Relevant?!

I have been participating in a D.Min. Class at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary all week entitled “Leadership in the Emerging Church.” Although I’ve much to think about in response to the whole class, this morning we discussed the question of relevance, specifically asking: how do we define relevance in an ecclesial context.

What does it mean for us (i.e. the church) to be relevant?

Although we didn’t spend much time discussing it, the question was akin to an atomic bomb going off in my psyche. The real issue, of course, is who defines and measures our relevance? I’d posit that we, in the church, have wrongly allowed society to do that.

We’ve allowed individuals (both inside the church and outside of it) to determine what it means to be relevant when, instead, let me suggest God ought to be doing that.

I’m not suggesting that the likes/dislikes/needs/etc. of the people in our churches and communities are unimportant; I’m suggesting that often they are misguided and poorly discerned. Might it be that God has a better idea of what we really need (etc.)?! Might it be that, if we were to allow God to define what relevance is, our ministry would actually be more “successful?” (Of course, “success” may need to be redefined as well!)

I think so.

I think that maybe, just maybe, our sovereign God has a better idea of what it means for the church to be relevant in people’s lives than we do. Sure, this will lead to some people (even some of us in “leadership”) not getting what what we want when we want it. Oh well.

Theocentrism, what an amazing idea! Do you think the church is ready for it?

Grace and Peace,
`tim