact on the world (filmmakers, authors and businessmen); and reach the poor (about one-third of city dwellers live in shanty towns).

“Human beings, according to Genesis 1, are made in the image of God and reflect God’s glory more than anything else in creation,” said Keller, whose Redeemer City to City has planted more than 100 churches around the world.

“In these cities you have more image of God per square inch than anywhere else in the world,” he said. “So God makes the numbers argument…”

About 300 years ago, less than three percent of the world’s population lived in cities. Today, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in cities and the number is growing rapidly. It is estimated that eight million people, or about the population of Bangkok, move into cities every two months.

“The people are moving into the cities faster than the church is,” Keller emphasized. “If you love what God loves then you will love the cities. If you want to go where the people are you got to go into the cities.”

Read More: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101021/tim-kellerchurches-worldwide-need-to-move-into-cities/