In early 1989, a group of 15 people began meeting weekly in an Upper East Side apartment. Led by Dr. Timothy Keller, their purpose was to pray about starting a new church in the heart of Manhattan for people seeking answers to questions about their faith. By Christmas, the congregation numbered approximately 250—the beginning of Redeemer Presbyterian church.
In the autumn of 1997, Redeemer concluded its first capital campaign and used the funds to found the Redeemer Church Planting Center, which has since allowed Redeemer to plant churches throughout New York, the United States, and the world.
In October of 2012, the Downtown congregation was launched and averaged over 1000 people in Sunday worship attendance. Rev. John Lin served as the initial pastor of the Downtown congregation. Two other Redeemer churches—East Side and West Side—were also launched in 2012.
In May of 2017, Redeemer’s three congregations—East Side, West Side, and Downtown—officially became their own individual churches while still remaining one corporation with some shared ministries. On July 1, 2017, Redeemer’s founder, Dr. Timothy Keller, officially stepped down as Sr. Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and was named Pastor Emeritus.
In the fall of 2022, Pete Nicholas became the Senior Pastor of Redeemer Downtown. We are grateful for how God has worked through our church in the past, and we are excited and hopeful about how God might use our history to continue to witness to the reality of his gracious kingdom established in Jesus Christ.
