Should Cultural Relevance Matter In The Church Today?

I mentioned in my last post that i would write down some of my thoughts on cultural relevance in the Church today. So here they are, you may not agree with everything! And that’s completely fine, i would love you to tell me your thoughts also because i am really interested in this topic…

If we take a walk up the high street, we walk past places such as Starbucks, Pizza Hut, PC World, and HMV. As we look in these shops we see queues of people waiting in line to buy the things that bring them joy, or at least the things they think will bring them joy. And while all these things may be very different, they all have something in common. They all attract a very wide variety of people. They are all culturally relevant. If Starbucks didn’t use their smart, swish advertising and marketing, then they wouldn’t gain half the amount of customers they have over the past few years. Because of their style, it has become cool to walk around with a Starbuck’s cup, if they only had the really nice drinks, but awful marketing then they would not sell half as much, which is sad because there will be many coffee makers out there with amazing coffee, but due to awful marketing, will sell next to none.

If PC World were still selling PC’s from 1995, and only Nintendo 64 games, it is doubtful that they would be still doing such a roaring trade. Yet they regularly update their stocks, to stock the things people look for; they regularly change the look of their shop, etc.

In this world today, as sad as it may be, people like to see what they are getting. The rule of not judging a book by its cover seems to have past away. If people see style, culture and care, put into their products then they will go for them, or at least try them out.

Many Churches now a days seem to have completely discounted themselves from the world. Scripture calls us to be ‘in the world, but not of it.’ Yet I think sometimes we go too much for the ‘not of it’ part! I believe that we need to remind ourselves that we are still called to be ‘In the world’. Church is first and foremost for God, to bring Glory to his name and to lift Him high. Secondly Church is about the people; it’s about the family of God coming together. But when we say the Family of God, we don’t just mean the 15 Families that have been coming to this Church for 10 years. But we mean everyone. We need to be striving to make our church accessible for outsiders, for non-church folk.

If we look at a church like Hillsong, most people who do not go to this Church would straight away say, ‘there is too much consumerism’, ‘It’s too much like a concert’, etc etc. And their opinions are not invalid because for many people not used to this style of doing things then this is exactly what Hillsong may look like. Yet somehow people love to go there. Thousands of people go all over the world to worship together at Hillsong. And the reason is, it is culturally relevant. People go to Hillsong Church, and it doesn’t feel unfamiliar. The marketing is not dissimilar to something they would pick up on the High Street, and the music is not unfamiliar to them, and it doesn’t take them back 15 years, or to their Childhood. It is a beautiful, fresh expression of worship.

Being culturally relevant does not mean our Church has to look like Hillsong, though they do a great job, there is still need for so many different styles of Churches. Starbucks is not for everyone, which is why there are franchises such as Costa Coffee, and Coffee Republic, which also do such a good trade. Please don’t misunderstand me; Church is definitely not about consumerism, and looking good. But In the world we live in now, it is no longer just word of mouth that brings people to our Church. When I look online at different Churches websites, if I come across a bad website, or a website that hasn’t been updated for a few months, then I click off if I’m honest, as I would with most other websites. Though each churches website may not be an accurate representation of their church, this is often how it comes across in the world today. I believe we need to strive to make our Church attractive so that people want come.

Obviously then, when they do come it is nothing to do with marketing, but it is then all about how we welcome them, and how honest and accessible our worship is for them to join in. But when we worship a creator God, in such a creative world. We need to make efforts to the best of our Abilities, to attract people, and show them that Church, and God mean so much to us that we strive do it well.

I am definitely not talking about every church, and I am definitely not saying every church should be trying to advertise like Starbucks, because for example an older generation would still prefer a more ‘traditional’ coffee shop, but even those coffee shops advertise in such a way that attracts that kind of customer.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this if you are reading; obviously it is something everyone may have a different view on. Thanks for reading.