The Winter 2007 Cutting Edge is available online. The theme of the issue is "The Big City" and includes articles and interviews by Tim Keller, Jason Chatraw, Jeff Bailey, Dave Schmelzer and Steve Sjogren.
In Keller's interview, he answers the following questions:
-Who lives in the city-centers?
-What might we say are the 'marks' of city-center cultures?
-How did the ministry of Redeemer Presbyterian emerge?
-What are the emphases and practices that form an engaging 'chemistry' at Redeemer?
-What are the Ministry Marks of Effective City-Center Churches?
1. 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.
2. Have a positive regard for the city; recognize that it is the most strategic possible place for ministry.
3. Neither over or under adapt to the culture of those in their surrounding neighborhood and culture.
4. Are intensely, creatively evangelistic and effective in reaching not just people who are already traditional or conservative but who are very secular.
5. Relentlessly emphasize and seek to build strong, "thick" counter-cultural Christian community in cities, especially through cell groups.
6. Are holistic, ministering in both word and deed to their community and the poor in extremely creative and generous ways.
7. Have a bias toward being multi-ethnic-- seek to be at least as multi-ethnic as their neighborhood.
8. 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.
9. See church planting as a ministry as natural and important as discipleship, music, education, and pastoral care.
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