Cross-Cultural Ministry

"The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian
Church.  Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission
is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."

The Salvation Army International Mission Statement

As a part of this international movement I not only see the internationalism of The Salvation Army expressed in various nations from a distance but up close through diverse cultural expressions in my own ministry context in Australia.  This creates a rich and complex cross-cultural mission field for me and my church.  

While I personally have a culturally diverse heritage, with Maltese blood and Italian and German grandparents, I am Australian born and was spiritually raised in an English speaking, mono-cultural church in a working-class suburb in Melbourne.  Yet, growing up, my best friend was Croatian and some of my class mates were from a Lebanese, Egyptian, Turkish and Greek background.

Our training as Salvation Army Officers was alongside an Indonesian cadet who trained with us in Melbourne. Our first appointment was in the Northern Territory where we engaged with the Indigenous community and hosted a number of YWAM discipleship training teams from south-east Asia and Europe.  Through successive appointments we have led short-term mission trips to Chiang Mai in Thailand, and Denpasar, Jakarta and Palu in Indonesia.  In our current appointment we have an active ministry to asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Egypt; conduct English classes for a diverse range of nationalities; participate in inter-faith dialogue with Pakistanis from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community; provide facilities for local Christian Indian prayer groups; and have a large multi-cultural volunteer base.

It is any wonder that God has birthed within us a passion for cross-cultural ministry!  However, despite our passion, how do we effectively lead and minister in this space?

Most of our cross-cultural ministry has been accidental, providing us with steep learning curves that have demanded far more intentional responses.  Our growing awareness of other cultures has led both me and my wife into formal learning pathways to educate and equip us to navigate this culturally diverse ministry landscape.

Recently, I was asked to make a presentation to our Growing Healthy Corps group about some cross-cultural ministry insights we have learned along the way.  We are far from experts and feel at times we have little clue about what we are doing in a very complex and fluid environment.  Nevertheless, our journey so far has instilled within us four fundamental beliefs and three missional convictions about cross-cultural ministry.

Cross-Cultural Ministry - 4 Fundamental Beliefs

1. The Creator reveals Himself to ALL humankind (Romans 1:20)
2. God's desire is for ALL to be saved (2 Peter 3:9)
3. Holy Spirit is preparing hearts for salvation (John 16:7-15)
4. Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation (Acts 4:12)

These four fundamental beliefs enable me to interact with different cultures and other faiths from a different position than from my evangelical upbringing.  First, we don't need to take God anywhere, He is already present, providing all people with a partial revelation of the Creator God through His creation.  Second, no culture or religion is outside of the scope of God's salvation.  Third, Holy Spirit is at work long before us, therefore, our role is to 'join in on a conversation that has already begun.'  Finally, a full revelation of God can only be seen through Jesus Christ.

Cross-Cultural Ministry - 3 Missional Convictions

The Apostle Paul's interaction with the men of Athens (Acts 17:16-34) has given form to my fundamental beliefs by providing a biblical framework that has produced my missional convictions about cross-cultural ministry:

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. (Acts 17:16-17)

Conviction #1 - Look for where God is already present

"Cross-cultural witnesses need to look for such indications of God's prior working in whatever societies they go to and work in continuity with them."

Charles H. Kraft, Anthropology for Christian Witness

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. (Acts 17:22-23) 

Conviction #2 - Listen for gaps in their revelation of God

"As we work with the people, we need to find out what kinds of questions they are asking for which they are unable to find answers within their culture."

Charles H. Kraft, Anthropology for Christian Witness

 

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:26-28)

Conviction #3 - Learn how to share a revelation of Jesus

"It is very significant to me that Jesus was a storyteller.  

We westerners are sermonizers, and there is a big difference between the effectiveness of a storytold message and a sermonized message."

Charles H. Kraft, Anthropology for Christian Witness

These three missional convictions are not only a three step process for sharing the gospel in a cross-cultural context but in any context.  They create a posture of looking, listening and learning that fosters what Clark Pinnock calls a dialogical relationship, which is foundational to effective cross-cultural ministry.

