Culturally Relevant Mission

“Culturally relevant mission”- that is one of five core values that identifies who the Vineyard is and where or how we are investing our time, energy, and money.

This core value seems rather simple and non-threatening. What could be so difficult and significant about this “being culturally relevant” as we go about the mission of Christ?

Missional Relevance and the Local Church

Relevance has been a buzzword in churches for the last couple of decades. To some it implies doing whatever it takes to culturally express the message of Jesus. To others it has negative connotations such as "watering down the Bible" or creating "church-lite". A few years ago I read an actual church advertisement in our local paper that blasted what it called worldly churches. Word-for-word it read:

In the article, “Exploring Core Vineyard Values,” Vineyard USA Online, Winter 2008, Ken Wilson explained that, “We are called to bring the gospel of the kingdom to every nook and cranny of creation, faithfully translating the message of Jesus in language and forms that are relevant to diverse peoples and cultures.”

Consumers have changed their buying habits. Nowadays, people use the internet to buy almost everything. When was the last time you used the yellow pages or the newspaper to buy something? The new way to buy is through the internet. That is why everybody is spending thousands of dollars on internet advertising. But there are those who continue to advertise their business in the yellow pages or the newspapers while at the same time filing for bankruptcy. Why? Because they are not adjusting to the new ways of our culture.