February 3, 2008

“DNA: Our Core Personality”

“Cultural Relevance”
Introduction

This morning we move into the second group of our core values. For the past few weeks
we have explored our foundational values – fellowship, Bible Study, service, evangelism,
and worship. We’ve said that these values are:

• Foundational – They are the foundation upon which our ministry rests.
• Non-negotiable – These values must be present in any Biblical church.
• Personal – It is the task of our church to provide opportunities in each of these
areas, and it is the task of every individual to pursue these opportunities.

So now that we have laid the foundation, it’s time to begin building upon it. The final
five values differ from the first five. While the first five represent core practices of our
church, the final five represent our core personality. They are what make us distinct,
unique. We share the first five with every church in town (at least we should!) But we
will differ with every church in town on the next five. We have a different personality
from Temple, or Main Street, or First Pres, or Parkway Heights. That’s because just like
each person in this room has distinctive DNA, each church has its own DNA.

Look around this room. Take a moment to notice all of the distinctive characteristics that
each of us display. Tall, short, hairy, balding, eye color, big feet, etc… The list could go
on and on. Wouldn’t it be boring if we were all the same?

Churches, too, are different. They have unique personalities. That’s not bad. Rick
Warren says, “It takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people.” Churches are
not supposed to all be the same. They are supposed to be different.

The task of the Strategic Leadership Team was to discover those values that define our
distinctiveness. Again, they did not decide what these values would be. Nor did they
name their own favorites. As they discussed their observations of the FBC church
family, they pointed out the distinctive values that are already most strong in our church.
There are five of them.

• We value Cultural Relevance.

• We value Family.
• We value Lost People.
• We value Missions.
• We value Prayer.
Let’s begin with “Cultural Relevance”.

What in the world is cultural relevance, and why did the Strategic Leadership Team say
that we value it? (Only “family” and “lost people” received a higher rating.) Let’s break
the phrase down to try to understand it.

Culture

Ask, “What is culture? When I talk about a ‘culture’, what does that mean?”

Webster defines culture as: cul·ture [kuhl-cher] noun, verb, -tured, -tur·ing.

• the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age

group: the youth culture; the drug culture.

Culture describes the behaviors and beliefs of the particular group. Name some
components of a culture. What are some things that characterize a culture? (Language,
dress, customs, food, values, priorities, etc…)

Have ever traveled in another culture? What cultural differences did you notice?
Examples:

• Africa – People are very friendly and warm.

• South America – No one worries about time. Meetings don’t begin when they’re
supposed to begin – they begin when folks get there, which may be two hours
late!
• Caribbean – “Don’t worry – be happy!”

Was the food the same as in America? What about the language? In what other ways
were the cultures different?

Here’s the point: Different groups of people have very different cultures!

“True or False? There is one culture in America – ‘American culture’”. FALSE! There
are many cultures in America. In fact, there are many cultures in Hattiesburg.

There are different ethnic cultures here:

• Caucasian
• African-American
• Hispanic
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These differ in language, values, approach to spiritual things, etc…

There are different generational cultures here.. The chart presents a common breakdown
of the generations.

Notice how the different names given to each generation describe how they differ
culturally. (There is a TREMENDOUS amount of material on this subject available, both
online and in books. One great resource is The Barna Group, a Christian group. Go to
the following link for more info:
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=22

The point is that there are very distinctive cultures with very distinctive characteristics
that respond to very different things!

There are also very different spiritual cultures.

• Traditional church – Churches that have changed little methodologically in the
past decades
• Emerging church – Churches that are exploring new ways of reaching the new
cultures
• Atheistic (Ranging from silent to militant)
• Spiritual Seekers – This is actually a very large group. Survey after survey
reveals that over 90% of Americans are interested in spiritual things (though that
does not necessarily translate to interest in Biblical Christianity or the Church).

So how is the Church to respond to an ever-changing cultural landscape? (Barna

observes that culture reinvents itself every 3-5 years!) There are several options.

We can Oppose/Fight Against Culture.

Some churches choose to battle culture. They speak out, strongly and loudly, against the
worldliness they see around them. (An extreme example is the Westboro Baptist Church
of Topeka, KS. They protest around the country – on college campuses, at events, even
at the funerals of soldiers – against homosexuality, abortion, etc… They operate
websites such as www.GodHatesAmerican.com. You may remember their visit to USM
a couple of years ago.)

What do you see as the ‘positives and negatives’ to this response to culture?

There are some positives here. These churches take a strong stand against sin. They are
not afraid to speak truth. But there are some negatives as well. Their vocal stand is most
often interpreted as “hate” speech. Very few come to faith in Christ as a result of their
ministries. They tend to be strong on condemnation and weak on grace. In that way they
are not very Christlike.

We can Embrace our Culture.

Instead of fighting against culture, some churches swing to the other extreme – they
wholeheartedly embrace our culture. They adopt as truth whatever is the cultural norm.
You are probably aware of the controversy happening in several denominations right now
concerning the ordination of homosexuals to the ministry/priesthood. Churches that
embrace culture tend to trade Biblical truth for the sake of “fitting in” with the world. On
the positive side they are often involved in social ministries (feeding the poor, sheltering
homeless, etc…) but often present a very watered-down version of the gospel.

We can Isolate Ourselves from Culture.

Churches that isolate themselves have a “Fort Apache” mentality. “We’re out here in the
middle of ‘Indian country’. We’ve got to be careful or the bad guys will get us! We only
watch Christian TV shows. We only listen to Christian music. We only go to church-
sponsored events. We don’t go to movies or play cards or listen to the radio. We don’t
have friends who aren’t Christians.”

