Theological Core and Ethics Statement

For City To City and Its Affiliates

(Redeemer City to City, DBA City to City, or CTC, is a not for profit organization incorporated in the State of New York functioning as a para-church ministry. All references to City to City or CTC in this statement refer to that entity and not to any affiliated networks regardless of branding. CTC Global is used in reference to the network of affiliated networks.) 

The Need

City to City Global exists to help develop movements of the gospel in the leading cities of the world and thereby to extend the influence of the gospel everywhere in the world. It does so by working with and through national Christian leaders in a wide variety of churches in differing traditions and denominations. Because God has chosen at various times and in various places to use leaders in those varying traditions to build His kingdom and bring renewal to His church, CTC and CTC Global are committed to working as broadly as possible with leaders, as long as they share a commitment to a basic core of theological truths, ministry values and ethical standards. Without shared theological and ethical commitments there is no solid basis for unity in mission. Without shared values there can be no common goals and, therefore, no compelling purpose to work together.

The group of leaders and churches that have chosen to work together can be described as a “centered set” network. It is comprised of leaders and churches, united in Jesus Christ and centered around core doctrines and ministry values despite possibly differing on secondary theological issues. The following are the ministry values and theological and ethical commitments, which all who work together in relationship with CTC Global affirm.

The Values

Five values bind together the leaders, churches and networks associated with City to City across the world: 

  • A commitment to proclaiming and applying the historic gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it is found in the Scriptures, to every area of life and ministry.

  • A commitment to giving priority to ministry in cities.

  • A commitment to contextualized church planting in urban settings.

  • A commitment to holistic engagement with our cities through sharing Christ with friends and neighbors, pursuing justice in neighborhoods and society, and influencing the culture with the gospel through our work.

  • A commitment to working with local leaders across a wide variety of denominations and networks who will faithfully and effectively proclaim the gospel in their cultural context.

The Historic, Biblical Gospel

Ultimately, both in confession and practice, subscription to the historic, orthodox understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the primary basis of unity between the leaders with whom CTC and CTC Global relate. Denial of core tenets of the Christian faith, such as those concerning the person and work of Christ, the nature of God and human kind, and the basis of salvation (by grace alone through faith alone), constitutes subscription to “a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all.” (Gal. 1:6b-7a) Living or acting in such a way that the truth of the gospel is denied, betrays either a lack of understanding the gospel or a lack of commitment to Christ and His gospel. Either could disqualify a leader from acceptance in and affirmation by the network.

Defining precisely that body of core theological truths is crucial but has never been easy. Within the Scripture itself there is no single, definitive verbal formula given to us, though 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 is widely seen as a key, brief description of the gospel, while Romans is commonly understood to be perhaps the most sustained exposition of the gospel (See also Appendix A).

At a minimum, however, the body of core theological truths that define and defend an orthodox understanding of the gospel includes first, those expressed in the ecumenical creeds which all Christian churches accept: The Apostles’ Creed, The Nicene Creed, the Chalcedonian Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. They establish

  • the doctrine of the Tri-une God, that there is one God who exists eternally in three equal persons who know and love one another,

  • the doctrine of creation, that God is the sole Creator and sustainer of all things and that as created, the physical creation, and our bodies, are both real and good,

  • the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, united in one person forever,

  • the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and

  • the personal return of Christ to judge the world and usher in the new heavens and new earth,

and second, those expressed in the Protestant and Reformed confessions and catechisms, wherein they agree. These provide necessary parameters for grasping the Biblical gospel. Examples of these include: The Augsburg Confession (1530 AD), The Belgic Confession (1561 AD), The Heidelberg Catechism (1576 AD), The Canons of Dordt (1619 AD) The Westminster Confession, and Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1647), The Helvetic Confession (1562), The Savoy Declaration (1658), The Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), and The Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England. They find more modern-day expressions in The Lausanne Covenant and statements of faith such as that of the World Evangelical Alliance, or the Confessional Statement of The Gospel Coalition. These confessions serve Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Baptist, and Congregational communions and therefore differ in significant ways. Yet we believe that they contain the core of Protestant orthodoxy. The Protestant confessional statements reiterate those truths listed above and establish

