Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture? [Paperback]

Tim Stevens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

Whether you're a regular attender, a leader, or have yet to step foot in a church, you may have questions about church that aren't being answered. How can the church remain relevant while communicating the unchanging integrity of God's truth? Author Tim Stevens makes an inspiring case for leveraging pop culture to reach out to people in the language of their lives. He offers a new perspective that gives relevance and impact to the church by using pop culture meeting people in the real world with words, sounds and images that speak to them. He encourages us to get out of our comfort zones and look people in the eyes, meeting them wherever they are, relating to their problems and society's challenges--even celebrating pop culture, where there are exciting signs of spiritual seeking. Pop Goes the Church will open your mind to church in a way that breaks down walls, engages the culture and speaks to a generation that needs to hear good news.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In thirty years of ministry, I have never stopped believing that the local church is the hope of the world. It is my driving passion to help leaders get this, and to help them find tools to do church more effectively. Pop Goes the Church should be read by every pastor, church leader, and layperson who wants to connect people to Jesus but is finding it hard to be heard in our media-saturated culture. Some authors have suggested we should give up on the local church. Stevens, however, is making the case that a local church can be transformational in its community. He doesn't stop with theory, but gives practical how-tos and examples from churches of all sizes and styles. Pop Goes the Church is sure to become very useful for a new generation of leaders. it will compel animated conversations in conference rooms and living rooms across the world as leaders everywhere wrestle with how to leverage pop culture in and through the local church. --BILL HYBELS, Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

Contemporary doesn't equal revolutionary. Revolutionary change is what's needed for churches to survive and thrive. Pop Goes the Church provides a curve-jumping, revolution-starting approach to changing churches, so read it and make the world a better place. --GUY KAWASAKI, Managing Director, Garage Technology Ventures, Author, Art of the Start

Stevens writes with a sense of urgency that will inspire your ministry to an authentic and relevant presentation of God's transforming Word. --STEVE GROESCHEL, Senior Pastor, LifeChurch.tv

About the Author

Tim Stevens is the author of four church-resource-related books, including his Simply Strategic series. He has also published articles in several publications including Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox, REV Magazine, Collide Magazine, and Pastors.com, as well as writing his blog, LeadingSmart.com, with more than 1200 subscribers and 8000+ unique visitors each month. He is one of the founders of WiredChurches.com, whose mission is to equip churches for future generations. Tim is the executive pastor at Granger Community Church where he has assisted in the church's growth from 400 to more than 4000 in weekly attendance, and he has been in full-time ministry for over 20 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Power Publishing (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979017491
• ISBN-13: 978-0979017490
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #866,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book On Church and Culture, April 9, 2008

By 

Henry Judy (SW Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture? (Paperback)

All of the Guys at Granger are awesome. Tony Morgan is now gone and down with Perry Noble at New Spring. Tony is one of the most gifted and awesome individuals around. But Tim Stevens is the Executive Pastor at Granger Community Church. They are one of the most innovative and fastest growing churches in America. They have done it by bringing the message of Jesus Christ to culture and presenting it in a most creative manner without sacrificing the timeless truths of Scripture.

I have just finished reading Tim's new book "Pop Goes The Church." I got to tell you it rocked my world. Never have I read a book that I cant wait to read again, this time with a notebook, highlighter, and a pen. See, being a new church in SW Florida we live in an area with a multi-cultural mindset. We have the seasonal retirees that come down for the winter, we have the fastest growing university in Florida with FGCU. We have a large Hispanic ethics group. We have a lot of service workers. We have alot of families from Gen Xers to late Baby Boomers and that is Life Point Churches target. 78% of the people in this area are de-churched or unchurched.

So LPC really wants to rock this area by spreading the message of Jesus all over SW Florida but particularly being culturally relevant to our specific demographic. Now everybody wants to be culturally relevant. Everybody wants to be the church that reaches all the unchurched. The problem is nobody seems to have a grasp on just how to do that in a manner that can be demographic specific.

Until Tim Stevens came along and wrote this book. Tim has written THE KEY BOOK on relating church to the culture so that culture can relate to the church. The Chapter called "Lets Get Started" is really a playbook. Tim breaks down exactly what you need to do in order to be culturally relevant for YOUR CHURCH. The great thing about this chapter is that a small brand new church plant running 35 people can uses these steps as well as a mega church running 5,000 per weekend. In this chapter alone e brings to light somethings I have taken for granted. One of those things where after you read the information you say: " I KNEW that."

For example, he writes that the starting points are:

1: Start Slowly

2: Provide Exposure

3: Lead From The Middle

4: Become A Pop Culture Expert

5: Don't Condem The Art

6: Dont Worry About Being Original

Tim even gives us the names of current magazines to help us relate to culture as well as several churches that are doing it. The interviews with these pastors about culture is awesome.

I am telling you, I read alot of books and have read virtually everything written about church planting and todays culture and this book is at the top of the list. You need to order this book and dvour it if you are the least bit series about reaching culture and the unchurched and de-church.

I am telling go buy this book!!!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and biblical book on building bridges to truth, April 5, 2008

By 

Laurence T. Baxter "Step Up to the Call" (Indiana USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture? (Paperback)

Tim Stevens presents a strong case for the importance (and opportunity) of leveraging popular culture for building a bridge between those who see church as irrelevant and anti-culture, and the eternal message of redemption in Christ.

He begins with the problem of the church, so evident to those on the outside but a complete blind spot to many well-intentioned Christians whose focus has turned completely inward. Though not a theologian, Tim gives some strong biblical examples and principles to support engaging our culture, meeting people where they're at and sharing the good news - not in a watered-down diluted message but with the whole truth of the gospel.

The book also describes many examples of how his church and others have intentionally used music, movies and TV shows known to their audience to make a connection, and demonstrate that the questions they're asking are ones addressed by Christ and His church. It falls short of providing explicit help in 'how to' - but the sense is that creative people in the church with an outward focus will come up with their own ideas if just given permission to do so.

One of the most interesting parts of the book was an allegory of how five churches respond to a big pop culture event in their city. Churches may choose to condemn the culture, separate from it, embrace it, ignore it, or they may choose to leverage pop culture while staying focused on the Word of God and providing inspirational services that are relevant to the community as well as the church. The author presents a compelling case to leverage. Sadly, many pastors and churches will condemn and ignore this book, some will embrace it as rationalization for their watered down message. This book is not for them (and its tone may not even allow some to get past the first chapter). But for those who have been wondering why attendance in their church has been dwindling for years, why there are no members under the age of thirty, or those trying to understand how they become more culturally relevant while staying true to the gospel, this book is a must-read. [review first posted on 'Step Up to the Call' blog]

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Polarizing read, July 16, 2009

By 

Jeremy Blasongame "JB" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture? (Paperback)

This is a polarizing book. You either love what it says or you don't. But even if you don't, it challenges how you think about why you do ministry the way you do it, why you have created the church culture that you have, and why you make the decisions you do. It forces you to recognize some of the assumptions you bring to the table on how (you think) ministry and church should be done, which is why I gave it 4 stars.