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Is the Church Relevant? It is a Matter of Perspective
If you had asked me when I was 25 why I did not go to church, I would likely have answered, “Why should I?” I had grown up totally un-churched and for me church was irrelevant.
At the age of 26, after three miscarriages, God became relevant. I discovered the one thing this type A over-achiever, success-oriented human being could not do – create life. It was out of utter desperation that I prayed my first prayer and I believe God answered in a miraculous way with the birth of my first child. I came to know a God whom I could not yet name. Church was still irrelevant.
I made a deal with God, it went something like this, “God, if you will give me a baby, I will commit to do whatever you want.” So, when my daughter was born, I assumed that going to church was what God expected. I fulfilled my end of the bargain and started going to church. When I got there I was so confused. I did not understand any of the language. I had never opened a bible before and did not even own one. I had no idea what a lectionary, liturgy or creed was. Church was still irrelevant.
Our very young and at the time on-the-cutting-edge pastor, recognized that as newbie’s to the faith, my husband and I needed more. So he formed the churches’ very first small group and wrapped us up in it. What I found in that small group of people was unconditional love and acceptance and through them was introduced to the Christ who was incarnate in them. They were not perfect people but they were people who truly wanted to love me and my husband with the love of Christ. Jesus became relevant but I was still not sure about this thing called “church.”
Within a year this totally un-churched girl who had yet to read the whole bible, who had never gone to Sunday School, who had no experience in ministry, found herself on staff at this loving little church as the small group coordinator. My job was to help others experience what I had experienced. I found my calling. The church was now relevant.
I wanted to help our little church become more relevant to other non-Christians so I started reading everything I could on church methodology and it was about that time that Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Church” came out and I discovered Willow Creek’s materials on being “seeker driven.” I thought that was what the church needed. It needed to be more “seeker oriented!” I thought I had found the answer. I went to California and to Chicago to conferences and believed I was helping make the church more relevant.
When we moved away from our little loving church, I went looking for a church that was “relevant” which for me now meant, “seeker sensitive.” We found the perfect one. It had video’s, a full rock band, amazing Children’s ministry, a women’s ministry with free childcare and the pastor was funny and told great stories. I ended up on the church staff and the church became one of the fasting growing churches in America. We watched the church go from 500 to over 8,000. I thought this church had it all figured out. It was very relevant.
Then something totally unexpected happened. With the collapse of Enron, my husband and I found ourselves in Richmond, Virginia, a place where the seeker movement had yet to take off. I thought it was some kind of cruel cosmic joke. I was Job and God let Satan take away my “relevant” expression of church and plopped me down in a place that felt spiritually dead to me. Once again church was “irrelevant.”
Once again I made a deal with God, I would move to Richmond but only if I got to go to seminary. It was in seminary that my perspective began to change. During all those years as a church-goer, relevance was about “me.” Did this expression of church “speak to me” or “do anything for me?” If it did not, I judged it “irrelevant.” However, as I immersed myself in the gospels, what I found was a very different measure of relevance. Jesus did not say, “I came to entertain the bored, inspire the complacent, bring riches to the hard working who pay their tithes.” No, Jesus said, “I came to proclaim good news to the poor, set the captives free and give sight to the blind.” (Luke 4:18) Relative to Jesus vision for the church, most of the churches I had ever been a part of were irrelevant.
So, I started hanging out with the poor, addicts, homeless, and abused – those on the margins of society. Not only was the church irrelevant to my new friends, it was also invisible. The only time they saw “church folks” was when they were giving handouts on the corner or reminding my friends that they were going to hell if they did not repent. The church was beyond irrelevant, it was abusive.
Then a weird thing happened. As I began hanging out with my new friends, we started to share our spiritual stories and I met some of the most spiritually enlightened people I know. I shared my dream of being relevant for God with them and they shared their dreams of being relevant with me and before I knew it – we weren’t just “dreaming” together, we were “doing” together. But, I still thought the church was irrelevant.
Over the past six months, I had an “ah ha” moment. I was sitting at one of our fellowship events, breaking bread with my more than 30 friends who now gather and serve together in our community, and I was listening to people sharing stories of how God was working in their lives, watching people love on each other, encouraging one another and I realized – this weird gathering of misfits who simply want to do God’s will had become my church. With this new perspective, I am starting to see “the church” in some unexpected places and I am more hopeful than ever about the future of the Church universal. The church became beyond relevant – it became Christ incarnate body in the world.
When my focus was on growing the church – I misunderstood “popularity” as “relevance.” Once I got Jesus Kingdom perspective, I learned to see the “real church” and it will always be relevant!
I have not given up on the inherited models of doing church. However, for those who want to be more relevant, my advice would be this – stop going to conferences and reading books about how to grow your church. Start hanging out in the margins with Jesus and just see what happens. I think walking like Jesus is the only way to make a church truly relevant.