Again, some pros and cons. It is certainly true that we can be affected by our
environment. If I spend all my time in an ungodly environment with ungodly people, that
will have an impact on me. But on the other hand, if I work to avoid lost people, how
will I ever minister to them? How will they ever find out about Christ?

We can Engage Culture.

This approach finds some middle (and I think Biblical) ground. It is not embracing
culture, but neither is it battling against it or avoiding it. It is having a “conversation”
with the world, in which we earn the right to be heard. It is listening to the thoughts and
fears and questions (and even criticisms) of the world, so that we can respond in a
thoughtful manner. It is showing concern for the things that concern my lost friend
(where appropriate) and not just for “church stuff”. It is finding some common ground
where we listen with compassion and speak the truth in love.

Turn to I Chronicles 12:23ff. This is a listing of the warriors coming to David’s aid from
each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Read verse 23-31. Notice how these men are described –
“armed for battle”; “brave warriors”; “famous in their own clans”. These guys were the
real deal! Navy Seal types!

But look at the next verse, verse 32 – “the men of Issachar”. How are they described?
“Men who understood the times…”. That’s a very different description. What do you
think it means?

These were men who saw the big picture. They were chiefs who had a broad perspective.
And because they understood the times, they “knew what Israel should do”. Their “big
picture” thinking allowed them to break free of conventional thinking, properly assess the
challenge before them, and make decisions that led to victory.

That’s what we need today. We need churches that “understand the times”. We need
churches that understand the people they are trying to reach, that have a “big picture”
understanding of our changing culture, and are willing to use creative methods that will
effectively communicate to people within those cultures.

That takes us back to where we began. We’ve talked about “culture” – now let’s move
on to “relevance”.

Relevance

Ask, “Define the term ‘relevance’”.

Webster defines relevance as “relating to the matter at hand”. Wikipedia gives a good
description of relevance: “Relevance is a term used to describe how pertinent, connected,
or applicable some information is to a given matter.”

So?

Well, let me try to pull some of this together. Using the definitions/descriptions/info
given above: To be “culturally relevant” is to present the truth of Scripture in a way that
people outside of the church can relate to. It is to communicate truth in a way that they
can connect with. It is to teach the Bible in a way that is applicable to their situations. It
is not forcing people to adapt to “churchy” language, traditions, music, methods… It is
understanding the unchurched culture in such a way that we can present truth to people
without scaring them off or turning them off.

Suppose you are a missionary trying to reach a tribe in a rainforest somewhere in South
America. How would you do it? Would you build an elaborate building? Would you
wear a suit to church? Would you insist that they dress up to come to church? Would
you force the natives to sing from hymnals? Would you force them to English so they
could understand the sermons? Would you “pass the plate” every Sunday?
Of course not! You would adapt your ministry to fit their culture! That would be the
only way to effectively minister to them.

Here’s the point: At least 70% of Americans are unchurched. They do not live in a
“church culture”. If we want to “have a shot at reaching them”, then we must be willing
to adapt our ministry in such a way that it will be relevant to their lives.

Let me give you two reasons why this is so important.

First, there is a practical reason.

What is the opposite of being relevant? Being irrelevant! And that is the perception that
most unchurched people have about church. Now, if I think something is irrelevant, how
much time or energy do I usually give it? None!

How many men spend a lot of time watching QVC or Home Shopping Network on TV?
(Probably not many.) Why? It does not connect with you. It does not apply to you. It
does not pertain to you. It’s irrelevant, it doesn’t matter, so you ignore it.

That’s how the majority of people in America (and Hattiesburg) perceive the Church.
Don’t believe me? Then why are 70% of the people in Hattiesburg not in church this
morning?

Ask, “What do you think the average guy on the street would give as his answer to why
he does not go to church? If he were really being honest?” (Boring! Predictable!
Doesn’t apply to me!)

Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago is fond of saying
that the Church is the best hope for our world. But if the world deems us as irrelevant we
will not even get a hearing from the people who need us most!

There’s also a Biblical reason for being culturally relevant – that’s what Jesus did!

Think about Jesus for a moment.

• How did He teach? He was creative. He told stories (often surprising,

occasionally shocking stories). He used visual aids. He did most of His teaching
outside the church (synagogue).
• What did He teach? He used the Old Testament, but in a very applicable way.
He taught about practical matters - $, relationships, possessions, work – topics
people could easily relate to.
 • Who did he teach? Not just “church folks”. (Most of them were angry with
Him!) He taught seekers of every shape and size – rich, poor, educated, illiterate,
very spiritual, very sinful.

Jesus was culturally relevant! He was not “anti-tradition”, as long as it did not prevent
people from following Him. When it did, He found a better way.

Closing

So how do we become a culturally relevant church? Let me read the explanation from
the “official” Core Values Statement from the Strategic Leadership Team.

We value Cultural Relevance.

We want to communicate to our culture in the most effective way possible. Therefore, we
are committed to understanding and engaging our culture by employing creative methods
that present Christ in a culturally relevant manner.

Two Closing Thoughts…

1. The Message never changes. Ask someone to quote John 3:16. That’s the
message. It never changes. It is eternal. It never, never, never, never, never
changes!

2. The Method does change. The way that we communicate the message must
change, or we will most certainly be deemed irrelevant and the world will pass us
by without ever stopping to hear the Message.

This is not about young people or old people.

This is not a watering down of the gospel.
This is about changing lives!
This is about putting aside some of our personal preferences so
that others might come to Christ.

To close, read Philippians 2:5-8, then close with the following prayer:

“Father, make us like Jesus, who was willing to give up His place in heaven, and engage
our culture, so that we might be saved. It is in His name we pray, Amen.”