Relevance and the church

A large percentage of Americans believe that the presence of a church is a good thing for a community. Half says the church is a "very favorable" thing in a community while another 30 percent says it's "somewhat favorable." But, what do they mean about favorable?

In Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You're Irrelevant and Extreme the authors report on a 2014 study commissioned by World Vision in Australia. A majority of people surveyed thought the church should be involved in issues such as protecting children and human rights. However only 25 percent of those responding thought being an active member of a church could help them with their spiritual lives or enhance their connection with the community. The authors concluded, "In other words, the value of a church is, for many, theoretical rather than personal. Church is good. For other people." The same attitude is prevalent among many Americans.

A critical challenge facing the church in America is demonstrating to people the relevance of the church and, even more importantly, the relevance of the Gospel. A large number of people believe we are answering questions no one is asking any longer. They view the church as out of touch with the culture as it exists today, and in many cases they are right.

One mistake some church leaders now make is they misunderstand what it means to be relevant. They think relevance is about having smoke machines and rock bands in their worship services and espresso machines in their lobbies. This is not what people want from the church. They want a church that is addressing real issues both in its teaching and in its actions.

The authors of the book studied churches in Scotland and found several factors that determined whether a church was growing or stagnant. One of those factors was that nine out of ten pastors of the growing churches said they taught from the Bible in a systematic or expository manner. Among the non-growing churches only a third of the pastors preached in that manner. When people are challenged with the Scriptures, they may not always agree with what is being taught, but it forces them to think through what they are hearing. When these biblically-based messages are addressing life as it is in the 21st century the church is well on its way to becoming relevant.

As important as sound teaching is, it is not enough. There must also be actions that correspond to the teaching. The church must show the world that it cares about people, even those with whom they may disagree. If a church takes a stand against abortion does it then offer alternatives? Does it have a ministry to support unwed mothers or families who would struggle supporting a child? Is it actively encouraging adoptions? What is the church doing to address the drug epidemic found in every community today? How does it embrace those whose lifestyles we may not agree with?

James taught us that "Faith without works is dead." There are many in our world today looking at the church's works. They want to see if our actions match our words. Until they do, those outside the church will not be interested in much of what we have to say.