How to "Preach" in Other cultures? Interesting to Think About!

"While on furlough, I once tried to explain to an American pastor about the flow and form of a typical house-church meeting in Central Asia. I described how some of the pastors I know, simple Muslim-background men, wait for normal conversations over tea and a meal to determine what they later teach in that meeting. I went on to say that by using this as the primary means of imparting Christian doctrine, they are being relevant to the spiritual needs of people who do not usually think in the abstract. After struggling to get his mind around this paradigm-shattering idea, my friend became annoyed and asked, “But how can you call that preaching?”

Some time later, I related this conversation back to one of those house- church pastors I had referred to. He was just as piqued when he replied, “If I stood up and gave a speech like you do in your Western churches, people would think I was crazy! No one would ever talk that way in real life.”

Hopefully, this illustrates the degree to which cultural conditioning affects our presuppositions about what is the appropriate form for ‘Christian” communication."

(Event-speech as a Form of Missionary Communication, by Gene Daniels. EMQ Jan 2008. p. 80)

Respect and Seek out Elders as a Short-Term Missionary! Don't just "hang out"!

"A local senior pastor, commenting on the manner of dress of the short- term team, said, “They come with their culture, not minding about the people they are ministering to have their own culture.” The team wore hats while evangelizing and when approaching local elders; this was understood lo cally as a sign of disrespect. The senior pastor also complained that the team “hooked up with younger people,” which made the locals suspect the team of having their own agenda. In that culture the missionaries were expected to approach older people for guidance in the culture."

(The Trendy Giant Wounds: Some Lessons from the Church in Africa, David Ngaruiya. EMQ, January 2008, p.63)

When Short -Termers Conduct is an Embarrassment! Listen!

"Some members of a short-term team visited a local disco hall seeking entertainment. They took alcohol in public—a scandal for the local community. In another case, two members of the short-term team were smoking—an embarrassment to local believers and the host pastor. The two were also seen with local girls who made their living from prostitution. The host of this team said that with few exceptions, “they do not build relationships; they come for projects.” A pastor’s wife was puzzled that the short-term mission often turns out to be a vacation, which raises questions about the sincerity of some short-term missionaries. She asked, ‘Do they come here to do the holiday thing or do they come here to minister?” Lack of listening to the local leaders led one pastor’s wife to say, “They have an agenda. They want to get that agenda so that they will have enough information to bring back with them. They are not patient enough to stay and listen.” In her context, respect able nationals will not open up to a short-term missionary who is just “coming and going......

One pastor recalled how the short-term missionaries felt dishonored when their hosts did not schedule every moment of their time. The team felt they were left idle when an event was not occurring. The host team planned around the events. A sharp disagreement arose after debriefing and, although they were invited in return, the team never came back. The implied self ascription of the short-termers as “the achievers” and the host as offering “idleness’ created a conflict between the two groups who were actually committed to the good of each other.”

(The Trendy Giant Wounds: Some Lessons from the Church in Africa, David Ngaruiya. EMQ, January 2008, p.61-62. 63)

Short-Term Mission Activity Should Build up Local Leaders!

"One host pastor complained that the efforts of short-term missionaries caused his work to be sneered at. In terms of evangelism, they accomplished in two weeks what he had not done in all his years at the local church. The comparison left a dented image of the local pastor; his congregation no longer appreciated the enormous work he had done for them, he lamented that short-termers merely “come, hit and run.” His comment raises the question of what mission models might have suited his context so as not to overlook the fact that his work also included weddings, baptisms, burials and hidden ministries such as counseling. The short- term missionaries were involved only in evangelistic outreach. A good mission model would have left both the pastor and the congregation united over their goals."

(The Trendy Giant Wounds: Some Lessons from the Church in Africa, David Ngaruiya. EMQ, January 2008, p.61)

Some Mission Field people have been Christians Longer, know the bible better and pray more faithfuly that you - Remember that Short-termers

"A pastor’s wife and community leader shares this about her time with some short-term missionaries: They come as superior to me. They come as those who have been told what I am and who I am. . I became a Christian before many of them were born. The team members were not willing to learn, They would quote an expert in their country who gave them the orientation and it got to a point where I gave them what they wanted to hear."

