Communication is more than content. It is also media, or the channels and ways in which content is communicated. This fact is crucial for church leaders and other Christians in our increasingly diverse and pluralistic society. The challenge is how to present a church unified around the truth of God’s word, yet diverse in its expressions of worship, and in its affirmation of each personality.
Since 2009, I have been on a learning journey about the dynamic of honor/shame in scripture and its significance for cross-cultural ministry. By God’s grace, I’ve had the opportunity to read and conduct research, to write on the subject, to introduce the subject of honor/shame (H/S) through numerous seminars and workshops, to create resources, and to teach collaboratively with two indigenous ministry partners.
The cry heard most often from the Church in the Majority World is for pastors who can preach/teach the word of God in a way that is understandable and applicable to their congregations. While the orality movement has spoken significantly to this need, there are aspects of the preaching/teaching process which beg further attention.
Why did the Momina people of the southern lowlands of West Papua, Indonesia, convert to Christianity? What were the cultural and social forces that precipitated the people movement among the Momina? I would suggest that seven recognizable motivating factors led to the conversion of the Momina people of the village of Sumo, and subsequently to the majority of this people group.1
When returning to our passport country as Third Culture Kids (TCKs) or passing through another country getting educated, many of us feel that we don’t fit into the culture. Unfortunately, we can also feel like we don’t fit into churches, as well.
I commend Ted Esler for writing this helpful article. He raises important questions regarding the missiological impact of the concept of the unengaged. His four suggestions on the way forward are excellent and I want to be a part of seeing these realized. Although I affirm what Ted has written, I do want to challenge some of his conclusions.
In recent years, much has been said about the good and the bad of short-term missions. Short-term missions have been around long enough to have history. In that history, there is as much to be ashamed of as there is to celebrate.
In his final words to his followers, Jesus told them to make disciples of all nations or peoples. The idea that 2,000 years later there should still be unengaged, unreached people groups is a sad and heartbreaking indictment of the Global Church. Despite 12 million vocational workers and 43,000 denominations, we seem unable to make disciples in the few thousand people groups that remain.
A description and analysis of some effective models of ministry to migrants and refugees in global cities, and important principles for working with sojourning people.
As I reflect on pastoring a church cross-culturally, I realize that the biggest lesson came in understanding that living in another culture is not the same as leading in another culture.
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