It is easy to assume that if we understand the gospel and preach it faithfully, our ministry will necessarily be shaped by it—but this is not true.  Many churches claim to be gospel-centered but do not have a ministry that is shaped by, centered on, and empowered through the gospel.  The implications of the gospel have not yet worked their way into the fabric of how that church does ministry. 

Gospel-centered ministry is more theologically driven than program driven. To pursue it, we must spend time reflecting on the essence, the truths, and the very patterns of the gospel itself.  The gospel is neither religion nor irreligion, but something else entirely—a third way of relating to God through grace. In Shaped by the Gospel, bestselling author and pastor Timothy Keller addresses several current discussion and conflicts about the nature of the gospel and shows how faithful preaching of the gospel leads to individual and corporate renewal.

This new edition contains the first section of Center Church in an easy-to-read format with new reflections and additional essays from Timothy Keller and several other contributors.

【About the Contributor(s)】

Timothy J. Keller (1950–2023) was the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, cofounder of Redeemer City to City, and the author of numerous books, including The Reason for God, The Prodigal God, and The Meaning of Marriage. His thirty-one books have sold over six million copies and have been translated into twenty-nine languages.

Michael S. Horton (PhD) is the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California, founder and editor-in-chief of Sola Media, and host of the White Horse Inn, a weekly roundtable podcast on theology and culture. He is the author of more than thirty books, including Justification: Volumes 1 and 2 in Zondervan Academic’s New Studies in Dogmatics and The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way.