Here’s a helpful article posted at Stephen Alttrogge’s The Blazing Center blog, on helping you become a relevant pastor:
“Ah, relevance. That holy grail of pastoral ministry. The relevant pastor is up on the latest movies, in on the latest trends, and speaks the language of the streets. He brings life to every party and puts a smile on every face. People can relate to a relevant pastor…because he’s relevant. See how that works?
“How can you grow in relevance? How can you change from being ‘Mr. Boring Pastor’ to ‘Mr. Kick Butt and Take Names Because I’m So Relevant Pastor’?
Let me give you a few suggestions.
Get a Tattoo or Piercing
“One week you’re a plain, middle-aged, accountant-like pastor who wears Dockers and makes out like a bandit at J.C. Penney sales. You like preaching from the genealogies at the beginning of 1 Chronicles. You prefer singing hymns with no accompaniment. Then you get a tribal tattoo snaking up your arm and metal studs in your ears. Suddenly, you’re a brash, hip, relevant pastor who also could be the lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys. Now you preach from the Song of Solomon and create clever sermon titles such as ‘Fifty Sheets of Grace.’ The only downside to this option is your monthly hair gel expense triples.
Increase Your Movie-to-Bible References in Your Sermon
“A sermon on the Beatitudes is great. A sermon on the Beatitudes that also includes a complete dissection of Breaking Bad, the phrase, ‘Jedi mind tricks,’ and a complete recreation of the fight scene in A Princess Bride is really, really relevant. If you really want to be relevant, only reference obscure documentaries that nobody has seen. That’s the Inverse Law of Movie Relevance. The more obscure the movie, the more relevant you become. To ensure maximum relevance, only watch documentaries that have been given 1 star on Netflix.
Give Your Church a Name that Also Could Work for a Snowboard Company
“The name of your church will determine the type of people who come to your church. This principle is spelled out clearly in Proverbs, where it says, ‘If you build it, they will come.’ First Church Of Clarksville attracts those who get excited by a bowl of Raisin Bran. Element Blaze church attracts young people who are on the bleeding edge of fashion, style and trendiness. The one downside of attracting young people is they have no money. So, plan on doing a lot of fundraising at First Church of Clarksville.” (Click here to read the full article.)