"We should watch for whatever Spirit may be teaching and doing among them.  This posture creates the possibility of a dialogical relationship.  We can enter into the faith of others and acknowledge truths and values found there.  These are our fellow human beings, seeking truth as we are.  God is reaching out, and people are responding.  So let us watch for points of contact and bridges of communication." - Clark H. Pinnock, Flame of Love

Paul personified a dialogical relationship with the men of Athens that enabled him to recognise where God was at work, identify a gap in their knowledge and evoke from them a relational response, "We want to hear you again on this subject" (Acts 17:32).  The result?  "Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed."

This has completely changed my approach to evangelism in all contexts, especially cross-culturally!  As a cross-cultural minister I should maintain the attitude of a fellow learner who is also on a faith journey.  As a cross-cultural minister I need to tune into the universal work of the Spirit and share it's unique expression in Jesus Christ.  As a cross-cultural minister my role is to join in on a conversation that has already begun.  

"We have to say both yes and no to other religions.  On the one hand, we should accept any spiritual depth and truth in them.  On the other hand, we must reject darkness and error and at the very least see other faiths as insufficient apart from fulfilment in Christ.  The key is to hold fast to two truths:  the universal operations of grace and the uniqueness of its manifestation in Jesus Christ." - Clark H. Pinnock, Flame of Love

Descendant Of An Asylum Seeker

For anybody who observes my ministry, follows me on social media or engages with my blog, you would know how passionate I am about asylum seekers and refugees.  There is something that stirs deep within me when I see vulnerable people being treated unjustly regardless of their culture or circumstances.  I resonate strongly with Jesus' prophetic declaration recorded in Luke 4:18-19:  "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."  This is not surprising given that God has called me to be a part of The Salvation Army whose primary mission is to the poor and marginalised.

In my current ministry appointment I have been given the privilege of connecting with a number of asylum seeker families for whom we continue to provide practical and spiritual support.  Through this personal interaction I have been deeply impacted by stories of unimaginable desperation that has driven families to seek no more than what I want for my family.

However, through a recent discovery in my own family history, this has become way more personal and real for me!  It turns out that I am the great-grandson of an asylum seeker who jumped ship and entered Australia "illegally" during the 1920's.  My great-grandfather was a German who fled his homeland between two world wars and whose siblings were a part of the Nazi resistance, resulting in their imprisonment and the gassing of one brother at a notorious concentration camp in Germany during WW2.  His daughter, my grandmother, suffered cruel taunts when she was a young girl growing up in Australia during wartime from kids in her neighbourhood who would raise their hand and shout "Heil Hitler" every time she walked down the street, because of her nationality.  After the war my grandmother married an Italian man when she was only sixteen years old, so you can just imagine the cultural and social challenges my grandparents faced in post-war Australia.

My national identity is owed to my great-grandfather who risked everything to escape a life of persecution and pursue a life of freedom in this country!  

My diverse cultural heritage emerged out of the struggle and perseverance of my grandparents who overcame racial prejudice and social stigma.

My values and passion were instilled by my parents who taught me to seek after the God of justice and mercy and live according to His Word.

Everything I am is a sum of my family's culture, circumstances and choices that laid a foundation for me choose the sort of life I will live and legacy I will leave for my children and future generations.  I choose to fight for the same privilege for asylum seekers and refugees today!  I choose to honour my great-grandfather's courage by emulating God's character.  I choose "to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God" (Micah 6:8).  

Therefore, I fully embrace my cultural heritage and will continue to passionately engage with the cultural diversity of our nation in a way that advocates the same opportunities for others that were afforded to my family.

Top 5 Book List - Church Culture

"If you're a serious minded leader, you will read.  You will read all you can.  You will read when you feel like it, and you will read when you don't.  You will do whatever you have to do to increase your leadership input, because you know as well as I do that it will make you better." 

Bill Hybels, Axiom:  Powerful Leadership Proverbs

Here are my Top 5 books on Church Culture (in no particular order)...

An Unstoppable Force - Erwin Raphael McManus

Erwin McManus has an unusually perceptive grasp of the ethos of the church and inspires Christ followers to become the church God intended - a creative force that really can change the world!  He describes himself as a cultural architect, which captures well the role of church leaders to not just respond to the culture but to shape it according to God's pattern. 

