About Citylight

We are a church.

The most important thing you could know about Citylight Church Center City is that we are a church.

The original Greek word that we now translate “church” simply meant a gathering. A church, then, is a gathering, but that which gathers the church is the gospel, the good news, of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When that gospel is proclaimed, the community that gathers to hear it, put their faith in it, and live together in accordance with it, is called a church.

What is the gospel?

The gospel is commonly summarized through four theological categories: God, humanity, Christ, response.

God

God exists. He is a real being with a real existence outside of our minds. We don’t make Him what He is; He is who He is. He is infinitely good, and exists eternally in three persons: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Humanity

God made humans in His image, to reflect His glory, such that every human being has essential dignity and worth. However, we have all rejected God’s loving rule and have worshiped and served things He made, rather than Him. The Bible calls this sin. Therefore, we are all born guilty in His sight, enslaved to sin, and destined to perish under His good and just wrath.

Christ

But God the Father, because He is so good, out of sheer mercy and love for the undeserving, sent God the Son to become human in Jesus Christ. Jesus then lived a perfect life for the glory of God and the good of others in our place and suffered death under the wrath of God for the sins of all who would believe in Him, thus satisfying the demands of God’s justice. He then entered into eternal life by rising from the dead and ascending into heaven.

Response

Now resurrected as Lord, Jesus calls all people everywhere to confess their sins, turn from them, and receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation from their sins and eternal life. Whoever comes to Him, He will never cast out.

So, who are we?

We are a gathering of people who are different from one another in many ways, but who are united by faith in this gospel message. We are one church among many throughout time and space, seeking to be faithful to the God who saved us in this time in the Center City Philadelphia region. As part of that, we would love to serve you in any way we can, and we’d love to equip you to serve God, us, and our neighbors if Citylight Church Center City ends up being a church you join. Probably the best way to learn more about us would be to gather with us for worship on a Sunday. You can find information on that below. Feel free to also read more specifics about us in our history, beliefs, and leadership sections on this website.

Sunday Gathering Information

We gather on Sunday mornings as one church.

Visit Citylight

While we are not presently part of a conventional denomination, we gladly support the work of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network and 9Marks.