Is Cross-Cultural Studies Only For Missionaries?

I am forever trying to explain the work of cross-cultural training.  Recently a good friend of mine had an epiphany of sorts.  I was explaining how important cross-cultural discipleship is for church workers in their own city, community and country.

“You mean cross-cultural training is not just for missionaries” he asked?

Certainly cross-cultural training is vital for those settling into foreign countries, but the study of cultures is every bit as relevant for those who live in a small town in Georgia as it is for those going to the country of Georgia (which by the way is a former Soviet Union state nestled between Russia, Turkey and Black Sea). 

On my website one of the first quotes you will see is by Donald McGavran, former missionary to India, professor at Fuller Seminary, church growth expert in the 1980’s and missiologist until he died at the ripe old age of 93.  His famous quote is,

“People will not easily cross-cultural boundaries to hear the Gospel.”

The implications of that statement are enormous.  First, we need to understand that in EVERY cultural context, whether it is Odessa, Ukraine or Odessa, Texas, we live in communities of cultural boundaries, which include:

            Ethnic Boundaries

            Socio-economic Boundaries

            Linguistic Boundaries

            Gender Boundaries

            Generational Boundaries

            Religious Boundaries

In every town, village and city in the world people will not easily cross cultural boundaries to assimilate into the community or go to church.  It does not matter if you have the best music program in the city or the best youth program in the county or you are the best preacher in the state, most people in your community will not cross the cultural boundaries to hear the music, have pizza with the your youth group or hear your dynamic sermons. 

The second implication of McGavran’s statement is that for the followers of Christ, our job is to Go and Take the Gospel, which implies that WE are to cross the cultural boundaries, go into their cultural setting, to present the Gospel.  We cannot, we dare not, expect people of different ethnicities, education or economic background to feel comfortable in our churches.  The mandate of the Great Commission is for us to go to them…not build a program and expect people to come to us.

Yes, it’s true, cross-cultural training is for people going to far-away countries.  The reality is, however, 90% of the nationals I teach in India, Ukraine, Ecuador, Kenya, Senegal or China, will never leave their countries.  They will remain in their homeland.  If, however, they are going to reach all the people groups in their countries someone is going to have to cross cultural boundaries to take the Gospel.

I wish every pastor in the U.S. would learn the importance of cross-cultural studies.  It’s not just a quaint specialized discipline for anthropologist working in the jungles…it’s a relevant issue for those who live in the land of Wal-Mart and Starbucks.

People Group Studies

No matter how many times I try to explain our ministry it never seems to quite click with so many people.  The reason is because it so different than most teaching/discipling programs that is associated with church or missions.  I could say I teach missions, but that would only tell part of the story.  I could say I teach cross-cultural studies and anthropology, which is true, but what does that mean?

This week I am in Nepal teaching at the Kathmandu Institute of TheologyK(KIT).  It’s an extension campus, not affiliated with any denomination working on accreditation through other academic programs.  The students are already in ministry as pastors or working with Christian organizations.  They are overwhelmingly bi-vocational, working outside jobs for their daily bread.  KIT has a nominal enrollment fee and depends on professors, like myself, to provide their own transportation, accommodations and food.  I don’t usually take these types of assignments but glad I did for this project.

In each teaching assignment, whether it be for a DMin class or a non-formal training venue, I ask my students to find a group of people NOT from their caste, tribe or linguistic group, and do a research project on that people group.  In their paper they are to learn about the people’s religion, customs, history and even economics.  From that research paper they are to come up with a strategy of mission to reach those people.  Because I am with a class between two to three weeks and, because the scarcity of library research, the papers are not very comprehensive.   In spite of the limitations due to time and resources, I still believe this class is significant.

1.   It opens the students to new ideas on who, where and how to do ministry.  Probably 90% or more of my students have never even thought about cross-cultural ministry. 

2.  It gives them insight that they can reach ALL of their community, not just people from their own ethnic background.

Last week I asked them to give me a one-paragraph description of the people group they have chosen to do research on.  Here are some of those groups described the students.

a.     Tharu community – “They are the lower class people and are like slave to upper class people.”

b.     Rauate – “Almost naked people who live in the forest eating herbs and wild animals.

c.      Magar – “Live in western Nepal, say they are Hindus but really animists.”

d.     Sherpa tribe – “Live in the Himalayan, Tibetan Buddhist.”

e.     Chepan – “Tibeto-Burman people numbering about 52,000.  Often characterized as the poorest of the poor.”

f.      Nepali Muslim community.

g.     Madhesi Muslims.

h.     The Chhetri and Brahmin. “They are mostly priests and businessmen.”

Will all of them really do ministry on these groups?  Probably not, but at least by doing research on these people they will be more aware of the community that is around them.  Perhaps God will touch the heart of a few to give their lives to be missionaries to these groups.

As I read the proposed project papers the Lord reminded me, again, why I do what I do.  Many may not understand the purpose of teaching nationals how to cross cultural boundaries to take the Gospel, but I am indeed grateful that he has allowed me to do this unique and vital work.

Measuring Meaning

Rich Strahm, who invited me to teach a class on “Response To World Religions,” asked me how I felt about teaching so few students? A former missionary to the Philippines, he and his wife have been working in Ukraine for the past 10 years. His vision is to mobilize Ukrainians for cross-cultural work and the missions program at the Kiev Theological Seminary is relative new. It’s a work in progress, but he is involved in a noble calling.

Before I made the commitment to teach I was aware it was not a large class. Unfortunately it was smaller than expected as some of the students in the program didn’t show up. How did I feel about teaching to a small class?

First of all, the size of a class or meeting has never been a criterion for me. I realize that many pastors in the states thrive on big numbers; it gives them meaning. I remember an Indian pastor who told me that if I moved to Chennai I could have big seminars. I told him I am more interested in finding the place of need, which to me, was in Delhi where the church was much smaller and I was not interested in a hall full of those who have ample opportunities to attend seminars. My colleagues in Kenya criticized me when I decided to work in the bush among two tribal groups, Turkana and Pokot. They thought the size of those tribes, about 250,000 each, spread over a vast desert was not strategic; they preferred working in the cities where the numbers were greater. However, I countered, no one was working among the semi-nomads whereas there were plenty of mission activity in their region. Numbers is not always a gauge in who and where one should work.

Second, the quality of those attending is more important to me than how many bodies there are. People preparing for cross-cultural work will always be a smaller group, but they are usually the most dedicated. I am not suggesting that those who take the theology courses are less godly or committed, but those who seek to serve Christ in another land among a different people than their own, usually, not always, have a depth about them that is unique and profound.

Third, though I never know who God will use in His work, I believe my teaching is a part of moving people toward His purpose. In the short time I have been working in Ukraine, one brother is now serving in Syria and another is working among the Gypsies in his country. It’s how God surprises that is more important to me than the guarantee of an audience.

Do I wish I were teaching before 50 rather than 5? Certainly. But consider those who were in my class: One lady and her husband are working in the Far East part of Russia, near Japan and North Korea. Another girl is from Kazakhstan, whose family came out of Islam. One guy is studying Mandarin and has been working with Chinese students in Kiev. He plans on moving to China after his studies. Another young lady has a desire to serve in India.

The measure of meaning cannot be only the expense of a plane ticket or the size of the class. For me it’s the heart of those I am privileged to teach, not how many listen to my words.