Category Archives: Training

“…this material is just down right impressive”

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Training

I received this email note today from Marilyn Nasman, a fellow-learner in The Beauty of Partnership. Marilyn has been involved in a cross-cultural partnership in Kenya for several years. Her email was a real blessing to me. God is faithful and God is good!

Dear Werner,

Thank you for your note. I am just finishing the “Listening” section. My, the richness of this material is just down right impressive. It couldn’t be more appropriate for me and the current project in Kenya. Kitty does not return until October 4th. Our team here in Friday Harbor meets each week to pray for her as a group and ask for God’s guidance as we go forward. Every week I am able to use some part of The Beauty of Partnership material as we tackle issues that come up or gain insights into the dynamics of what is occurring.

When I taught Aviation Ground School years ago one of the FAA manuals contained a phrase that said, “… there must be time and opportunity for perceptions to occur.” That is what I am finding with my slower progress, I need time and opportunity for perceptions to occur. I don’t think this material would be nearly as dynamic and powerful for me if I wasn’t knee deep in the practical application! It is just perfect timing and dead on target!

In re-reading Elmer’s book this morning he talks about tolerating ambiguity as one of the skills of Openness. I thought again of the sailboat caught in mixed currents with no clear cut wind or direction. We just go back, forth, and sideways for awhile. Eventually forces outside the boat take command and a course can be plotted but there are many times when confusion and ambiguity just exist. “Wait upon the Lord” comes to mind. This study is recalibrating my spiritual walk … and that is a very good thing.

Thank you again for the dedication, passion and experience that brought this material into reality.

Marilyn Nasman
Friday Harbor, Washington

Thanks, Marilyn, for your encouraging words! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! -Werner

Myths to reject—to help your partnership succeed, part 1 of 3

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Godly character, Indigenous ministries, Organizational competence, Training
  1. “I have more to teach than to learn, more to give than to receive.”
    When it comes to cross-cultural partnership ministry, it’s often the other way around. You may indeed have much to teach, but if you have this attitude, it will be an obstacle to serving well. Why not engage in cross-cultural partnership to learn together, to discover what God is teaching all parties in the partnership? What’s more, given that the church in the west is generally in significant decline (see my blog post, 15 August 2009), shouldn’t we rather learn from our brothers and sisters in the majority world—how to pray, strategize, serve and suffer well in the cause of Christ?
  2. “We can partner without being invited.”
    I recently heard of a mega-church that decided to build a school in Africa for half a million dollars, and then also committed to fund it for 10 years. Seems like a worthy goal, except for one huge thing: This was done without consultation from the local leadership, without local “ownership”—essentially, without being invited. This is probably a train-wreck waiting to happen. It belies a lack of trust and respect for local leaders, and violates the spirit of humble servanthood. For more on this, see my blog post, “Have we been invited?”
  3. “I can control the partnership with the right system.”
    I am aware of a cross-cultural partnership which began with this attitude: “We absolutely can’t let this fail” … “We have to control this as much as possible” … “One of us from our side will sit on their board of directors, and we are going to MAKE SURE there are no problems.” What do you think happened? The partnership failed miserably—and there is an ongoing three-year lawsuit between these Christian partners. The result has been that thousands upon thousands of dollars have been squandered, along with untold heartache and the name of Christ defamed.
  4. “My ministry model is the most biblical.”
    If you believe that, you have probably labored intensely to be faithful to the Word of God—and paid a significant price to do so. This is a good thing. But isn’t it also true that your ministry model is influenced in part by your culture, your worldview, and peer group? Your ministry model is one way of obeying the Scriptures, and it is possibly no more biblical than a myriad of other ministry models found in the majority world. Consequently, we should be very cautious in trying to extend our unique ministry model across other cultures around the world.

Does Jesus Christ have cultural intelligence?

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Training, Uncategorized
A formula for cultural intelligence (Brooks Peterson)
A formula for cultural intelligence (Brooks Peterson)

Knowledge about Cultures + Awareness of Self and Others + Specific Skills = Cultural Intelligence (CQ). This is according to Brooks Peterson in his book, Cultural Intelligence: A Guide to Working with People from Other Cultures (page 13).