(The Trendy Giant Wounds: Some Lessons from the Church in Africa, David Ngaruiya. EMQ, January 2008, p.60-61)

Relationship's & Group Activity are Very Important in Other Cultures! Avoid Judgments!

"Because they do not understand how nationals socialize, some short- term missionaries have labeled them as “lazy.” A pastor’s wife was shocked when one missionary commented, “People here don’t like to study the Bible; they prefer to dance” and ‘Your lifestyle is not good. Your songs are not good. This is the way to sing.” This experience gives credibility to the wife’s claim that “they don’t seem to appreciate the way we do things and that it has meaning for us.” The issues she raised illustrate the priority of relationships while going about one’s tasks or chores. In her context, relationships are so critical that a person is considered antisocial for neglecting to take time to interact with others."

(The Trendy Giant Wounds: Some Lessons from the Church in Africa, David Ngaruiya. EMQ, January 2008, p.60)

African Warns Short-Term Missions "Wounds" at times! But Needed Skills Come as Well.

The trendy short-term mission giant has been striding across Africa and leaving some indelible footprints, some of them positive, others negative. On the positive side, people are coming to faith, revival is breaking out in communities hospitals and schools are being developed, women are becoming economically empowered and there is significant church growth. Short-term missionaries have not only visited, they have given financially, professionally and spiritually. They have founded orphanages and ministered to financially handicapped women, equipping them with skills to improve the quality of their handcrafts for better marketability.

The giant has, however, left some indelible wounds and impressions as well. ibis is a concern raised by some national leaders. Here I will argue from interwoven data that in an age of growing partnerships between the Western and the African Church, careful and adequate pre-mission training needs to be done in preparing westerners to engage the cultural context of Africa in short-term missions. In this way, the short-term mission giant can be enhanced for greater fruitfulness and effectiveness....

During and after the short-term mission trip, the local pastor and other leaders face challenging missiological issues. These include clarifying the Missionary's’ language and etiquette, competence, stewardship of resources and contextualized worship. In one incident, a short-term missionary tried to speak the local language but ended up using a word which insult ed the local people. The pastor had to go back to the people to clarify what the missionary had meant. The same missionary also declined to eat food offered to him. This led the local people to say, “He was not prepared well enough to live with us.” The hosts found it very difficult to minister to him.

In another case, a missionary with very little training was sent to serve as a pastor. His preaching was so poor that the local pastor asked him not to teach from the pulpit and to take time to acquire some biblical knowledge.

(The Trendy Giant Wounds: Some Lessons from the Church in Africa, David Ngaruiya. EMQ, January 2008, p.58-59)

Is Short-Term Missions - Just Christian Tourism?

This is a good article on Short-Term (STM) missions. Missionaries know it's not all as helpful and rosy as it appears. Most of the projects done by STM's could be done for a minuscule fraction of the cost by locals, supportig their families with months of income, if STM people would give to support them in the work, instead of paying for tickets for themselves to go. How many of these STM people raise $5000 for missions before they went? How many of them put in as much effort to raise that kind of money for supporting missions, that they are not going to personally, after they come back?

Problem I have encountered is that when dealing with the pitfalls of STM, most involved feel they are avoiding them. Bottom line is data is showing that STM is not increasing missions giving among those involved and may be siphoning off support for long term workers. The party line all long has been, "STM promotes greater mission..... support, awareness....." It seems its not true! Is STM missions a step above Christian tourism? You decide. Thanks for this article Daniel, who every you are. Andy!

Say what you will about the benefits of short-term missions; however, there is a strong case to be made that it is shifting in the wrong direction. The lines between short-term missions and global tourism have blurred and that at a time when “slum tourism” is on the rise.
“‘Slum tourism’ stirs controversy in Kenya,” a newspaper announced.The report describes the bitter irony of the rising number of tourists to the Kibera slum with little benefit to its inhabitants. According to the report. at least one travel agency has added Kibera to its list of tours....

What do you call it when people with the time and money travel to a foreign country for a week or two? Missions experts have discovered that research on tourism can inform STM (Aden ey 2006, 461). Indeed, missions researchers are encouraged to dialogue with their tourism counterparts.

