Relevancy in Ministry

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relevancy:
relation to the matter at hand    
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

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Why relevancy is important:

If you want to reach and teach people, you need to connect with where they are.  Relevancy motivates people.

Even Jesus made these kinds of connections with people.  He often used everyday, familiar objects or illustrations to communicate eternal truth.  He ministered to physical needs in a quest to help people spiritually.

What makes something relevant:

Synonymous with relevance are applicability and pertinence.  How does something apply to one’s life?  How is something important to one’s life?

To be relevant, somehow a connection must be made between where people are and where you want to take them or what you want to teach them.

How can we be relevant in ministry?

Certain realities do not change, like eternal truth based on who God is and His Word.  However, we can biblically find great flexibility in style, form, methodology, and structure that can enable us to be relevant without violating the Word of God.

• Make programs relevant by structuring according to needs, not simply because “we’ve always done it that way.”
• Make recruitment relevant by emphasizing the worth of people getting involved, not simply filling a position.
• Make presentations and meetings relevant by employing current technology, not simply doing what’s comfortable for the leader.
• Make truth relevant by tapping into people’s age level characteristics and needs, not simply applying a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Make lessons relevant by showing the implications and application of truth to students’ lives, not simply aiming for head knowledge.