Church Relevancy

David Putman in his book, Breaking the Discipleship Code gave a great statement to being relevant.

Being relevant is about meeting people where they are, right in the middle of their needs. If I am hungry and you feed me, you are relevant. If I am lonely and you visit me, you are relevant. If I am sick and you heal me, you are relevant. If I am in grief and you comfort me, you are relevant. If my marriage is hopeless and you give me hope, you are relevant. Living and loving like Jesus will make us relevant.

At realHope we are very come as you are. But I’m afraid some churches have made relevancy all about how cool or hyped-up their church is. I enjoy the relax, casual, come as your culture that exist at realHope. I think it is important for those outside searching that they have a place that will accept them ‘as is’ and allow them to explore their faith. But we can not miss the opportunity for true relevancy. The kind that shows right up in your face. The kind that says, I want to belong, so please now show me you want me to belong. I have had the unprivileged opportunity to serve in churches where they have missed the need in front of them, well let’s be honest, ignored the need, and become completely irrelevant. Too many times I’ve been guilty myself.

The local church is the greatest tool of bringing hope to the world but I also believe in many cases it has become the most single force that as put up barriers to people living and loving like Jesus. And many churches have sacrificed church growth because they were too busy caught up in the next program that was suppose to make them grow instead of looking in the faces and needs of people that Jesus brought to them. I wonder how large some of our Christian Churches in North Carolina would be if they would begin to grasp and understand true church relevancy.