Fanny Pack's and Sweater Vests

So I’m super stoked because I got to wear a new pair of shoes that I got for Christmas today. I know it’s not Christmas yet, but me and my wife exchange gifts early. They’re Steve Madden’s, which I highly endorse and wear. And I am a little bias, but they’re sweet, cool, and any other adjective you’d like to throw out there. But as I stare down at them I begin to wonder why do I really care about what kind of shoe’s I wear? I mean I do love shoes, but there has got to be a deeper reason. And there is—I want to dress in a way that doesn’t look outdated, disconnected, dorky, and irrelevant. I work with teenagers and the last thing I need working against me is irrelevance, right? I want to be relevant. And for whatever reason I believe that my shoes might help me in that pursuit. But as I think about relevance and the importance or unimportance of it I automatically think about the local church. I’ve seen many things done in the name of relevance that make sense and that cause cultural laughter. I’ve also seen many ministries sacrifice many essentials and sound truth in pursuit of being “cool” or progressive. Don’t get me wrong I’m the one buying Steve Madden’s to appear to be relevant to teenagers, so I don’t necessarily disagree with engaging culture in a relevant way, but at what cost? What I’ve seen in leadership and I strongly believe is that we in the church are pretty good at preoccupying ourselves with things that tend to drift us away from the “main thing”. I guess for me it is trying to live in the tension of when it matters to be relevant and when it doesn’t. And I’m pretty sure Jesus has some very glaring examples and ways of life that would be “relevant” to this discussion.

Does the local church need to buy sweet Steve Madden’s to help their image to the culture and society around them? Does relevance matter? And can there be a marriage between cultural relevance and biblical faithfulness? Can the church be irrelevant to culture and be highly effective in reaching cities, communities, and families for Christ? What could relevance look like beyond expensive sound equipment, cool architectural design, and highly produced services?

Dictionary.com / Relevance: applicability and pertinence.

Let’s Discuss.

Jeff

The Evolution of Angst

As a young Christian leader I've felt that I've been around many of my beloved peers who have an unbelievable amount of angst towards the Church. I have to admit there are many reasons why one would find themselves a little frustrated about certain realities of the condition of the Church. But what has become increasingly worrisome for myself is that those who live with such angst usually resort to one of two options to resolve it: leave the church (the institution) or go plant a church. It's almost like when you went to a friend's house and you brought the cool toy and whenever you weren't able to play with it as much as you wanted--you'd rip the toy out of your friend's hands and you'd take your toy and go home. It's almost as if the angst has taken many of my dear friends to a place of "I'm taking my toy and going home" and I may never come back. Or they resort to planting a church. Out of the many conversations I've had with friends who want to plant a church--there is only one individual who actually desired to plant a church due to the leading of God to do so. All of the others flowed out of their frustration with their local church and their great desire to find a good reason to leave. Scary you ask--very much so.

So what's up with the angst? When is it healthy? When is it lethal? Where is the line when it gets very close to resulting in bitterness?

Let's talk about the evolution of angst amonst young leaders.

Jeff