Culture Shift - Robert Lewis & Wayne Cordeiro

Based on their experience at New Hope Church in O'ahu, Lewis and Cordeiro describes how to transform your church from the inside out by creating a values driven culture.  The authors help you to identify your current culture and provide practical tools to transform it by bringing it into alignment with your mission.

IT - Craig Groeshel

Have you ever noticed how some churches have that almost indefinable culture that makes them stand out from the rest?  It has little to do with structure or style, but a life-changing force or presence that can only be defined as "it".  Groeshel helps you to identify what "it" is, how to get "it" and how to keep "it".

Natural Church Development - Christian A. Schwarz

Christian Schwarz describes churches as organisms rather than organisations and identifies the eight quality characteristics that are essential for the culture of any healthy church.  He teaches the "all by itself" principle from Mark 4:26-29 that generates organic growth from a healthy environment by releasing the divine growth automatisms  by which God Himself grows His church.

No Perfect People Allowed - John Burke

This book shows you how to deconstruct the barriers that stand between emerging generations and your church by creating a 'come as you are' culture.  John Burke helps us to learn how to welcome and embrace spiritually curious 'imperfect people' by casting a powerful vision of the potential of the body of Christ to transform lives in a post-modern world.

Culture Shock!

 

Standing at Flinders Street Station with my very excited 14 year old son viewing the monitors for a connecting train, an announcement caught our attention with the information we were looking for, "A special service to the Showgrounds for the Supanova Pop Culture Expo will depart on platform 9 in five minutes."  As we made our way down the escalator to the platform I felt as though we were entering another universe.  Scores of pop culture fanatics were dressed in full costume bringing alive every imaginable comic, animated and science-fiction character from their imaginary worlds.  To say I felt like a foreigner in another land would be an understatement!

From the train to the show grounds my feeling of cultural displacement reached new heights as I mingled in this imaginary world where my senses were overwhelmed by crowds of people of all ages passionately interacting with the exhibits of this pop culture.  It was then that it occurred to me I was experiencing the same reality as those who enter the church for the first time where people dress, speak and act in a foreign manner.  To an outsider, the foreign culture of a church must feel every bit as strange as Supanova did to me!

Through this surreal cultural experience I observed a number of parallels with the church:

• A strong cultural following elicits a high level of devotion by its followers
• Passionate people are prepared to look foolish to others to express their passion
• Like-minded people want to gather in community with others who share a cultural connection
• People are willing to invest a large amount of money into something they believe in
• There is a distinct language that can make outsiders feel disconnected within the culture
• A specific dress code may connect with insiders but dissociate outsiders
• Cultural expressions are often misunderstood without their associated meanings

I belong to a church that has its own very distinct subculture within the culture of Christianity, complete with a uniform, hierarchical structure, language, expression of worship and mission, rules and regulations, that can have a similar effect on outsiders as I experienced at Supernova.  The challenge for The Salvation Army, and any other church, is to examine our distinct cultures through the eyes and experience of an outsider to assess how well we connect with those we seek to reach.

We may then consider changing, adapting or explaining our cultural expressions to minimise the cultural shock for those encountering our culture for the first time.

Who Is Taking Whom?

This week I embark on a new semester of study for my degree, focusing on Cultural Anthropology.  Already, as I dive into the pages of the prescribed text book, I am captured by this study of human behaviour from a cross-cultural perspective and how that shapes the way Christians give witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The author of the text Charles H. Kraft relays a story illustrating some of the misperceptions that are experienced by the messenger and receptors of the gospel when there are differing views of reality.  He shares the prayer that was prayed for three missionary recruits who were preparing to go to Nigeria:  "Oh, Lord, help these young men to realize that it is You who are taking them to Nigeria, not they who are taking You."

What a powerful prayer that somewhat challenges the paradigm of many missionaries and evangelists who genuinely believe they are taking God to not-yet-saved people.  To believe that we are taking God anywhere is to assume that God is not already there.  In contrast, this prayer affirms that God is already present and that He sends us to go and join in where He is already at work.  This radically changes the context, content and conversation of mission.

