Quick Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with Relevant magazine. I like it and its website this is a different discussion.
It's an ongoing joke with me now. This idea of being relevant. Like most other things it started out as a great idea. In fact there are some who are still doing it but not its more of a catch all word that has been prostituted out in so many ways that nobody is actually clear what it means, what it represents or what it is all about. They simply know that if they use it, if it is said with enough conviction and at the right moment, people will nod their approval. "We want to be relevant to teens so we have after school basketball." "We want our preaching to be relevant so we use...." "We want a young youth pastor, someone who knows teens and is able to be relevant." "Come to Relevant" "We need things to be relevant for our kids." "We like the youth service for our kids because the preaching in the adult service isn't relevant to what they're going through." "I'm just looking for a place where what happens is relevant to who I am and want to be."We want our kids to encounter Christ in a relevant environment." And so it follows the trend of words that once meant something specific: seeker sensitive, traditional,contemporary, family friendly, community aware,evangelistic, purpose driven, irresistible influencers....relevant. Okay, so maybe it isn't quite that bad but its heading that way. And that's all I have to say about that.
3 comments:
Clever title. And relevant.
:)
A solid point, indeed. To be relevant - in the way we have seen it most often in the church - has been a rather grand game of chasing our tail. You never quite get out from under being just a little behind. You learn to speak in an entirely new fashion and suddenly newer linguistic fads make you feel old. You latch onto this sound and another comes along to trump it. All you are often left with is the message. And perhaps that's not an entirely bad thing.
A solid point, indeed. To be relevant - in the way we have seen it most often in the church - has been a rather grand game of chasing our tail. You never quite get out from under being just a little behind. You learn to speak in an entirely new fashion and suddenly newer linguistic fads make you feel old. You latch onto this sound and another comes along to trump it. All you are often left with is the message. And perhaps that's not an entirely bad thing.
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