Grateful for the sharing of your journey, Wendy. Serving in a seeker sensitive church provides challenge to my understanding of the gospel, which tends to look more like the island of misfit toys. How do we form communities of authenticity and reality within the confines of seeker church? Is it possible? I see glimpses, but too often, protectors arise and defame what is actually gospel incarnate. At it’s best, it is a glimpse of heaven. At it’s worst, well…Lord, help us, and more, help us receive your help, your vision, your love! Grateful for your ministry!
Hi Karen,
You are asking the million dollar question, “How do we form communities of authenticity within the confines of seeker church?” I asked a similar question of Kathy Escobar, “Can you be missional and attractional at the same time?” Her answer after trying it was that it can not be done. I don’t know what the final answer on this is but I have a theory. (See this post for more description – http://wendymccaig.com/2011/12/11/dream-teams-a-fresh-expression-of-embrace-richmond/)
I agree with Kathy that a church can not operate out of too different, opposing paradigms at the same time. However, I do believe we can create a “missional church” alongside an “attractional” church but you have to allow the two to exist as equals and not view “missional” as just another “attractional” technique.
You have asked a great question and have inspired me to wrestle with this a bit more which I will do in one of my next blog posts. Thanks for your great question and for contributing to the conversation!
Thanks for your insight, and for sharing the article on Dream Teams, Wendy. I’ve got Kathy Escobar’s book in a “to read” pile. Might have to move it up and see if she covers this at all. I haven’t seen seeker sensitive as “opposed” to missional, as we do emphasize a service aspect. I am concerned that’s we can slide into service being about me, and what I do, and how it makes me feel good, which isn’t all bad, but it does keep us from any systemic address, and from building community with folks we serve.
I’ll look forward to your future posts and reflections.
Blessings!
It is from the margins that many of us came to Christ. And then we ran as hard and as fast as we could to get to a place of security, safety – and should I say complacency – in the church. The margins are where God first spoke to us and called us. Why should we not return to them, not as a persons who have lost their way again, but as disciples of Jesus. People in the margins can hear with their hearts, not just their minds. When that happens real kingdom boundaries are expanded through the speaker and the hearer. I agree, books, studies, conferences, and endless theological speculations numb me to apathy. Everything I need to know to love and serve others I learned in the hour I first believed. And that happened while thrashing about in the painful subtleties of the margins. Relevance? The Church should abandon its pews and run to the streets to embrace its own beginnings – and those who are called to begin again.
John,
What an amazing insight, “it is from the margins that the church was born and we need to run back to the streets and embrace our own beginnings!” To find our future, we have to return to our past.
Like you, I can get completely disconnected from the faith when I spend too much time in my head analyzing it all.
Thanks for your contribution and your insight. This is something I will give further attention to.
This is beautiful Wendy. I like what you are doing with the word “relevant” here given the current church movement. Your definition is much more rooted in eternity. I just made a shift to an inner city church recently that is small and traditional, but doing some great work. Hopefully, we can show a different side of “relevant” over the next few years as well.
An awesome message. It put a lot of my doubts in perspective. I feel relevent after reading it. I try to please my church members when I don’t want to do things that are customs of the church. Its frowned upon if you wear pant, makeup,polished nails even earrings. I believe church is revelent., but i realize now it doesn’t have to be a building.
Wendy – thanks for your words. Here is what I posted on facebook this morning.
This morning Wendy’s writing encouraged me to not worry about not being part of the popular. So it seems relevant may be different than popular – and in fact many times may not be recognized.
http://wendymccaig.com/
See is the church relevant
Luke 6:46 46″Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Luke 10:24 NIV
For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Luke 8:10 NIV
He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ” ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
Wendy,
A friend received a call the Sunday before Christmas – and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.
It was a call from a Single Mom and her son he had met. Long story short – they had no place to stay. So what would you do if you met someone the Sunday before Christmas that had just become an acquantaince that had no place to stay? They have a place and are on their way to getting established.
Just a thought on relevance – or are we as a church scared to step out.
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your comment and for sharing the link on Facebook. As it relates to your single mom with no where to go, it would really depend on what kind of relationship I had with her. If it was someone I know, I would either pay for a hotel room or have her stay with me. I have done both but only when I had a relationship of some kind. I would also be her advocate and go with her to central intake and try to get her into the shelter as quickly as possible. We have found that people who have an advocate can move through the system with greater ease. Often our friends are too distraught and get so discouraged when they are told there is no room that they do not take the time to get on the waiting list or don’t check back after they do.
I am glad the family you mentioned is on their way to getting established. I know our current system is not perfect but I have seen that those who actually work that system do end up with opportunities they would not have had if they tried it on their own.
Thanks again for our comment!