  • the necessity, sufficiency, clarity, authority, and complete trustworthiness of the Bible

  • the doctrine of sin, the consequence of which is that human beings are wholly unable to will or achieve their salvation without the free grace and intervention of God,

  • the doctrine of the substitutionary atonement, that Christ paid the just penalty we deserved, in our place and so washed away our sin and turned aside the wrath of God,

  • the necessity of union with Christ through the Holy Spirit, leading to the blessings of new birth, forensic justification, adoption, and sanctification,

  • the indispensability of the church, its ministry of the Word, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, for the formation of Christians into disciples of Jesus.

A Center Set Fellowship

Given that differences among Christians are due ultimately to our lack of conformity to Christ, stemming from our inability to understand the Scriptures perfectly and our failure to internalize and apply the truth of the gospel to our lives, and that our sanctification in this world will never be complete, there will always be differences among Christians and consequently a need for those who are united in Christ to live in love with one another while dealing with differences. Those differences need not prevent us from working cooperatively for Christ and His Kingdom, if, while being committed to a body of core theological truths, we adopt an ethic of exercising biblical tolerance for living in tension with those differences. This means that while we may differ in relation to secondary beliefs and practices, we respect one another’s views and are willing to concede that we may not have a perfect understanding of His truth. True believers in Christ, exercising diligence and utilizing careful means of interpreting Scripture, have come to differing conclusions about important but secondary issues such as, the precise roles of women in ministry, the mode and timing of  baptism, the understanding and expression of charismatic gifts and others. About these matters we agree to allow one another to differ. (See also Appendix B.)

Describing ourselves as a centered-set network does not mean there are no definite boundaries in regard to whom is affirmed by the network, or with whom we will work. Rather, it is a way to describe our intention and posture to move toward those values since few are ever able perfectly to balance and maintain all the demands and implications of the gospel. There is one two-fold qualifying criterion for inclusion in and affirmation by the network and one disqualifying criterion whereby a leader, church, or network would not be included in the network.

First, the qualifying criterion: If there is agreement with the theological core truths (subscription in good conscience to (affirmation of) any of the above or like confessional statements of faith is sufficient) and affirmation of the five values, that leader, church or network would be eligible to be included and affirmed as part of the global network associated with CTC.

Second, the disqualifying criterion: If the leader’s moral or ethical behavior is not “in line with the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:14) and rises to the level of being scandalous, or if the official policies or views of the church or network undermine the substance of the gospel (such as being racially discriminatory or affirming behavior that is prohibited in the Bible), that leader, church or network would not be eligible to be included and affirmed by CTC Global.

All of us will struggle with besetting sins about which we will experience remorse and from which we will repent, perhaps over and over again. Living perfectly is not the standard for acceptance. Rather, the standard is maintaining biblical norms for Christian behavior, not condoning and practicing sins that are clearly prohibited by Scripture such as racism, sexual sin, arrogance and pride, greed, drunkenness, etc.

Conclusion

The ethic that should govern our interaction as leaders committed to working together for the interests of the Kingdom of God in the cities of the world, particularly in relation to our differences can perhaps best be expressed by the dictum first authored by Rupertus Meldenius early in the 17th century, “In necessariis unitas; in non- necessariis libertas; in utrisque caritas. (In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things charity.)”

How do we live with differences among us? We must not simply reduce the list of theological commitments to be taught and believed to those we can all accept as essential and ignore the rest. We must have a clear set of beliefs, rooted in Christ and His teaching, that is non-negotiable and strongly held by the community of leaders closest to the center and yet respectfully appreciate the differences among us in our secondary commitments. We must extend liberty to each leader to hold fast in his or her conscience to those things they believe Christ has commanded and yet not demand that others come to complete agreement with them in matters regarded as secondary. And in all things, even our differences, we must purpose to love each other.

