Dr. Timothy Keller, popular author and pastor of a growing church in New York, is scheduled to speak at a three-day conference at West Angeles Church of God in Christ, LA.
The citywide conference will be held on February 26-28, hosted by TogetherLA.
According to event coordinator Tommy Lee, key leaders from non-profits, churches, businesses, and communities in the Los Angeles area will attend the conference to pray, collaborate, and strategise on how to show the love of Christ and reach the city of Los Angeles for the gospel.
The theme of the conference will address the question, "What does it mean to love our city?" The event is meant to unify churches in Los Angeles and facilitate collaboration between leaders from different communities.
Workshops and panel discussions will be held covering topics such as mercy ministries, systemic injustice, ethnic and class conflict, faith and work, social and cultural changes and challenges, church health and church collaborations, according to TogetherLA.
Keller has been vocal about his heart for touching cities for Christ. At the Lausanne Cape Town Congregss in 2010, Keller advocated that in order to reach some of the most unreached people in the world, Christians have to go to the cities.
"The church has to be everywhere there are people but the people are moving into the city faster than the church. If you love what God loves, you will love the city," he said.
"The most unreached peoples in the world go to the cities. When they immigrate to the cities they break their kinship ties, they are in a more pluralistic environment, and are far more open to the Gospel than they ever would have been in their previous habitat," Keller explained.
Keller views LA as one of the key cities of the world.
Ahead of the February conference, he said, "LA is important. LA is one of the two or three cultural capitals of the world; one of the two or three cities that most affect what people actually see on their screens and take into their minds and hearts culturally. Of course it is also one of the key cities on the Pacific Rim. It is one of the most important cities in the world."
Keller will be the main speaker for the conference, at a free admission event on Saturday night. He will be joined by other key speakers, including Bishop Charles Blake, Mark Labberton, and Mayor Aja Brown.