In the interaction that Jesus has with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, we have the opportunity to understand Jesus Christ through this lens of cultural intelligence.

  • Jesus displays accurate knowledge about both his Hebrew culture and the culture of Samaria;
  • Jesus displays an extremely keen awareness of himself and the Samaritan woman, and,
  • Jesus displays enormous skill in relating cross-culturally to a woman with whom no Jewish man would have been seen, much less have a deeply meaningful conversation.
CHRIST with THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
CHRIST with THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

I love this story, and I love discovering new facets of the perfections of Jesus Christ. Take a look at John 4 again, and consider seeing it through this “formula:” Knowledge about Cultures + Awareness of Self and Others + Specific Skills = Cultural Intelligence (CQ). What do you see in the perfections of the Lord’s cultural intelligence?

Note: A lesson series in The Beauty of Partnership learning journey combines a study of John chapter 4 along with a reading in Brooks Peterson’s book. You may download this study by clicking on this link.

What does all this have to do with the practice of cross-cultural partnership? Simply this: Without CQ—cultural intelligence—cross-cultural partnerships are doomed to failure, or at best, very limited results. Some Christians think that only career missionaries need to actually develop proficiency in cultural intelligence, and that partnerships in the global church don’t require it. Nothing could be further from the truth! There is a need for cultural intelligence by anyone doing any type of ministry that is done cross-culturally. That is why Mission ONE has developed The Beauty of Partnership learning journey.

Don’t you want to be more like Christ—who is perfect in his cultural intelligence?

Three trends that point to partnership with indigenous ministries as a vital missions movement

Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Global trends, Indigenous ministries, Training, Uncategorized

The three trends are: 1) Globalization, 2) Non-Western missionary movement, and 3) Short-term missions movement (STM).

1) Globalization: Globalization has had 
a huge impact on the practice of world missions. [1] It is marked by the widespread use of digital technology and the Internet, low-cost international travel, dramatically lower cost for global communications, the growth of global markets, and financial interdependence. While globalization offers many benefits that have accrued to Christian world missions, there are also aspects of globalization, which, when used uncritically, can undermine the growth and mission of the church. [2]

Non-Western and Western Evangelicals2) Non-Western missionary movement: The chart at right [3] compares and projects 
the growth of the number of non-Western evangelicals relative to Western evangelicals from 1960 to 2020. This growth is in part a testimony to the success of missionaries sent from Western nations to Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as to the receptivity of the gospel among harvest nations. It also gives witness to the transforming power of the Word of God when translated into the heart language of any people group. [4] The Lord has raised up countless new churches and Christian mission structures in hidden or obscure communities all over the world.

3) Short-term missions (STM): The dramatic growth of short-term missions in recent years represents both amplified opportunity and amplified threat. It is estimated that some 1.5 to 
2 million laypersons from North America visit the mission field every year. Whether the human and financial resources being expended are making a long-term difference is questioned by many. One non-Western Christian leader speaks of such mission trips as the “elephant dancing with the mouse.” [5] More often than not, “the mouse gets hurt.” Others point to the many accomplishments of STMs on the field and renewed enthusiasm for missions for the Western returnees. Care must be taken that STMs and cross-cultural partnerships do not foster another form of colonialism. [6]

So the movement of partnership with indigenous ministries—or partnership with nationals—is concurrent with these major global trends. It is one reason that cross-cultural partnership is not just a missions fad, but a vital mission strategy for the church in the world today. Furthermore, we believe at Mission ONE that training is essential in order to realize the full potential for accomplishing global Christian mission through cross-cultural partnership … and this is the purpose of The Beauty of Partnership learning journey.

Can you think of other trends that contribute to—or challenge—the movement of partnership with nationals?

