Philip Graham Ryken, City on a Hill: Reclaiming the Biblical Pattern for the Church in the 21st Century. Moody Publishers, 2003.
Referenced in: Strategies for Congregational Renewal: Diagnostic/Prescriptive
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is a put forth as a “back-to-the-Bible” approach to church renewal, chronicling the spiritual weakening of American culture and the church at large, and suggesting an eight-fold biblical pattern for revitalization of established churches. Ryken rejects the relevance-based pragmatism of church growth, and suggests a model based on the beliefs and practices of the first-century church. His eight principles:
- Expository preaching
- Corporate worship
- Fellowship
- Pastoral care
- Discipleship
- Missions and evangelism
- Mercy ministry
- Repentance and renewal
The back of the book is an Action Guide for church leaders, arranged according to the eight principles. It includes questions for evaluation, practical recommendations, and a list of helpful resources. While it is questionable that forms such as expository preaching are indeed “first century,” one can still capture the functional intent of Ryken’s advice.
Throughout this resource, Ryken reflects the tenets of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, a popular movement among conservative churches of Reformation heritage. Other notables of this movement include D. A. Carson, Mark Dever, John MacArthur, Albert Mohler, John Piper, R. C. Sproul, and David Wells.
From the Publisher
We are now living in post-Christian times, when Christianity no longer is the prevailing influence on the mind and heart of our culture. But we cannot compromise. More than ever before, it is imperative that Christians understand and embrace the biblical pattern for the church. Philip Graham Ryken knows that the changing face of America makes the need for the church to remain steadfast even more important. City on a Hill will provide readers with a deeper understanding of how to live for Christ in the twenty-first century: go back to the model set out in the first century. Sure to be an encouragement and challenge to anyone concerned about the effectiveness of the church today.
From the Back Cover
THE CHURCH TODAY STANDS AT A CROSSROADS. HOW WILL WE FULFILL CHRIST’S CALLING TO BE A “CITY SET ON A HILL”?
Many sincere and dedicated Christians point to the path of relevance as a means for enjoying a post-Christian witness. They want to explore new ways of “doing church”— ways that focus on seekers’ needs, that appeal to today’s entertainment-saturated audiences, and don’t make church “too hard.”
Philip Ryken, however, sees danger ahead. Rather than confronting the relativistic and narcissistic mind-set of our world, this way may very well accommodate it.
In City on a Hill, Ryken asserts that the church needs to walk a different path… a biblical path that leads to exalting God and Him alone by:
- Proclaiming the saving work of our crucified and risen Lord, Jesus Christ.
- Focusing on our holy God in our personal and corporate worship.
- Reaching our in Christ’s love to care for one another and share the Good News with the world.
When the church does what it was called to do, it will give the world what it needs most—the life-giving message that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord.
About the Author
Philip Graham Ryken (M.Div., Westminster Theological Seminary; D.Phil., University of Oxford, England) is president of Wheaton College. Previously, he was senior minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia (1995-2010). His published works include The Heart of the Cross and The Doctrines of Grace (with James Montgomery Boice), Is Jesus the Only Way?, The Message of Salvation, and Jeremiah and Lamentations.
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