Creating Relevant Environments by Andy Stanley - C3 Conference @ Fellowship Church
Intro: Knowing the
boundaries enhances the creative process.
I.
THE CHALLENGE OF RELEVANCE
A. Three
scenarios:
1. You’re
on the side of the road with a flat tire and someone pulls up behind you, pops up
his trunk and approaches you with a set of jumper cables…
2. The
previous week, you boss offered an optional seminar in the parking lot on
tire-changing techniques and roadside safety…
3. You’re
on the roadside with a flat tire at night, a car pulls up behind you, and out
jump three really big, scary-looking guys speaking a foreign language…
B. Three
Insights:
1. Information
that does not address your felt need is _________________ as irrelevant.
2. Information
that you aren’t convinced you will ever ____________ is perceived as
irrelevant.
3. Information
presented in a context that makes you feel uncomfortable ______________ from
the relevance of the information.
C. Three
requirements for relevance:
1. You’ve
got to be ___________________ of current felt needs.
2. You’ve
got to ____________________ people’s awareness of their unfelt needs.
What’s
the tension we need to create? What’s the question I want them to want me to
answer? How do I get them to beg me to answer the question I know they need
someone to answer?
3. You’ve
got to address their needs in a way they consider “______________.”
Remember:
To a man with a hammer, everything
looks like a nail.
In a church with a stationary
pulpit, everything looks like a sermon
In a classroom with rows of
chairs, everything looks like a lecture.
II.
ELEMENTS OF RELEVANT MINISTRY
A. ____________________
1. Context
determines _____________________.
2. Culture
and stage-of-life determine what is visually and audibly appealing.
The context of ministry should
be shaped by culture.
The context of ministry should
be tailored to your target audience.
3. There
is no one-size-fits-all ministry context.
CRITICAL
QUESTION:
Is
the context in which you do ministry appealing to your target audience?
WARGNING
An
appealing environment does not equate to relevant ministry. It is only one
element.
B. ____________________
1. Presentation
determines __________________.
2. It
is not enough to present truth.
·
Truth is always relevant, but…
·
Truth is not always perceived as relevant.
·
Our task is to present truth in such a way that
people are forced to recognize and ______________ the relevance.
·
It is a mistake to deliver content before you
have made your audience hungry for it.
3. Relevant
ministry requires _________________ presentations.
4. This
underscores the need for ___________________ in your presentations.
5. Use
creative elements to:
·
Engage the audience emotionally.
·
Challenge the audience theologically or
philosophically.
·
Connect the audience culturally.
·
Orient the audience intellectually.
CRITICAL
QUESTION:
Are
your presentations engaging?
WARNING:
An
engaging presentation does not equate to relevant ministry. It is only one
element.
C. ____________________
1. Content
determines ____________________.
2. The
content of ministry should be shaped by need.
·
Felt need
·
Hidden need
CRITICAL
QUESTION:
Is
your information helpful?
III.
WHY THE CHURCH ISN’T PERCEIVED AS RELEVANT.
A. Lazy
______________________
B. Fear
______________________
C. Bad
_______________________
D. Dead
______________________
Conclusion:
1. Churches
are not empty because they are propagating lies. They are empty because they
are not helpful. They are not helpful because they are not addressing real
needs in an engaging manner.
2. We
need to constantly evaluate our truth delivery systems.
3. If
not, we will continue to be marginalized.
4. Our
challenge is to help people feel the relevance of what we have to say.
Of every environment, program and
production, ask…
Is the context appealing?
Is the presentation engaging?
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