Timothy Keller: Our New Global Culture

Here's a link to an interesting article by Timothy Keller entitled, Our New Global Culture: Ministry in Major City Centers. He says ministries in city centers will be effective if they:

• Hold the historic Christian gospel—orthodox and
  Biblical in doctrine and practice, but are neither
  legalistic nor liberal, neither doctrinalist nor
  pietist, neither individualistic nor collectivistic.
  
  
• Have a positive regard for the city; recognize that it
  is the most strategic possible place for ministry.
  
  
• Neither over or under adapt to the culture of those
  in their surrounding neighborhood and culture.
  
  
• Are intensely, creatively evangelistic and effective
  in reaching not just people who are already
  traditional or conservative but who are very
  secular.
  
  
• Relentlessly emphasize and seek to build strong,
  “thick” counter-cultural Christian community in
  cities, especially through cell groups.
  
  
• Are holistic, ministering in both word and deed to
  their community and the poor in extremely creative
  and generous ways.
  
  
• Have a bias toward being multi-ethnic—seek to be
  at least as multi-ethnic as their neighborhood.
  
  
• Are arts and culture-friendly; both supportive of
  Christian witness in “secular work” and willing to
  train people for cultural leadership, not just church
  leadership.
  
  
• See church planting as a ministry as natural and
  important as discipleship, music, education, and
  pastoral care.