To go where God is already present opens our eyes to a partial revelation of God, opens our ears to interpret what God has already spoken and opens our mouth to speak appropriately into the conversation a full revelation of God through the person of Jesus Christ.

Maybe we need to remind ourselves of this prayer before releasing anybody, anywhere into an evangelical mission so we don't allow our preconceived cultural perceptions to get in the way of what God is doing among all cultures on earth. 

Be Strong & Courageous

The Global Leadership Summit in Melbourne was kicked off today with a high octane session by Senior Pastor Bill Hybels of the Willow Creek Community Church.  Amidst a world class line up of leadership speakers, Bill Hybels never disappoints with the opening session each year, setting the tone for the rest of the Summit!

Here are just a few of Bill's quotes that fueled my leadership engine today:

"Courage correlates to every component of leadership."

"Vision is a picture of the future that creates passion in people."

"Every significant vision that is birthed within you is going to put your courage to the test."

"Visions are holy commodities...treat them with utmost respect...don't kill them off with cowardice."

"Your team already know what reality your organisation is in, they are just waiting for you to declare it and have the courage to step up and lead them out of it."

"Staff culture will only ever be as healthy as the CEO or Senior Pastor wants it to be."

"There is a time when you have to transition from casting vision to establishing an inviolable value in the church."

WOW!!  Each one of these quotes deserve a blog post of their own!  Nevertheless, I will contain myself for the moment to one statement that really stood out to me today.

"There is a time when you have to transition from casting vision to establishing 

an inviolable value in the church."

Casting a vision gives the church a picture of a preferred reality, however, establishing a value puts flesh on that vision.  It is relatively easy to stand before a congregation and get them all revved up about an exciting new vision, but it takes an enormous amount of courage to stand before the same congregation and redefine the values and behaviours that underpin the vision.  It takes courage to challenge behaviour that is contrary to where God is leading and courage to disciple people in a counter-cultural way to build a kingdom culture in the church.

Bill's reference to God's exhortation of Joshua to "Be strong and courageous" resonates with my experience as a leader making the transition from vision to values in my current leadership role.  The vision is clear, but some of the values of our church are not in alignment with that vision.  The challenge before me is to have courageous spiritual conversations with our leadership team to define the values that are necessary to drive God's vision for our church.  We must be prepared to model the values that will define the right culture to turn vision into reality.

I agree with Bill that there are inviolable biblical values that need to be central in every church and the lives of every Christ follower.  Today, more than ever before, we need "strong and courageous" leadership in God's church!

Changing The Culture Of Generational Poverty

Today, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop entitled "Bridges Out Of Poverty" which provided a broader awareness of poverty and a deeper understanding of the values and vocabulary of those who are trapped in a culture of generational poverty.

There is so much to be learned about seeking to understand instead of judging, developing respectful relationships, and building capacity with those we seek to support in crisis.  However, I found myself kicking back against the final quote of the day:

"Whilst we can't and don't want to change the culture of Generational Poverty, we can work with what we've got."

Whether it be generational poverty or any other brokenness in our society, I refuse to accept that it "can't" change and reject the suggestion that we "don't" want it to change, when the culture of generational poverty is enslaving human beings to living a life less than that which they were created for!  We may seek an understanding of their culture to effectively "work with what we've got;" not to leave people where they are, but to give them a vision of an alternate reality and empower them to redefine their cultural paradigm.  This is not to impose change upon people who are bound by generational poverty, but to influence change among these people to break the cycle of generational poverty.

To simply "work with what we've got" with a spirit of resignation is to deny hope and to perpetuate hopelessness. Instead, God has raised within the spirit of The Salvation Army an unquenchable hope that dares to believe that lives really can be transformed.  Our founder believed in a God who loved the world too much to leave it as it was and sent Jesus to "change the culture" by establishing a kingdom of hope in a world of despair.  William Booth's 'Darkest England' scheme also refused to settle "with what we've got" but inspired a vision of hope and an audacious belief that The Salvation Army really could and should change the culture of generational poverty. 