FOOTNOTES

1. See Friedman, Thomas: The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005)
2. See Guinness, Os: “Mission modernity: seven checkpoints on mission in the modern world,” from Sampson, Samuel, Sugden, eds: Faith and Modernity (Oxford: Regnum Books International, 1992), p. 322-325. This article was originally presented at Lausanne II in Manilla (1989) and remains an incisive commentary on this issue. While Guinness does not use the word ’globalization,’ his article on modernity is completely suitable and appropriate to this subject.
3. Myers, Bryant: Exploring World Mission: Context & Challenges (Monrovia, CA: World Vision International, 2003) p. 53. Based on information from Operation World by Johnstone & Mandryk (Paternoster, 2001).
4. See Sanneh, Lamin: Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003) 
p. 10–11
5.See Adeney, Miriam: “When the Elephant Dances, the Mouse May Die” (Short-Term Missions Today, 2003-2004 Issue) p. 86–89
6.See Livermore, David: Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence (Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 2006

What’s more important? Godly character, cultural intelligence, or organizational competence?

Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Training

Inter-related competencies for cross-cultural partnership

An introduction to the three core competencies for healthy cross-cultural partnerships: godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence

When it comes to healthy cross-cultural partnership, which is more important—godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence?

In The Beauty of Partnership learning journey, all receive strong emphasis. There are four sets of learning lessons for each of these critical arenas. How do we define these three competencies? Here’s how:

  • GODLY CHARACTER: What is the bedrock for beauty in partnerships? Following humbly our Lord Jesus Christ 
for the glory of God. 
  • CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE (CQ): What does CQ mean for partnerships? 
Understanding deeply our diversity and unity 
for the glory of God.
  • ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCE: What does competence mean for partnerships? Practicing wisely the art and science of 
partnership for the glory of God.

Godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence. Following humbly, understanding deeply, practicing wisely. Easy to say, difficult to achieve. Healthy cross-cultural partnerships do not naturally occur in the body of Christ. To think otherwise is so very common but naive.

The knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) that are contained in healthy cross-cultural partnerships are not developed accidentally. This is why Mission ONE has developed The Beauty of Partnership learning journey: So that individuals can learn over time, in community, how to serve a cross-cultural partnership in a healthy way, to bring hope in Jesus Christ to the peoples of the world.

So they are all important: godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence. Do you think one of these is more important than another? Let me know.

Who will be a Mission ONE Ambassador?

Global Christian mission, Indigenous ministries, Training, Uncategorized

The short video (here) is about bringing hope to the Jie tribe in Southern Sudan. The mission organization shown is Mission To Unreached People (MUPE), directed by Rev. Hannington Munyao, Eldoret, Kenya. MUPE, a long-time ministry partner of Mission ONE, specializes in sending trained African missionaries to other tribes and peoples who are untouched by the gospel of Jesus Christ. These highly-trained national missionaries bring the Word of God, plus education, improved health, some new technology and other transformational blessings. They truly bring the blessing of Christ in word and deed.

Hannington says in the video, “The people have no church, no school, no medical facility, no shop, nothing.” It is amazing that they were getting water for their tribe from essentially a little pond dug by their own hands with stones.

Hannington also told the story that when the African missionary, Isaiah Majuma Bwala, came with his wife and children to stay with the tribe, the whole tribe burst into dance and song because they now knew the blessing of the gospel would remain with them. Isaiah, the national missionary from MUPE, literally became the hope they never had before.

Amazingly, these national missionaries like Isaiah who serve with MUPE need less than $300 per month to serve in these remote tribes and villages. Mission ONE has had a long-standing partnership with MUPE. We have huge trust in this ministry and its leadership. Hannington is a wise and capable leader who himself has served effectively as a missionary among the Toposa people in Kenya.

Hannington has informed us that more than 60 African couples or single individuals  are waiting to go as MUPE missionaries to serve among unreached tribes like the Jie.

Who will be the Mission ONE Ambassador that serves as an advocate for MUPE? Who will be the Mission ONE Ambassador to help mobilize the people and resources to bring the the transforming gospel of Christ to hundreds of unreached tribes in East Africa who still have not had heard the name of Jesus?