Appendix A – The Gospel Texts

Because CTC Global’s mission is to help develop gospel movements in cities, we need to be clear about what the gospel is as well as be immersed in the rich Biblical language describing the gospel in all its aspects, blessings, and benefits.

1. The Gospel’s Character

a. The gospel is news about the historical events of Jesus’ life. The word ‘gospel’ means news of a world-changing historical event and how you should respond to it. Mark 1:1; Luke 2:10-The gospel is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 1 Cor 1:16-17-The gospel is Jesus’ death on the cross. 1 Cor 15:1-10- The gospel is that Jesus died on the cross for us and was raised from the dead for us, according the Scriptures, so that even the worst sinners can be saved by grace.

b. The gospel is a power, a living thing that brings joy and changes lives. Rom 1:16- 17-The gospel does not just have power but is God’s power to save in verbal form. 1 Cor 4:15; 1 Peter 1:23-35; Col 1:5-6-The gospel is a living thing that brings people to new birth and life. 2 Cor 4:4 (and context)-The gospel gives us now the light of the divine glory in the face of the Lord. This is an access to God’s presence that Moses was forbidden (Exod 33) but now is ours through Christ (cf. John 1:18.)

c. The gospel is truth, with definite doctrinal content. Gal 1:6,11- The gospel was not invented by humans. If even Paul gives you a different gospel, don’t listen to him! Gal 2:5-Heresy endangers the gospel, which must be preserved at all costs. Phil 1:16- A person’s mind must be persuaded of the truth of the gospel. Col 1:23-The gospel is truth for the whole world, not just for some. Eph 1:13- The gospel is the word of truth

d. The gospel is eternally, infinitely deep. 1 Peter 2:12 (and context)-The angels never tire of looking into and exploring the gospel. It is endlessly rich and deep. 1 Peter 1:25- The gospel is eternal.

2. The Gospel’s Content

 a. The gospel is a “Third Way” of grace, neither religion or irreligion, neither legalism nor antinomianism. Romans 1-3- Neither religious Jews nor pagan Gentiles can be justified. The gospel is we are saved by grace through Christ’s work, not ours. Acts 10:36-The gospel gives us new peace with God—the alienation if over. Acts 20:24- The gospel is the word of grace. Col 1:5-6- To believe the gospel is to understand the grace of God in all its truth.

b. The gospel is not just about God’s grace that forgives, but also about God’s grace that restores. Rom 2:16-The gospel includes Jesus’ return to judge and renew the earth. Acts 13:32; Eph 3:6- All the promises of God to restore the world through Israel have come true in Jesus. Mark 1:14-15; Lk 8:1;16:16 -The gospel is news of the coming kingdom, the new age of God’s reign that brings restoration and healing. Mark 4:23; 9:35;Luke 9:6- Jesus healed and fed while preaching the gospel—these were foretastes of the coming restoration.

c. The gospel demands a response. Acts 14:15-The gospel calls you to turn away from idols to the living God (repent.) Acts 8:12-It also calls you to believe. Mk 1:15-The gospel requirements of repenting and believing are mentioned together. Rom10:16; 2Thess 1:8; 1Peter 4:17-Sometimes these two are combined in the term obey the gospel, meaning to both repent and believe. 1 Thess 1:5- Repentance and faith requires the full conviction that is produced by the Holy Spirit.

3. The Gospel’s Comprehensiveness

a. The gospel is the foundation for everything in the Christian life. Rom 15:20-The gospel is the basis for all individual and corporate Christian living. To preach the gospel equals laying the foundation.

b. The gospel is how we continue to grow individually. Rom 16:25- The gospel does not only save but continues to spiritually strengthen. Gal 3:1-3- You do not only become a Christian through the gospel, but you also grow into Christ-likeness more and more through more deeply understanding and practicing the implications of the gospel. Mark 8:35-You must ‘lose your life’ for the sake of the gospel. The deeper the grasp of grace, the greater the willing surrender of life control to Jesus. 2 Cor 9:13- Generosity comes from the humility that flows from the on-going confession of the gospel. 2 Cor 8:8-9 – Sacrificial service to others is not so much a legal requirement as a response to the free grace of Jesus in the gospel. Gal 2:14- Racist attitudes come from not living in line with the truth of the gospel. The behavioral implications and new motivations that flow from the gospel are to be worked out into every area of life.