We ought to believe in nothing less than the hope that Jesus gave through new life and be prepared to challenge any culture that offers less when responding to generational poverty today!

Culture Shift

I started reading the book "Culture Shift" by Robert Lewis and Wayne Cordeiro the other day, which is providing a helpful insight into church culture and a practical guide to "transforming [the] church from the inside out."

Right at the preface I was captured by the authors belief that "culture is to the church what a soul is to the human body."  In other words, as I interpret it, culture is a mirror into the soul of a church.  

I wonder if we spent more time cultivating a healthy soul than clothing the body with programs that make a church look good, whether we would begin to heal some of the internal sickness that inhibits the church from being a thriving organism.  Church activity that is the product of a healthy culture will always produce growth, but church activity that proceeds from an unhealthy culture will spread the sickness and cripple the body of Christ.

If the human soul reflects the core of who you are as a person, I wonder what reflection is cast by the culture of your church?  This is a challenging question that will require some soul searching by church leaders to stimulate the sort of culture shift necessary to restore the witness of the church to reflect the heart of Jesus Christ!

Cultural Revelation

Today, I had a cultural encounter at the office that has deeply touched me.  An Indian woman and her father arrived with a food donation for our Community Support Services.  When I enquired if the donation was personal or from another organisation, she explained that it was a family fulfilment of a Hindu custom when a close relative dies.  Her father-in-law died in January and every month on the anniversary date of his death for a year, they donate food to assist the poor in honour of their loved one.  She has lived in Australia for 30 years, and has found a way to honour her Hindu culture in the context of Australian culture.

It is hard for me to articulate why this has impacted me so much, except I was the recipient of an act of grace that transcended religious barriers and expressed the very heart of humanity.  The words of an old Salvation Army song took on flesh today: 

Except I am moved with compassion,
How dwelleth thy Spirit in me?
In word and in deed
Burning love is my need;
I know I can find this in thee.

Too often when we engage with other cultures or religions our focus tends to be on what divides us rather than what unites us.  As human beings we share a common humanity that is a reflection of our Creator.  While the brokenness of creation has distorted this reflection, the same Spirit who breathed life into us is drawing ALL people to a restored relationship with their Creator God, through the person of Jesus Christ.  The way in which Christians engage with other cultures will determine what reflection of God we project and whether or not that image reveals Christ who is "the way, the truth and the life" or a Church that is a road block to a revelation of Christ.

Missionary Challenge

"The Church's missionary challenge in the West today is complicated by the fact that most western populations have been exposed to some distorted or diluted expression of Christianity that inoculates people against the real thing."
George G. Hunter III, How to Reach Secular People, 1992

Hunter's provokative quote highlights a recurring theme I am finding in my recent and current study about culture, mission and Trinitarian theology.  It seems that in the Church's attempt to evangelise the lost, instead of attracting people, we find ourselves increasingly alienating people from the Church.  If Bill Hybel's conviction that the "local church is the hope of the world" is true (which I believe it to be), then something has gone seriously wrong in the delivery of the message!  

I find myself getting frustrated and even angry at times when I see the gospel get hidden within a form of 'churchianity' that presents a "distorted or diluted expression of Christianity."  Theologian Clarke Pinnock goes as far as suggesting that atheists are “not rejecting the God of the Bible – they haven’t even heard of him!”  I think there is a confronting truth that the Church needs to explore if we are going strip away our religious cultural baggage that inhibits our ability to effectively communicate a life transforming message in a culturally appropriate way.

The missionary challenge is to preserve the integrity of the gospel message so that the people we are reaching have an encounter with the biblical God through Jesus Christ, not a pop-version of God who is formed in our own image.  Hunter warns against a "hash" form of Christianity that is a concoction of "patriotism, moralism, cultural values like materialism and the quest for the perfect 'high', with some wisdom from celebrities, mixed with selected bible verses."

Maybe we need to rediscover Jesus in our churches so that He may be revealed through our lives in a way that invites people to ask, "we want to hear you again on this subject" (Acts 17:32).