I had a very insightful meeting this week with one of our outstanding Pastors. One particular topic in the meeting concerned the issue of “being relevant” in today’s changing world. My friend was wondering if he was getting too old to relate to today’s world and culture. If you are having similar thoughts, allow me to share some material that might be helpful to you.
Author Carey Nieuwohf says, “the best years for leaders who are able to communicate with the culture often seem to happen between forty-five and seventy-five”. That is great news for most of us. In his book, “Didn’t See It Coming”, he goes on to provide us with four insights and strategies that we can consider if we want to stay current. I’ll add a little commentary.
1. Love the mission more than the methods. To my ministers and laity in Delmarva-DC, don’t ever forget why God called you and what He called you to do. Your joy in ministry will be surrounded by doing what God has called you to do, not what people always expect you to do. Sometimes we get so busy with the mundane issues of ministry, we lose track of what business we are really in. There are two great questions that effective CEO’s often ask: (1) What business are you in? And, (2) How is business? That would be good for us to consider as well. Your methods should provide you the most effective platform to effectively accomplish your mission. Be willing to change your methods. Just don’t change your mission!
2. Get Radical (incremental change maybe too little, too late). To define, being radical is “relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.” The Bible is full of radical people like this. We preachers often use the word “faith” when describing them. The lady whose daughter was vexed by a devil (Matthew 15:21-28); the woman with a blood disorder (Luke 8:40-48); even Jesus Himself challenged the fundamental nature of His culture by meeting with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:7). Don’t be afraid to act upon what God is leading you to do. Those who God appoints; God anoints!
3. Become a student of culture. Do you know the demographic breakdown of your community? Do you have a good understanding of ethnic cultures other than you own? Are you social media friendly? Preach against it if you want, but all you will do is alienate those listeners who see it as a vital part of their life. If you don’t know what is influencing the daily lives of your target audience, chances are, you will never reach them with your message. Stay relevant by knowing those who God has called you to reach.
4. Surround yourself with young people. This one is related to #3 and it is so true! Stop complaining about losing young people if you aren’t interested in discovering why they are leaving. Discover what makes them “tick”. They have a voice; listen to it. Discover what they are interested in. Discover their passions. Give them ownership and a cause worthy to get involved in. God wants them in the game, not in the bleachers.
Here is the warning: Nieuwohf goes on to say, “if you don’t navigate these years well (45-75), these are also the years where irrelevance accelerates”. Your physical age has nothing to do with your ministry relevance. Choose to be your best regardless of your age. Some people are old at 18 and some people are young at 90!