Don’t be an 8-track tape church!

August 6, 2010

Leadership

Just a couple of years ago I was touring a church, and in one of the kids rooms, they had an 8-track player! This is what went off in my head, among the loud sounds of cranial laughter, HOLY CRAP! The leader said they didn’t have many kids. YOU THINK?

That takes me to the 4th Distinctive of the COMB Network… the church MUST be relevant to the community in which it’s planted! What? Relevant…

Relevant- If something is relevant to a situation or person, it is important or significant in that situation or to that person. (Collins Language)

In other words, the church must present and demonstrate the power and love of the… gospel with a method that is important and significant to those who come into contact with the church, and those who comprise its community.

If a church chooses a method to communicate the gospel in a way that doesn’t make the good news important, or significant to them, then that church becomes…

Irrelevant- not connected with the matter in hand. (Collins Language)

It’s quite simple. If a church is relevant to their community, the church will be important, and significant. Which means it will grow and have impact in the community.

If a church is irrelevant, it is only significant to those “in it”, it is not important to the community, therefore it doesn’t grow, and has no impact. It will die a horrible death!

Don’t be an 8-track church! Open your eyes and see what is important and significant to your community, then share & show the gospel in that context!

About artie: I'm the lead Pastor at Cornerstone, a Multi-Ethnic church in the heart of Orangeburg, South Carolina. Also the founder of the Comb Network.com, a movement to plant Multi-Ethnic, culturally relevant churches in smaller cities. I direct a gathering of small city leader called "The Sticks."

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Cleve Walker

I believe relevance is important in the church ministries and in the way believers live out their Christianity. This is the gist of what the apostle Paul meant when he talked about being all things to all men that he might win some to the Faith. That being said, it is important that the desire to be relevant is not motivated by a fear of not being cool with society. That kind of relevance will lead to the church avoiding offense to the point of avoiding the “Offense of the Cross”. When that happens we will lose the distinctiveness that makes the Body “salt and light” in a society that is pressuring everyone to march in lock step down the path of lawlessness and immorality. We must accept the fact that when it comes down to it the world system will hate us even as it hated our Master.
http://twitter.com/artiedavis/status/12226724527865856/ Artie Davis (@artiedavis) (@artiedavis)

Don’t be an 8-track tape church! http://is.gd/hXqGS
http://twitter.com/drmattphd/status/12330533316984839/ Dr. Matthew Smith (@drmattphd)

RT @ArtieDavis: Don’t be an 8-track tape church! http://is.gd/hXqGS
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