| How to Apply Scripture Properly to the Promotion of the Church
The very center of everything that we know about God is His Word. The Bible is God's story of His creation and our part in it. Through His Word, God reveals some things about Himself, tells us about our position and purpose in His creation, and details how we might interact with Him, past, present and future. A Christ-follower believes the Bible was authored by God working through men over a long period, is complete in all respects, and is without error.
The Bible, then, as the central teaching and knowledge element of our faith, plays a role in every area of the church and her ministries, including promotion and communications. Our application of the Word in the practical day-to-day aspects of ministry will say much about how we perceive its importance and interpret its teachings. How, then, should we present and apply God's Word in church communications?
Study. You will not be able to use the Word properly if you are not studying the Word regularly. I'm constantly amazed that many church staff and lay leaders spend very little concentrated time in the Word daily, or even weekly. I would recommend at least an hour daily in Bible study as a great start. Whenever I meet a great Bible teacher or preacher, I ask how much time they spend in the Word preparing to teach or preach. Usually it's 30-40 hours a week--one hour for each minute they are teaching. The value of studying the Word cannot be overestimated.
Begin. Start your promotional or communications effort with the Word and in the Word. Far too often we come up with a great plan or idea, a theme, series or event, and then two hours into planning, after we've "roughed in" all the major stuff, we obligingly open our Bibles to "look up" a verse that fits. I know this happens all the time, because I get emails from communications staffers at churches nearly every week that start out, "I'm looking for a verse to go with this thing we're doing..." We have our plan, we just need God to bless it now.
Flip this scenario and instead plant your communication efforts solidly in the Word. Let the Word drive not only the direction and teaching in your church, but how you communicate that teaching. Let scripture be the central element that you want people to grasp. Ask of a passage, "How can we best present this verse, accurately and in context, so that people will know it and apply it consistently and with great enthusiasm?"
Frame. The great temptation, and most unfortunate form of miscommunication in the North American evangelical church today, is taking scripture out of context. When we lift a verse or passage in the Bible to use in our promotion and theming, without framing it properly within its given context, we are mis-quoting God and misdirecting people. I'm especially sensitive to flipping among various translations to "find one that fits" a given situation--this is simply wrong.
I'm a great believer in the average person's capacity to "get it" when it comes to God if we are honest and straightforward with our use of scripture. People don't need "The Message" in order to understand the Bible. We do them a disservice if we dumb-down what we are saying because it doesn't sound good or make sense in a particular context. Helping others know and understand the Word is part of the job of a church communicator. If it looks hard, then dig in and think it through instead of citing a vague reference. Nobody said the Bible would be easy--and "making it easy" does not necessarily lead to a result that Christ would intend or bless.
Focus. The focus of God's Word is not us. The focus of God's Word is God. We live in a "me"-centric culture, so it's natural to put out messages that focus on us and try to attach a scripture to it. If we look at the Bible with an eye first to "how this applies to us," we'll find ourselves stretching to answer the question at times. Instead, focus on "what is revealed about God in this verse?"
Our goal in using scripture in promotion is not initially to help people apply it to their lives. It's to help them know more about God. Knowing more about God leads us to application--actions and changes in our lives as we conform more to the image of Christ. When we focus on God, then people leave our worship services, our Bible classes, our events and programs knowing more about God. If we focus on applying the Bible to our lives, we leave these same activities focused on ourselves. Which of these two methods, do you think, will most help people grow in the knowledge and image of Christ?
Separate. As a promotional element, I believe scripture is best separated from our themes and embellishments. I tend to not "lift a phrase" from scripture and make it a theme, though occasionally I will use a single word from the Bible as a theme. I always want to place a complete verse with that theme by way of foundation and explanation.
Separating scripture does two things. First, it gives it greater weight and importance. It lets the reader or viewer know that we have respect for the Word and want them to have respect for it as well. It is set apart, Holy, spoken by God, revered and we treat it as such. Second, it allows the reader to take in the scripture without it being clouded or overshadowed by something we've created. Sometimes church program and event themes and promotion seem to almost shout over the top of scripture--"Hey, look at me! I'm a cool graphic! I look like the latest Abercrombie ad!"
Believe. God says His Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). I honestly don't think most church leaders believe this. God will use His Word to draw people to Himself, to instruct in righteousness, to discipline, and to correct (2 Timothy 3:16). The Word existed before us (John 1:1) and is not dependent upon men to "make it work".
Frankly, the more I study the Word, the more I realize why we don't believe it--it's utterly fantastic, filled with radical statements and commands. We tell people that an all-powerful God sent His Sopn to earth, allowed people to kill Him, that He rose from the dead, and because of this, we can know God, be called His sons, and be heirs to heaven when we die? Really, that just sounds crazy to some people when you say it. But it comes down to this: do we really believe This Book, the Bible? Do we honestly, at our core, think this is the Truth?
Trust the Word. Believe that it is actually what God said. Believe that everything happened just as the Bible said, and that everything will happen just as the Bible says. Believe that Jesus is Who He says He is--the way, the truth and the life--and that "no one comes to the Father but though [Him]". Believe that if science or philosophy or talk shows say otherwise, then they are in disagreement with the very foundation of our faith, and they are simply misguided and wrong.
If you have faith in Christ, then likewise have faith in His Word--they are one in the same. Treat them as such, and you'll find scripture taking a more prominent, effective and trustworthy role in your promotional efforts. The Word is not a tack-on, a collection of ancient teachings we must somehow "make relevant" today. The Bible is the jumping-off point for every facet of our faith, and we do it a disservice when we fail to trust in God to bless His Word as He said He would.
About the Author. Eugene L. Mason has more than two decades of experience in ministry communications and technologies. More...
Copyright Eugene L. Mason. All rights reserved.
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