By Jim Estep
In ministry, is it more important to be theologically correct or culturally relevant? Every congregation and Christian leader is confronted with this dilemma. Every theological tradition also is caught in the controversy. We all live in the tension between faithfulness to Scripture and relevance to the culture in which we minister . . . between being the church and doing the church’s mission.
On one side we shout, “Theologically correct ministry!” As Christian leaders, we obviously need to side with being theologically correct and aligned with Scripture. If not, we fail to heed the warning of Anglican churchman William Ralph Inge (1860–1954), who said, “The church that is married to the spirit of this age, becomes a widow in the next.” The church was not meant to be rooted in one generation or the current generation, but in Scripture. Without theological correctness, we fail to be what the church has to be. However, far too often we mistake tradition for Scripture and familiar pastoral approaches for biblical correctness.
“Culturally relevant ministry!” is the other option. As Christian leaders, we obviously desire a ministry that is attractive and compelling to those whom the church is endeavoring to reach and disciple. We are seeing the effects of being increasingly irrelevant to the culture with each successive generation in the 20th and 21st centuries. What could be more important than fulfilling the Great Commission in the most effective means possible? When the church is not culturally relevant, it fails to do what it has to do. Churches that are not aligned with Scripture become indistinguishable from other social organizations; they forget their identity as the church. However, far too often we mistake what’s relevant for contemporary or “fad-driven” methodologies that prove to be ill-fated for the church’s ministry.
Do these arguments sound familiar? Have you pondered the tension between what is theologically correct and what is culturally relevant? When e2 leaders share at events, speak with participants, or engage in church coaching, the tension is palpable. It is present in leaders’ reactions and questions.
THE SERMON
Let’s focus the matter on a practical subject: sermons. Do we want sermons to align with Scripture or be relevant to the hearer? Honestly, we want sermons to do both. It’s a matter of dual contexts. We study Scripture in its original context to determine the meaning and derive its message. But that’s not a sermon, it’s simply exegeting the passage. Next, we turn our attention to the other context, the hearer. We must also exegete the audience, identify points of application, and ascertain how the message of Scripture will most readily relate to their lives. A sermon is both exegesis and application; one without the other is virtually worthless.
It’s not a matter of being theologically correct or culturally relevant, it’s a matter of being both/and.
CHURCH MINISTRY
The same is true of the church’s ministry. We must be concerned and committed to scriptural alignment and cultural relevance; one without the other is incomplete and deters the effectiveness of the church. How do we move forward in the tension between Scripture and culture? Five principles may provide some direction:
• Embrace our theological core. As leaders, we need to engage the Scriptures and study them thoroughly for the purpose of articulating our beliefs. This is our identity, which rests on God’s Word. We need to study who we are biblically, theologically, and even historically in terms of our place within the Restoration Movement. However, do not confuse Scripture with church tradition or preferred methodology.
• Explore our context. Just as we need to study the Scriptures, we must also study the context in which we live. Consider purchasing a demographic study for your region, tailored to your congregation’s location, as a first step to learning more about your audience. Studies provided by agencies like perceptgroup.com are invaluable in “exegeting” your community.
• Apply godly wisdom to the needs and issues of your church and community. Allow the design of ministry to reflect the matters relevant to the generations comprising the church and community in which you minister. Apply the 2,000-plus years of Christian wisdom, based on Scripture, to supply the godly response to the relevant matters.
• Focus on people, relationships, and families . . . “soft” structures. Ministry that helps the church become God’s family, his bride, his people will focus on relations comprising the church. Such a ministry will treat people like people, and work to strengthen and facilitate fellowship, using Scripture to explain the shape of a godly relationship.
• Recognize “worship” cannot do it all. Far too often the tension between Scripture (actually tradition) and culture (usually generational preferences) occurs in the worship service. It shouldn’t. Worship is for the believer, not the nonbeliever. Worship is, by nature, oriented on God and the message of his Word and must be intergenerational. We must remember that ministry is more than the worship service. Worship is not designed to go deep theologically, nor is it to be suitable for only one generation. That’s why we need worship plus small groups, support groups, mentors, Bible studies, community ministries, seminars . . . to provide targeted outreach and cultural engagement as well as the ability for spiritual depth and focus where needed.
Living in the tension between our commitments to Scripture and culture can either destroy us or make us stronger together. While some people value theological correctness and others cultural relevance, let’s strive to facilitate a theologically informed, culturally relevant ministry.
Jim Estep serves as vice president of academics with Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri, and as event director with e2: effective elders.
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