ORLANDO — Jim Turney of Raleigh won the coveted Most Relevant Pastor in America 2005 prize at a ceremony in November.
“It’s fun to be recognized, but the glory goes up,” he said, gesturing with the same hand in which he held his standard Starbucks double-shot vanilla latte — the one he takes with him to the pulpit on Sunday mornings.
Hundreds of pastors nominated by their churches for the award milled around the Hilton hotel lobby, standing in line at half a dozen coffee carts and swapping tips on which movie clips they are using lately as sermon illustrations. A knot of pastors stood in one corner and compared BlackBerries.
“Being with all these other relevant pastors is like being among family,” said Cole Jenkins of Jackson, Mich.
Judges noted that Turney carefully selects the popular songs and TV shows to refer to in his sermons, and often preaches with his iPod earbuds draped around his neck. They gave him a 10 for Casual Demeanor and a 9 for Relevant References.
“The guy is in full relating mode with his congregation,” said one judge. “He’s completely dialed in.”
The slightly less relevant runners-up didn’t seem to mind missing the prize.
“We’re all relevant, and that’s what matters,” said one. •
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