It is for the sake of reaching these least-reached, unevangelized populations that Global Gates is on mission, and it is in relation to reaching these least-reached ethno-linguistic people groups that the term ‘global gateway cities’ must be understood. Translated into the 21st century, then, ‘the ends of the earth’ refers to the world’s least reached people groups, particularly those language communities and populations who have yet to receive the good news of Christ’s salvation. In both instances, ‘the ends of the earth’ refers, not so much to geographical designation, as to those peoples that had not yet received the gospel, and to whom Christ was sending his disciples with the gospel. Let’s begin.įirst, let’s examine ‘the ends of the earth.’ This is a theological term that derives from Christ’s Great Commission words in Matthew 28:20 (“…and lo I will be with you always, even to the ends of the earth.”) and more particularly in Acts 1:8 (“…you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”).

This means we must add ‘the ends of the earth’ as a fourth component to unpack and clarify our definition of ‘global gateway cities’. So ‘global gateway cities’ are a means to reaching the ends of the earth, and not an end in themselves. ‘Global gateway cities’ derive their definition and value from their relationship to ‘reaching the ends of the earth’. Global Gates’ vision is: reaching the ends of the earth, through global gateway cities. What are the key elements that constitute a “global gateway city”?ĭespite the temptation to begin with the three constituent words: 1) global, 2) gateway, and 3) city – it’s better that we take one step further back, to put this three-word term into its broader context, a context we can obtain by looking at Global Gates’ vision statement. But that can also be a problem, since few cities have all the bells and whistles of a New York City. Global Gates began using the designation with New York City, and few could argue that – however we define it – New York City fits the bill.

Definition global city