I ran across a great article at Church Relevance citing some cautions and encouragements for preachers by Mars Hill Church’s Mark Driscoll.
I personally like the wrap up at the end of the article below:
“In summary, keep God first and do everything you can to effectively and relevantly communicate the timeless message of the gospel and scripture to the unique audiences you are called to reach”
Peace!
Filed under: Christian, General, I Wonder, Relevant Christian, Revolutionary
Don’t Loose Authenticity
According to many post-modern Christian leaders, in order to affectively reach the post-modern generation churches will need to “Think Outside The Church-Box”.
Exactly what that means is anyones guess. There are many schools of thought on that and many different methods that may work very well.
What you have to be careful of is to not try too hard to be “cool and relevant” and lose the authenticity that today’s generation is looking for.
A Marketing Lesson
Unilever’s Dove brand (soaps, lotions, etc.) launched a global marketing strategy called “Campaign for Real Beauty.”
The marketing campaign includes images of not-so-model-like women with a variety of features (older woman with gray hair, freckled girl, and a “generously proportioned woman” recruited from everyday America). At first glance the campaign seems a little odd because it doesn’t fit with your typical beauty commercials or ads. After a while, you realize these women are your neighbors, your friends, and your community. (read the whole article here)
What’s The Point?
The point here is to Be Real. Don’t sacrifice authenticity for cool.
Who Are You (or Your Church) Reaching?
Who are you reaching? What does your congregation look like? Who is on your MySpace friends list?
Tell us what you or your church is doing to Think Outside The “Church-Box”!
