What Taylor Swift Can Teach Us About Evangelization
February 13, 2012 By
Hi, my name is Roy and I am and always have been a fan of Country Music.
Over the years I’ve seen many an artist come and go, from one hit wonders to others whose music production is prolific. Every once in a while someone will come along and challenge traditional assumptions about what “Country” music is. When I was a teenager, that person was Garth Brooks. Today it is Taylor Swift. Her popularity with the masses–not all of them teen girls–has confounded the country music establishment and left them begrudgingly bestowing upon her in the last few years a veritable truck load of the industry’s highest honors.
And while many, and perhaps most of who may be reading this, may not be a fan of Taylor, you cannot ignore the phenomenon of what she has accomplished and the following she has amassed at such a young age. We who minister to others can learn a thing or two from her. Now mind you, I’m not suggesting we strive to be “popular.” But we can and should always be working to deliver Christ’s timeless message in a way that resonates with the culture we live.
Over the years I’ve seen many an artist come and go, from one hit wonders to others whose music production is prolific. Every once in a while someone will come along and challenge traditional assumptions about what “Country” music is. When I was a teenager, that person was Garth Brooks. Today it is Taylor Swift. Her popularity with the masses–not all of them teen girls–has confounded the country music establishment and left them begrudgingly bestowing upon her in the last few years a veritable truck load of the industry’s highest honors.And while many, and perhaps most of who may be reading this, may not be a fan of Taylor, you cannot ignore the phenomenon of what she has accomplished and the following she has amassed at such a young age. We who minister to others can learn a thing or two from her. Now mind you, I’m not suggesting we strive to be “popular.” But we can and should always be working to deliver Christ’s timeless message in a way that resonates with the culture we live.
- Be real—Be yourself.
- Meet people where they are, not where you want them to be.
- Observe life, people (including yourself) and human nature closely. Try to understand what they really feel, what they hope for, what they long for (this really helps with the previous).
- Speak from your heart. It reveals your humanity. People are tired of talking, singing, preaching and commenting heads. They yearn to connect with the humanity, of others.
- Lean into your gifts. People “throw rocks at things that shine” but their negativity will fade. Be indifferent to the good opinion of others and do what God has put you here to do.
- Real life is spiritual—in the words of Tiellard De Jardin “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” We need to help people access spirituality amidst their everyday lives.
- Share your passion and your joy with others.
- Youth can manifest incredible wisdom. Our patronizing paradigms and pride interfere with us seeing and hearing God’s wisdom “out of the mouths of babes”
- Love is still a universal language. In a world which is becoming increasingly virtually connected, the masses lead lives of quiet isolation. People are starving for intimacy (to know and be known) and struggling to hope in lasting companionship.
- Don’t assume you know who your audience is. When you speak from your heart the people who are attracted to you and your message may surprise you.
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