Church planting Effort Gets Underway in NYC

Best-selling author and Presbyterian pastor Rev. Tim Keller has high words of praise for a joint church-planting effort that is getting underway between the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America in New York City.

Keller appears on a short video that looks at the "Kingdom Enterprise Zone” (KEZ) that has begun in New York. KEZs are areas in which the denominations collaborate in order to start churches, often churches that have a fresh focus for ministry.

So far, 10 of these initiatives have taken place in regions across North America.

Pastor of the highly successful Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, Keller says that efforts such as these are much-needed in the nation largest metropolitan area.

A vast melting pot of people, representing many cultures and religions, some 22 million persons call the area their home.
 
“This KEZ… will reach out to the whole city with the gospel,” Keller says, adding that he asks people to pray for the success of the KEZ.

Rev. Pete  Armstrong  is co-leader of the KEZ. On the video, which is geared to draw interest in their new initiative,  he says that he came to New York City more than three years ago to start a church that is now called  Dwell.

He says most new churches start out in an area that has about 10,000 people, while in New York that number in 80,000.  

Dwell Church is nestled in a neighborhood between the homeless along the Bowery and the wealthier Nolita and SoHo.

“I like the diversity of people in New York City,” said Armstrong in a previous story. “There is so much great music, art, movies, theater, food. There are all kinds of creative opportunities here.”

Others who are also working on new church efforts appear in the video.

Ten leaders from across the metro region have been meeting together to pray and dream about formation of the new KEZ.