I have no quarrel with tourism or with learning from it, but is the promise of short-term missions a Christianized version of tourism—experiences to awaken the unscarred and overfed to their privilege? Are we tourists or are we God’s missionary people (see Van Engen 1991)?....

The people of God may make the most of it or not. The movement may cultivate authentic fellowship in the gospel or result in little more than tourism. STM is at a tipping point and the forces of tourism appear to be winning. A growing body of research suggests STM is not delivering on its promise.

• A short-term experience is as likely to increase ethnocentrism as it is to decrease it (Priest, et al 2006, 444; Linhart 2006, 455-458).

• Whether STM experiences abroad improve interethnic relationships at home is unclear (Priest, et aI 2006, 445)

• People with extensive STM experience are no less materialistic than those with none (Priest, et al 2006, 440).

• STM have little appreciable impact on giving. It does not appear to have increased financial support for career service and may be siphoning money away from long-term miss ions (Priest, et al 2006, 440; Vet Beck 2006, 485).

We know what is wrong with short-term missions. They are short. It is the brevity that reinforces stereotypes,’perpetuates misperceptions about the poor and feeds the quick-fix mentality. It is the brevity that leaves local Christians feeling shortchanged. The very notion that missions can he short plays into tourism. Although mission researchers are quick to emphasize that better preparation and coaching will reduce negative effects, it is not simply a problem of preparation (Priest 2006, 444; linhart 2006, 458). The problem reaches to the very core of the movement’s identity and purpose. How is STM part of God’s agenda for the Church?

(Short-Term Missions for Long-Term Partnership, Daniel Rickett. EMQ, Jan 2008, p. 42-44)

Is 21st Century missions to AFRAID? Afraid to Sacrifice and Suffer?

This quote struck me deeply. Why are the majority of missionaries serving where it is comfortable to live in a nice house and city, Often English works some what, and in close proximity to international mission schools? I’m convicted how about you. The authors have done us great service in this article. Read it all!

Lie #5: The safest place in the world Is within the will of
God.

“Are our missionaries safe? is a commonly asked question.
Missionary safety is of prime importance. Yet if that is the main issue for
families, churches and agencies, then there is only one thing to do: stop
sending. Western culture has attempted to cleanse faith of its rough edges.
Surely God only wants what is best for me, my family and my country! When
troubles come, are they not a sign of God’s disfavor? Has Western Christianity
attempted to neuter the heart of faith by removing the suffering and
persecution the New Testament promises are intrinsic to following Jesus?

It may be time for the Church in the West to admit we are
afraid. Often, when Muslim Background Believers are asked what they learn from
missionaries, they sadly respond, “Missionaries teach us to be afraid. This is
not just a missiological mistake. It is a sin. Missionaries may be afraid of
getting local believers arrested or harmed. They may be afraid they will lose
their visas or work permits. They may fear moving, learning another language or
placing their children in yet another school. Where did missionaries learn to
be afraid? They learned fear from their parents, churches and sending bodies.

The lie that personal safety and an absence of risk is of
paramount importance is a heinous lie that has infected Western, believing
enterprises globally. What do Chinese house church leaders call prison? They
call it their “theological training school.” What did pastors and lay leaders
call persecution, and even martyrdom, in
their environment during the years of the Soviet Union?
They called it “normal.” Fear is devastating. It paralyzes. It is the deadly
enemy of the Church. What can believers do in the face of such a destructive
lie? Choose not to be afraid. The one thing Satan can never take from one of
God’s created is the freedom to make the right and godly choice. Not being
afraid is commanded. What’s more, it is always possible."

(Five Lies about Missions,Nik Ripken & Barry Sticker. EMQ, Jan 2008, Vol 44, No1, p.38)

Do we love God enough to send our Son’s, Daughters, & grandchildren?

Lie #4: I have made a bargain with God. If I work hard in my own church, then God will not call my children to the nations. There is no way God would want me to be with out my children and grandchildren.

Listen to the story below.

“He was the toughest man the interviewer had ever met. From a Muslim background, the man agreed to meet in a Central Asian city where he was not known. His hawk-like features were arresting; his eyes chips of coal. His presence seemed to fill the entire room.

