Reading “church” books on vacation usually doesn’t happen for me. When I take time off it’s usually a time for me to decompress and get away from anything related to “church stuff.” But I needed something to read on the plane last week so I picked up a copy of Pop Goes The Church.
It didn’t really tell me anything new, but it did reinforce why we do the things we do at NHC. Here are some of my favorite thoughts…
• “Church people wrongly assume that those who don’t go to church are not spiritual.”
• “The multiplex is the modern market for ideas and values. It is shaping us, whether we like it or not.”
• “60% of Americans who do not attend churches get their theology from movies and music.”
• “Every church makes a choice in how to respond to the pop culture, and the choice it makes determines how much of an impact it will have on it community.”
• Possible responses: Condemn the culture. Separate from the culture. Embrace the culture. Ignore the culture. Leverage the culture.
• “I think much of what is available in the Christian market is cheesy and lacks authenticity.”
• “The reason people do not come to church is that they don’t think there is anything you are going to offer that will help them.”
• “Teaching on a topic that meets the needs of your people is not only biblical; it is following the example of Jesus.”
• There are three components for planning effective services that have the potential to impact lives: relevant topic…cultural theme…biblical truth.
• “We do not care whether what we do is original or not – we just care if it works.”
Like I said, I didn't walk away from the book with anything new. BUT...it did reaffirm what we are doing and just solidified my commitment to remaining culturally relevant in all we do. So, if you'd like a good primer on culturally relevant ministry or just need a good refresher course, I would recommend the book!
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