About Us

Our <span style="color:var(--secondary-color-bg)">History</span>

Our History

City Line Church was originally formed out of Renewal Presbyterian Church (previously the English Ministry of Emmanuel Church) in West Philadelphia. The Lord worked in the hearts of multiple individuals clearly pointing towards planting a new church. Pastor Steve Kim faithfully spearheaded the project, supported by a launch team of twelve. Pastor Steve became the church planter and first pastor at City Line Church. 

The church began in 2004 as a church plant and later became an established church with its own leadership team of installed elders in November of 2008. Pastor Jason Hsu served as the second pastor of City Line from 2013 to 2023. City Line grew and matured under Pastor Jason's wise leadership. Pastor Jason received a new pastoral call and Pastor Ryan Egli became the pastor of City Line Church at the end of 2023. 

Our Values

City Line Church has three core values. These values are embedded in everything we do and everything we are. Our values drive how we operate and practice life together as a community of Jesus. 

Worship

Worship

  Worship: that glorifies God and centers on Christ, helps people experience God where they are at, is skillful and creative, leverages the power of habits and rituals, unites the community, is led by the community, engages and redeems all of who we are, engages and grows all of how we relate to God, honors the past and enjoys the present, and enhances our longing for a fully redeemed future.

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Community

Community

  Community: that is characterized by diversity and inclusivity in Christ, supporting and serving one another, doing life together, carrying each other’s burdens, knowing and being known with intention and spiritual depth, and with structures that support the organic development of relationships. 

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Mission

Mission

 Mission: that is a response to God’s ongoing redemption of all things, and is done in our neighborhoods and around the world through word and deed with our partners and as our own community, informally as individuals, equipped and supported by the church and formally as a church organization, through awareness, prayer, finances, and volunteer participation, and done programmatically and relationally.  

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Our Vision

There are many ways to cast a vision for a church. Our vision centers around three words that together paint a picture of the kind of church we hope to more and more – by God’s grace – become.

Inviting.

TO BE A PEOPLE WHO ARE INVITING, AND A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE FEEL INVITED.  

Our God is an inviting God. So much so that he would enter our world in human flesh. Jesus “contextualized” himself within human history so that humanity could really and personally know him. He inhabited himself with us. So great was his invitation! 

As a church we want to extend the invitation of our God. We want to help people know him! 

And this means not only helping people feel welcomed within our community, but also making sure that what we do as a community is accessible and intelligible.

BELONGING.  

TO GROW IN OUR BELONGING TO GOD AND TO ONE ANOTHER.  

God as Trinity is community – three distinct persons in perfect unity and belonging to one another. And so as a church – a body of Christ – we long to reflect that belonging in our community. 

We experience belonging when we serve one another and others together, when we know and are being known as friends, and when we grow spiritually through that friendship. This kind of belonging is not easy; it requires attention and initiative, and both from the church structure and individuals. 

But this desire for belonging is not unique to the church. As a place of belonging, City Line aims to become a taste of God’s Kingdom for those around us who are longing for deeper community.

WONDERING.  

TO GROW IN OUR WONDER ABOUT, AND OUR WONDER AT, GOD.  

The Christian life is a constant upward spiral of faith and repentance. Everyone, no matter where they might be in their faith journey, comes to a point of wondering about God and what he might be doing. But God is faithful; he doesn’t leave us at wondering about him. Instead, he responds and acts in our lives, and leads us from wondering about him to wondering at him… to worship him! 

Our vision is to become a place where we can all bring our wonderings. And this means not being afraid of questions. Sometimes we want to avoid talking about “spiritual stuff” because that might be offensive or difficult. But that doesn’t help people wonder. And other times, the temptation is to feel like we have to have all the answers. But that doesn’t free people to wonder.  

Our vision, then, is to be a place where we can all wonder about God together, and then wonder at him as he responds to us with his grace and power.