Who was Timothy Keller?
Timothy J. Keller (September 23, 1950 – May 19, 2023) was an American Presbyterian pastor, theologian, and author. He is best known as the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which he began in 1989 with a small gathering and grew, over the following decades, into a large, multi-site congregation known for reaching secular and skeptical professionals in one of America's most religiously diverse cities.
Keller earned a B.A. from Bucknell University (1972), a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (1975), and a Doctor of Ministry from Westminster Theological Seminary (1981). Before planting Redeemer, he pastored a small congregation in Hopewell, Virginia, and taught practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary.
Ministry beyond the local church
Keller co-founded The Gospel Coalition, an international network of evangelical churches and leaders, together with theologian D. A. Carson. He also chaired and co-founded Redeemer City to City, an organization that trains church planters and resources gospel movements in global cities. Through both organizations and his writing, Keller became one of the most influential voices in contemporary evangelicalism on how Christian faith engages a modern, urban, and religiously plural culture.
Writing
Keller wrote numerous bestselling books that combined pastoral ministry with cultural and philosophical apologetics, including The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (2008), The Prodigal God (2008), Counterfeit Gods (2009), The Meaning of Marriage (2011, with Kathy Keller), Center Church (2012), Every Good Endeavor (2012), Prayer (2014), and Making Sense of God (2016), among others. The Reason for God became a New York Times bestseller and remains widely read as an entry point into contemporary Christian apologetics.
Later life and death
Keller stepped back from Redeemer's senior pastorate in 2017 to focus on training and writing through Redeemer City to City and related work. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020 and continued writing and teaching through his illness. He died on May 19, 2023, in Manhattan, at the age of 72.
A note on this page
This biography was compiled by UECF.NET from publicly available biographical sources for reference purposes; it is not a comprehensive or authorized account of Keller's life and ministry. It is offered here only to introduce the author of the book this study companion accompanies.
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