This document discusses how churches can balance being culturally relevant while maintaining biblical integrity. It presents opposing views on whether churches should try to be as culturally relevant as possible or focus on being authentic over popularity. The document also discusses appropriate ways for churches to engage culture through missions, hospitality events, and preaching styles while avoiding endorsing sinful practices. It emphasizes the importance of qualified leadership, biblical teaching, fellowship, and caring for those in need.

1. Church and Relevance
UNIT 1

2. Bell Work
• Think back to the gospel group slides.
• Imagine: Your friend asks, "what must I do to be saved?" "How do I
get right with God?"
• How would you respond? (3-5 sentences; use at least one Scripture)

3. 1st Memory Verse
1 Corinthians 15: 3-4: For what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that
he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the
Scriptures

4. Fallacy of the Week

5. HOW RELEVANT SHOULD THE CHURCH BE?
Forget about Being Culturally Relevant
… Be Real
"Chasing cultural relevance reminds me of an
episode from the old TV sitcom Third Rock from
the Sun, in which the aliens tried to blend in
with earth culture by doing what was
popular. They watched only the highest-rated
TV shows, wore the best-selling clothes, ate at
the biggest chain restaurants, etc. They didn’t do
what they enjoyed, only what was popular. As a
result, they became bland and bored. By the end
of the episode they decided that being
themselves was better than blending in. Trying
to be culturally relevant is turning the church
into followers instead of leaders. Jesus didn’t
care about being relevant to his culture." - Karl
Vators
Be as Culturally-Relevant as Possible
(without sinning)
"The world needs Jesus, and the very people we
want to reach with the gospel are involved in
social media—especially those in the youngest
generations. They’re tweeting. They’re
Facebooking. They’re Instagramming. We can’t
expect a lost world to come to our turf on our
terms to hear our message. We must actively
engage them with the hope that is in us." -
Brandon Cox

6. Should a church use all (permissible) means necessary
to bring people into the church (entertainment,
alcoholic beverages, secular music, kid's playground,
cuss words, etc.)?

8. 1999+

12. Church and Relevance – Secular Music
Eminem
Kendrick
Taylor Swift
Pink
Journey
Tom Petty
Michael Jackson

13. Church and Relevance – Cussing from Pulpit
• MARK DRISCOLL
• He once articulated how the church has
transformed Jesus into “a Richard
Simmons, hippie, queer Christ,” a
“neutered and limp-wristed popular Sky
Fairy of pop culture that . . . would never
talk about sin or send anyone to hell.”

14. Church and Relevance - Missions

16. Alcohol and Cigars

17. Avoiding Hot Topics From Pulpit
• “A lot of churches are about what they are against; we are about what
we are for … we have a stance on love, and we have conversations (not
from pulpit) about everything else.” Carl Lentz (Hillsong NY)

18. Playground, Smoke, and
Flashy Lights?

21. Church and Culture
CHURCH (Ekklesia) – The “called out ones” are “called together.”
Hebrews 10:19-25 - Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to
enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living
way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his
flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our
hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to
stir up one another to love and good works,25 not neglecting to meet
together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all
the more as you see the Day drawing near.
FLOCK, SHEEP, TEMPLE, BRIDE
POINT: SUNDAY MORNING IS PRIMARILY FOR BELIEVERS, NOT
UNBELIEVERS
DISCIPLESHIP = PRIME GOAL
EVANGELISM HAPPENS BETWEEN SERVICES

22. ULTIMATE AUDIENCE? Jesus or Culture
Necessary Ingredients for a Church
• Qualified Elders (1 Peter 5:1-4, 1st Timothy 3:1-15, Titus 1:5-9, Titus
2:1-2, 6-8)
• Preaching/Teaching/Prayer/Fellowship/Generosity/Evangelism
Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (3) and to
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was
filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the
apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in
common (4). 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone
who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the
temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with
glad and sincere hearts (4), 47 praising God (3) and enjoying the favor of
all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved (5).
• Member Participation - 1st Corinthians 12-14
• Lord’s Supper/Baptism - Romans 6:1-2, 1st Corinthians 11
• Redemptive Discipline – Matthew 18