For years, he had been a freedom fighter, leading a squad of fifteen men in attempts to run the foreigners out of his Muslim country. As a freedom fighter, he reveled in stalking his enemies until he could slit their throats with his own hands. Those from his own country who cooperated with these godless foreigners often met the same fate by his knife. He rejoiced to feel their blood wash over their hands. He could not number the dozens, perhaps hundreds, he had personally put to death. He planned, he led and he killed.

He recalled when the day came that he could not get the blood off his hands. He saw the blood every waking moment and he saw the blood in his dreams each night. This went on for weeks. However, one night he had a different dream. In this dream, Jesus came to him and told him that he, Jesus, could remove this bloodstain forever This divine encounter led this freedom fighter to investigate the man named Jesus and his claim of cleansing. The blood of Jesus washed this fighter dean of his bloodlust by cleansing his soul.

The change in his life was so dramatic that he began to carry the good news to others in his own country. He smuggled Bibles through the mountain passes of his homeland. He did this until, one day in an isolated mountain pass, he came face to face with the fifteen men he had once led. They had been looking for their former commander, this one-time freedom fighter now turned believer. They threw him to the ground and broke his wrists and ankles with the butts of their rifles. Before they could kill him, however, a secret believer in the group spoke up: “If we kill him, we will not be able to uncover others who might be helping him spread this foreign faith. Let me take him to a village nearby. I will patch him up so that we can beat the truth out of him
and uncover other apostates.”

They placed their former leader into this man’s care. Traveling to the nearest village, this man patched the man up. Together, the two of them crossed the border into a neighboring country.

Hours went by as the interviewer listened to the faith story of this man. Then, the interviewer asked this man to talk about his wife and his children. With a cry of despair, this nail-hard follower of Jesus pleaded, “How can God ask this of me? I will sacrifice my own life. But how can God ask this of me? I have already given so much, but I lie awake at night worrying that my son, my daughters and my wife will pay the same price that I have paid to follow Jesus. How can God ask that of me?”

The author adds

"There is only one thing more difficult than releasing our own lives into the hands of God—and that is releasing the lives of our loved ones. What risks are we willing to shoulder for the sake of the Kingdom of God? What is the hardest task? Going? That is difficult; however, going is not the hardest task. The hardest task is sending: sending our loved ones to serve the nations."

(Five Lies about Missions, Nik Ripken & Barry Sticker. EMQ, Jan 2008, Vol 44, No1, p.37-38)

Do We Prevent Obedience to Simple Christian Duty By Emphasizing or Expecting Fancy Call Experiences?

"He came to Jesus at the age of eighteen.... He did not have much background in the faith, but he was hungry to learn. He be gan to read the New Testament and was taken by the four Gospels.

He fell in love with the work and the will of God. He simply trusted God and tried to live his life under the authority of scripture. Reading what he later learned was the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 and another word in Acts 1:8, he thought, “This is God’s word and it has authority over me. God says in his word that I should go the nations, so I must do that if I am to be Jesus’ follower? It was simple and straightforward. With joy, this uneducated man had understood that the entire world was open to him for ministry. That is what God had told him in his word. And that is what he believed—until the day that he encountered the mission agency.

He was married now, and thrilled at the prospect of following through on the biblical command to “go to the ends of the earth,” With his wife, he applied through his denomination to serve overseas. Soon he and his wife were in a small room with some men in suits. They looked at him and said, “Tell us about your call to foreign missions.” He innocently looked at them and said, “I read Matthew 28:18 and Acts 1:8.” They smiled. “That’s good,” they said. “but with this board, there has to be an experience of ‘a divine call’ to foreign missions. Tell us how God called you to overseas missions.”

The young candidate was confused. “I read the Bible,” he said. “I read Matthew 28:18 and Acts 1:8. I read God’s command to go to the nations—and I am trying to go!” By now, his wife was in tears. Raised within the denomination, she could see her husband did not know the secret code words that opened the doors fix overseas missions. With patience, the men in suits explained again the agency’s position about “a call” that would allow the agency to send a family overseas. Not knowing any better, the candidate replied, “I am simply trying to be obedient to what God has commanded me to do. It seems this denomination has created a special call to foreign missions that would give people an excuse not to he obedient to what Cod has already commanded.” Dead silence. Surprisingly, he was approved. He and wife headed overseas."