 c. The gospel is basis for new community. The gospel not only re-shapes every part of our individual lives, but every part of our communal life together. Matt 4:23;11:1-5; Luke 4:18-6:20-35- The gospel of the kingdom is a new social arrangement within the Christian community that is a foretaste of the future new world. The poor, broken- hearted, unrecognized, oppressed have pride of place, and the powerful and wealthy are humbled. Phil.1:27-We are to conduct the entire course of our life in the world (citizenship) in a way worthy of the gospel.

d. The gospel must be communicated. Act 5:42-To preach Jesus is to preach the gospel. Acts 8:4- Every Christian is to communicate the gospel. Phil1:7-The gospel must be defended persuasively. Phil 1:12: Eph 6:19; Col 1:23--We advance the gospel through preaching.

Appendix B – Distinguishing First and Second Order Issues from Disqualifying Issues

First Order Issues and Collaboration

We have purposed to be united around a core of theological commitments, shared by the early Church and common to and further defined by Protestant churches and traditions. Those core theological commitments protect the integrity of the gospel and allow us to work together to develop movements of the gospel in the leading cities of the world. If a leader, church or network subscribes to the shared ministry values we have outlined and at least one of the Protestant confessions or theological statements listed, that leader, church or network is eligible to be included in the global network associated with CTC. Those core theological commitments are regarded as ‘first order’ theological doctrines. We believe it is possible to agree on these ‘first order’ doctrines and not agree on a host of other ‘second order’ matters.

Second Order Issues

For our purposes we have determined to regard as ‘second order,’ or secondary, those doctrines about which Protestant evangelicals disagree but that don’t strike at the substance of the gospel, examples of which are the form of church government, the mode and timing of baptism, the role of women in ministry, the expression of charismatic gifts, the order of eschatological events, etc. The various positions on these matters, we believe, do not necessarily undermine the basic Biblical doctrinal foundations of the faith or the gospel. Therefore, we have concluded that we can collaborate in the starting of churches, training, coaching and other work related to developing movements of the gospel without dividing over those issues. Furthermore, networks affiliated with CTC around the world will have the liberty to work out their own policies as it relates to the working out of these issues.

Disqualifying Issues

In nearly every generation from the first century on the church has had to confront questions about particular beliefs and practices determining whether they are orthodox or not. One of the many issues being presented to the church today is the acceptability of the practice of sexuality that is prohibited or condemned by God in the Bible. CTC Global affirms that Biblical sexuality is only expressed within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. This teaching has been consistently affirmed by the church throughout the centuries and is in line with the doctrine of creation (Gen 1:27-28), and is an illustration of the relationship between Christ and his church (Gen 2:24 and Eph 5:32). So a church leader or church body that takes any other position in regard to sexual practice cannot be part of CTC Global because it compromises a clear understanding of the gospel itself, in effect denying that repentance from all known sin is an integral part of exercising biblical faith in Christ.

Although there may be numerous issues that may disqualify a leader, one of the issues that has come to the forefront in some parts of the world is the issue of the exclusion from fellowship of individuals on the basis of race or ethnicity. In a similar way to the issue of compromise in the areas of sexuality, any leader, church or denomination that excludes people from Christian fellowship on the basis of their ethnic origin or race in practice denies the gospel, even as the apostle Peter’s withdrawal from eating with the Gentiles did so. Any proclamation, either in word or practice, of ‘another’ gospel other than the gospel we find in the Bible would be the basis of exclusion from the networks affiliated with CTC Global. Exclusion from the network does not mean that leader or church would be barred from coming to conferences or events produced by CTC related networks. Rather, it means that they would not be regarded as part of the network. It is our full intent to work as broadly as possible with those that agree with our theological core and to influence those that may be further away from us theologically as well.