Keeping it real?
I guess the big talking point in churchmanship these days is relevance to the “outside” world. I suppose we can get utterly fed up with hearing about everyone’s opinion on what makes a church relevant or not. But as it is, this is the historical context in which we are all engaged, being relevant is not some tool or program, it ought to be a natural neceesity for God’s people. Ed Stetzer gives us the run down of why cultural relevance is so important. It’s a good little article, i especially liked his comments on looking over the fence at the next guy’s church and mimicking him as if that will make us relevant:
“The alternative to this kind of passion is “community lust” and “demographic envy.” Lots of pastors are lusting for someone else’s community. They want a church that is culturally relevant to Los Angeles, Seattle, or New York even though they live in Des Moines, Iowa. But that’s not the answer.”
For us in SA, things are very different to the US or UK. And where we may find some useful models there, jumping on the Western Band Wagon of Church modelling, it may mean alienating our people not attracting them.
Hence most churches in SA that ‘jump on the Western Band Wagon’ end up with predominantly white congregations – even when the area they’re ministering in is demographically not predominantly white – hmmmmmm?
That’s the point isn’t it? Sometimes we can be so consumed by the latest international fad in that we are so engrossed in finding our Purpose, or exploring the ways in which God can extend our boundaries through an obscure prayer that we forget the first principle of missional work: understand YOUR context. If SA evangelism can gain a perspective of the realm in which it is to operate, i think we will see much more integration of the various races in church. It will be something that we can’t but help nor force, the Gospel will indigenize our churches.