Context Is King
If you were going to have breakfast for dinner tonight, would you choose pancakes or waffles? We can argue which tastes better, but when it comes to which allows for easier distribution of syrup, there’s no debate. Drop a tablespoon of syrup on a mound of pancakes and watch gravity work. However, drop a tablespoon of syrup on a waffle and watch it cluster in a few pockets.
Now you might be wondering why I’m talking about pancakes and waffles. Here’s why: Jesus calls us to spread the gospel all throughout the earth. Unfortunately, the gospel spreads more like syrup on a waffle.
The world isn’t flat. It’s divided into pockets – varied, uneven, and complex. Barriers like language, culture, lifestyle, socio-economic factors, geography, and age all create barriers that can hinder the gospel from spreading.
As a church planter, you need to understand the people and pockets that make up your community. It’s important to recognize the various worldviews represented in your neighborhood and to know how those worldviews affect how people relate to Jesus. Understanding this will help you contextualize your ministry and communicate the good news of Jesus in a way that resonates with the people you’re called to reach.
To assist you in better understanding your community, we’ve filled this newsletter with resources designed to helped you get to know your community better. Enjoy!
-Patrick Bradley, Director of Operations
October 2024 – Content
- Understanding What’s Important
- Contextualizing Your Preaching
- The Danger of Comparison
- Launch Stronger
Understanding What’s Important
Our world is changing and countries like our own are becoming more diverse. According to demographers, there will no longer be a majority race in the United States twenty-five years from now. That’s why it’s essential as church planters to understand how our communities are changing. The changing landscape will influence the types of churches we plant to reach future generations.
As a way to help planters start new churches that their communities need (and not the church that’s in their head), we offer resources like free demographic reports that are future predicting. Couple this demographics data with information you discover through conducting a Community Needs and Assets Assessment and you’ll be on your way to discovering what makes your community unique. After doing this research, compile your insights gained in a Community Profile Worksheet. This free template will help you discern how to best contextualize your ministry to reach the people who make up your community.
Contextualizing Your Preaching
The apostle Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill in Acts 17 is a perfect example of ministry contextualization. As Luke records in Acts 17:24-31, he doesn’t preach a canned sermon. He preaches a very specific sermon to engage his listeners, one that the Athenian philosophers could understand and relate to. According to Luke, Paul never quotes scripture, nor does he mention Jesus by name. Why? Because he was translating the gospel into language, appeals, and arguments that his audience could grasp and relate to.
People in your community are searching for answers to their deepest questions. God’s word has the answers. It’s our jobs as Christians to help them find those answers by showing them how Jesus is what they’re looking for. To learn more on how contextualization can improve your preaching read Bill Riedel’s blogpost The Hard Work of Contextualization.
The Dangers of Comparison
If you’re a church planter, God has called you to minister in a specific time and place. As one author puts it, “God is always doing something cosmically significant and locally specific through your church.” We agree. This is why it’s critical to seek God’s vision for your church and not copy someone else’s ministry. Just because it bore fruit in the church the next town over doesn’t mean it’s what’s best for your church.
You need to get the vision for your church from spending time with God. He’s the one who has led you to that community. He’s the one who’s gifted you and your leaders with unique gifts and passions which will affect how you can best represent Jesus in your area. It’s easy to follow the example of a church you admire, because it doesn’t require you to do the hard work of contextualization. However, we think that the hard work is worth it, and to help you see how contextualization brought clarity and relief to one church planter, read Josh Booker’s article Stop Comparing Your Church: Why Contextualization, Missiology, and Authenticity Matters.
Church Planter Boot Camp
There’s still time to register for our upcoming Church Planter Boot Camp. Part of our training will focus on the hard work of contextualization. Our training will guide you in exercises designed to help you better understand your target area and clarify your vision for saturating that area with the gospel.
Our new-and-improved boot camp combines online self-paced study and in-person instruction. The next boot camp is just around the corner, happening Nov 7th-9th in the Washington, D.C. area, but you can start your first online lesson today. Sign up now! Also, bring your spouse or teammates with you using our group discount.