EMQ » July–September 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 3
By Stephen M. Davis
Wipf & Stock, 2019
190 pages
USD $17.00
Reviewed by Lynn Thigpen, who has served twenty-five years in Southeast Asia and is an adjunct professor at Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia.
As a cross-cultural church planter with many years of experience, Stephen Davis confesses he wrote this little book with great sorrow, “I regretted that I had not had this training earlier in my church-planting ministry and realized that I had not been as prepared as I thought for cross-cultural ministry” (x). His alternate title for the book, What I Wish I Had Known Before Engaging in Cross-Cultural Ministry, explains his purpose.
As he recounts his six years in France and five in Romania, he laments the grave and much-repeated errors in his own life and in mission history. While he recognizes the unchanging nature of the gospel, Davis’ confessions expose how important it is to understand the cultures receiving the gospel. He humbly recognizes, “One of the most important things we must remember is that although we might leave our cultural comfort zone as experts, we arrive in a cultural war zone as strangers, not to say idiots” (xiv).
Concerning preparation for cross-cultural church-planters, Davis first discusses theological and missiological considerations, then cross-cultural competencies and challenges required during the process. Giving recommendations for local churches and mission agencies in the latter part of his work, Davis notes that “One of the prime reasons given for attrition is insufficient pre-field preparation” (xvi). He describes the difficulties and demands of crossing cultures; but unfortunately, he does not quite provide enough meat to enable the reader to undertake the hard work of studying a new culture. I applaud his attempt to address the lack of preparation but long for an additional section on how to conduct “human exegesis” à la Paul Hiebert. Davis’ honest disclosure and pithy quotes leave the reader salivating for more.
The book is unique in that it tackles church planting, missiology, and culture in a small volume. However, that attempt to cover several different areas keeps Davis from his main one—“preparing strangers,” equipping readers with the tools necessary to acquire cross-cultural competence. The book encourages workers along the path toward competency, but the essential tools and knowledge lie in other resources.
After discussing theology and missiology in the first half of Crossing Cultures, Davis addresses the needed attributes for cross-cultural workers, characteristics such as spiritual maturity and sufficient church planting experience. He calls them competencies, a human resources term which is used differently than when speaking of competency concerning language and culture acquisition.
Davis addresses other challenges faced, such as being the stranger, encountering different religious experiences, the difficulties of language and culture acquisition, and issues such as conscience and family. Wisely, Davis emphasizes throughout the book, “Acquiring cultural competency is one of the greatest tasks for cross-cultural workers” (20). Proverbs 4:7 (NIV) comes to mind “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” In this case, whatever you do as a cross-cultural worker, seek the wisdom of language and cultural competence. Such pursuit will pay great dividends. Hopefully this book will whet appetites to dive deeply into whatever culture the Lord has called the reader.
For Further Reading
Elmer, Duane. Cross-Cultural Connections: Stepping Out and Fitting In Around the World. IVP Academic, 2009.
Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. and Marvin K. Mayers. Ministering Cross-Culturally: A Model for Effective Personal Relationships, 3rd ed. Baker Academic, 2016.