23. 2 Timothy 4
• 3 For the time will come when
people will not put up with sound
doctrine. Instead, to suit their own
desires, they will gather around them
a great number of teachers to say
what their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will turn their ears away from
the truth and turn aside to myths.
• NUMBERS DO NOT NECESSARILY =
SUCCESS

24. PRO-
RELEVANCY
SCRIPTURES
TAKE PLACE OUTSIDE OF THE WEEKLY GATHERING (EXCEPT FOR TEACHING ANALOGIES)
• Acts 17:22-31 - Paul quotes the stoics, epicureans, and other philosophers on
Mars Hill to relate to the crowd. He does this in order to advance the
proclamation of the gospel.
• Sources > Extract Truth From Error > Gospel
• 1st Corinthians 9:19-23 - Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made
myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became
like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the
law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the
law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I
am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not
having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all
things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all
this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
• Relevancy = Removal of stumbling blocks
• Acts 16 – Paul circumcises Timothy
Point: There are few, if any, relevancy charges for the weekly gatherings. The NT
gatherings were small groups of believers. When growth happened, the church
typically sought to reproduce itself in order to further the gospel (Acts 13).

25. Culture usually happens organically
(embrace cultural fluctuations).
BE HOSPITABLE TO THOSE WITHIN A
CONGREGATION
Ephesians 2:19-22.
Consequently, you are no longer
foreigners and strangers, but fellow
citizens with God’s people and also
members of his household, 20 built
on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, with Christ Jesus
himself as the chief cornerstone. 21
In him the whole building is joined
together and rises to become a holy
temple in the Lord. 22 And in him
you too are being built together to
become a dwelling in which God
lives by his Spirit.

26. Service Proposal
• Public Reading of Scripture
• Worship (edifies/relevant to the entire
congregation)
• Announcements/Offering
• 20 Minute Message (doctrine, pedagogy,
prayer-saturated)
• Intergenerational Table
Reflection/Prayer – Practical Takeaways
• Lord’s Supper
• Optional Sunday School (based upon
need/interest of members … finances,
end times, marriage, worldview, etc.)

27. Contextually Wise

28. LECRAE/SWAY
IN THE
MORNING
Between Service Relevance (Contextualization)

29. What about?
Secular Music –
Ecclesia (Phil 4:8)
Cussing - Expository Preaching
Pub - Context-Driven Hospitality

31. What about?
Secular Music –
Ecclesia (Phil 4:8)
Cussing - Expository Preaching
Pub - Context-Driven Hospitality

32. Budgeting for Relevance
• Here's a rough breakdown of how
Lakewood Church uses that 90 million
dollar budget:
• Weekly services and programs: $31.7
million
• Night of Hope events: $6.7 million
• TV ministry: $25.1 million
• General and administrative: $11.5
million
• Fundraising: $11.9 million
• Mission and outreach: $1.2 million

33. Stewardship of Funds
• Acts 4:33-35 – Help those in need
• Acts 6:1 – Remember the widows
• Galatians 2:10 – Remember the poor
• 1 Timothy 5 – Giving Aid
• Acts 11:29 – Help other churches that are
struggling
• Galatians 6:10 – Outreach
• Acts 13:2-3 – Missionaries, planting other works
• 1 Timothy 5:17-18 – Teaching elders

34. Invest
• Invest heavily into:
• The Poor
• Widows
• Hospitability (culture that God brings to your church)
• Elders/leadership
• Mission/outreach (between the gatherings)
• Relevant Outreach
• Do everything permissible to reach all kinds of
people (beer with neighbor, carnival, etc.)
• Invest less into:
• Building Non-Essentials
• Entertainment
• Flashiness
• 1st Corinthians 2:1-5
• And so it was with me, brothers and sisters.
When I came to you, I did not come with
eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed
to you the testimony about God.a 2For I
resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came
to you in weakness with great fear and
trembling. 4My message and my preaching
were not with wise and persuasive words, but
with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,5so
that your faith might not rest on human
wisdom, but on God’s power.