Your sermons aren't relevant

The youth minister was just being honest. He was explaining why the teenagers haven't been in the service regularly. "They don't think your sermons are relevant," he said.

What's new. I felt the same way when I was a teenager, only the words "relevant" and "irrelevant" weren't in my vocabularly. But my parents didn't give me the choice of skipping the service. They didn't side with me like so many parents do today.

I can't stand the whole "relevancy" criticism. It is the easiest, laziest complaint there is. Every pastor I know wants to be relevant! The trouble is discerning what's relevant to everybody. Besides, the Word of God IS relevant no matter what we think about the sermon. While we could always apply the Word better than we do, sometimes I think the problem isn't relevancy but expectations.

Anyway, the criticism stuck. No one wants to be told their sermons are irrelevant. It's a little deflating because you have worked hard preparing those sermons. It's a little hurtful because you love those students. Its a little exacerbating because here is yet another group in the church you cannot please.

What good things can I take away from this revelation?

1. It is good to know what the students are thinking and feeling even if I don't like it. Maybe I can address this with them sometime, ask them what "relevant' means to them, show them I'm willing to listen and learn from what they have to say. Maybe they will learn from something I have to say.

2. It is good to cause me to evaluate my preaching. Do I preach with life-change in mind? Do I preach for transformation and not just information? Do I work as hard at applying the text as I do at explaining the text? Am I keeping my flock in mind, not in order to please them, but in order to reach their hearts? Have I forgotten certain segments of the congregation? Have I fallen into a rut? Etc.

3. It is good for me spiritually to hear criticism instead of avoiding it or hiding my head in the sand. God means to use the criticism we receive as pastors for our sanctification. All kinds of sinful emotions and attitudes lie dormant until we are criticized. Some of the complaints are true and reveal how willing I am to listen and change. Some of the complaints are wrong and reveal how willing we are to forgive and and show grace. My response could manifest pride and we know God resists the proud.

As with everything else, humility is the way to move forward. Receiving criticism as from the Lord rather than from teenagers. Lord, help me to do this.