DON’T BORE. BE RELEVANT. BUT DON’T LEAVE OUT GOD

I’ve seen it before – a preacher tries so hard to be culturally relevant that he leaves out God. After the message, everyone walks away spiritually empty, not touched by the power of Christ.

By all means, connect with your audience. Be relevant. Shape the message so that it is meaningful. Build the communication bridge. Boring messages that teach and never connect are why so many people never go to church. Just remember – cultural relevance is not the destination; it is a bridge to the destination – Christ-likeness. 

Here’s something to know about preachers who communicate with cultural relevance (“the people hear them gladly”) AND who seem to be used by God to bring about life transformation. When you hear them and see the results, you may think, “Hey, that looks easy.” What you don’t see is the hidden life preparation that precedes the public presentation. The power of God’s Word transforms the preacher before it transforms the listener. 

Rockbridge Seminary students who have taken the online seminary course “Preaching/Teaching for Life Change” will benefit from hearing Matt Chandler talk about this. Matt is Senior Pastor of The Village Church in Dallas – a relevant preacher whose messages transform lives. The first video clip below is an interview – “Advice for preachers.” The second is an illustration he gives on how a relevant message can be built without the transforming power of God. 

The Emerging Seminary Student

Matt Chandler, Pastor of The Village Church (Dallas), shared blog thoughts recently about the importance of seminary. If anyone thinks that the topic of seminary education no longer interests anyone, take a look at the blog comments that followed. 

Matt’s comments are on target … Seminary can be important, but is not necessary … New paradigm churches like The Village Church are more concerned about how well a person is equipped than how many degrees he has earned … Seminary offers a process of learning that has the structure and forces the discipline that is difficult for most ministers to maintain on their own.

The emerging seminary student

What I don’t see in Matt’s comments is the broader discussion about ministry development, the focus of a new type of seminary student that has captured my attention. 

The emerging seminary student that I see on the horizon:

1. Already has life and ministry experience, a sense of God’s call, and the need to find a learning partner. 
2. Comes to the classroom with perspective, questions, focus, and learning readiness.
3. Wants to integrate the “academic” with the “practical” and apply what is learned immediately. 
4. Is already thinking strategically about ministry. 
5. Is ready to engage and participate in the learning process rather than sit back passively and be taught.  
6. Thrives in a learning community.