Four Categories of Church

In a recent edition of The Gospel Coalition, Matt Carter posted the following. I found it a helpful  analysis of church types, although not an exhaustive list. Using the prepositions, in, against, of and for, the city, Matt draws attention to the essential nature of ‘church’, a people at mission, transforming society.

Several years ago I read some insights from Tim Keller on the subject of a church’s engagement with a city. This writing was especially interesting for me personally in light of the fact that I was planting a church in the city of Austin, Texas.

Austin, at the time, was one of the least-reached cities in the United States, and thinking biblically and systematically about how to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ here consumed a great amount of my time. Keller argued most churches fit in one of four categories. 

Keller spoke of the first category of church as simply in the city. This church meets together, gathers for worship, and creates programs for its congregants. But apart from ministering to the people who gather within the four walls of the church, the church has little to no effect on the city around it. 

The second category of church can be classified as against the city. This church has an “us versus them” mentality. In other words, the church is good, and the city is bad. The people of the city are bad, while the people of the church are good, and the church people therefore need to be kept isolated from the evil people that surround them.

A third category of church is of the city. A church of the city has bent so far to the culture that it has ceased to be salt and light in that city. When addressing the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:1–7, Jesus spoke about hating “the deeds of the Nicolatians.” Many scholars believe that the Nicolatians had been so concerned about being relevant to the culture that they lost their ability to stand apart as “a city set on a hill.” In the midst of trying to impress people with their cultural sensibilities, the Ephesian church lost the effect of the gospel of Christ. 

Keller spoke of a final category that he calls a church for the city. This church seeks the shalom or the welfare or flourishing of a city for the glory of God and the exaltation of Christ. To be clear, city engagement can never be an end unto itself. We are called as God’s people to love our neighbor, but that love must always point others to the one who first loved us.