(Five Lies about Missions, Nik Ripken & Barry Sticker. EMQ, Jan 2008, Vol 44, No1, p.34-35)

The author then adds this comment

"But our conversations about call should be focused on where we have been called rather than on whether we have been called."

How precious is Gods word to us? It is precious in China!

"The Chinese house Church Movement is a story of the miraculous. Conservative estimates of believers in house churches in China begin at 100 million. The interviewer was astounded by the church growth observed in three church plating movements. In one location, Over 150 house church leaders were being trained. Pastors sat on the ground in rows as other leaders passed among them. They seemed to tearing pages out of books, distributing them to the people seated on the ground.

In horror, the interviewer suddenly realized these leaders were tearing copies of the Bible into page-sized pieces. He asked what could possibly cause such destruction of God’s word. The answer cut him to the heart. “There are about 150 pastors here today,” he was told. “only five of us own a Bible. We are tearing our Bibles into its separate books and distributing them so that each leader can return home with at least one book to teach from the Bible.”

The interviewer watched as they passed books of the Bible back and forth. “Have you taught Genesis? No? Here it is.” Rip. “Have you taught Luke yet? Here is Luke.” Rip. The sound of tearing pages filled the air."

(Five Lies about Missions, Nik Ripken & Barry Sticker. EMQ, Jan 2008, Vol 44, No1, p.34-35)

Does God Still Give Special/Specific "Calling"?

I know in my fellowship this sort of stuff is relegated to the apostles and special "Bible Times" people. This is worth considering. The author is dealing with a myths about mission.
When replying to "God no longer calls his people" he writes.

He was thirty years old when he heard an interviewer had come to his country. The interviewer was trying to understand how it was possible for men and women in this particular country to come to faith in Christ, given the severe persecution that was so prevalent. The man’s people group exceeded twenty-six million at the time— and at that time, outsiders were aware of only three believers.

The man arranged to meet with the interviewer. He shared about earlier days. lie talked about dis harmony in his marriage. He explained that his children were sick and weak, his crops simply refused to grow and his livestock multi plied erratically.

True to his folk-Muslim culture, he went to the spiritualist for ad vice. After describing the problems in his life, he received this word: “I will sacrifice a chicken on your be half. You are to return home, Fast and meditate for three days and three nights. On the third night, an answer to your problems will come,”
The man did exactly as he was instructed. He told the interview er, “On the third night, a voice without a body came to me, saying
‘Find Jesus, find the good news:”

The man knew nothing but Islam. lie had nothing but an oral Quran. He had never met a Christian. He had never heard of a Bible. Lie did not know whether “Jesus” was a fruit, a vegetable or a rock. He did, however, want the good news he had been told about. This voice instructed him to go to a particular city about five hours away. It was a city the man had never visited. The voice instructed him to ask the first two men he met in the city to direct him to a certain street. Then, he was to search for a door marked with certain numbers.

This man, without informing
his wife or children, left his village the next day. lie walked five hours over the mountains, lie arrived at the city, and he asked the first two men he saw to direct him to a certain Street. He walked down that street until he saw the door marked with the correct number He knocked on the door until an older gentleman opened it. “What do you want?” the older man asked. The young man answered, “I have come to find Jesus and the good news!”
A hand shot out and pulled the young man into the house. “You Muslims must think I am idiot to fall for something like this!” the older man cried. But the young man replied, “Sir, I do not know if you are an idiot or not, but this is why I have come. I have been told to come.”

Over the next hour, the young man told his story. God had led this man to the home of one of the three believers known among that people group at the time! Patiently, this older man shared the story of Jesus with the young man until the good news became his own. The young man returned to his village. Over time, his wife saw the change in his life and she too became a believer. His children regained their health; his crops and livestock prospered. Faith broke out in his village.

Five Lies about Missions, Nik Ripken & Barry Sticker. EMQ, Jan 2008, Vol 44, No1, p.33-34)