CCA Final

The subject of Ministering Cross-Culturally is tension and conflict that missionaries, pastors, and laypersons experience when

they attempt to work with people who come from different cultural and social backgrounds. 

The manner used to explore these issues is a model of basic values that points to personal and cross-cultural roots of tension in

 interpersonal relationships and assists individuals in mastering such tension.

Individuals differ greatly in their

values and orientations as well as the societies they belong to

Those ministering cross-culturally must be very aware of their own

value biases and the differences that other societies may have

Christians should have a culture based upon the Scriptures which will

provide principles for effective ministry as a Christian.

A model of basic values that have been taught in church and school provide a

tool for understanding others in our own community

For a Christian seeking to serve in a foreign country being able to

understand personal biases is essential for effective ministry there

Incarnational ministry allows us to take on the

identities and values of others so we can lead them to freedom in Christ

The author draws from his experiences as a

missionary on the Micronesia island of Yap

This book goes beyond personal experiences to

relate the underlying principles of culture and communication that is the means to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships

The focus of Ministering Cross-Culturally is on

priorities or values people use to order their lives and relationships with others

Conflict may arise because people often attribute moral force to

their priorities for personal behavior and judge those who differ from them as flawed, rebellious, or immoral

Society coerces individuals to follow

its value system

The goal of Ministering Cross-Culturally is to help readers arrive at

solutions to conflicts and to suggest ways in which people moving within and across social and cultural boundaries can adapt to and draw on values different from their own.

The central thesis is that the Bible speaks to

all people and all cultures and that Jesus is the only faithful example of divine love in interpersonal relationships and communication

By focusing on cross-cultural experiences we will be

forced to examine our basic assumptions about life and to question every aspect of our relationships

Incarnation:  God becoming flesh.  What does it mean?

He learned the languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, possibly some Greek and Latin as well.  He grew up within 10 miles of the International Highway of trade from all the known world.  He studied the culture and lifestyle of people for 30 years before beginning ministry to them.  “You have heard it said,….but I say to you.”

Jesus was 100 % God and 100 % Jewish man - a

200 % person

Culture is the  anthropologist’s label for: 

The sum of the distinctive characteristics of a people’s way of life

Culture is the conceptual design, the definitions by which people

1. order their lives, 2. interpret their experiences and, 3. evaluate the behavior of others

Distinctive definitions, rules, and values are

specific to each socially defined context

Each culture has thousands of cues that signal a

change of context and a corresponding need to follow the rules appropriate to the new context

Cultural heritage is the early learning a child unquestioningly accepts.  This generally takes place before

people are able to talk and make choices by conscious reasoning

Every individual goes through a life-long process of learning called by anthropologists y

“enculturation” - the process individuals acquire the cultural heritage of the larger communit

A child develops an ability to choose what to accept and what to reject. 

Peer group influence becomes increasingly important in a child’s life

Choices are tempered by feedback from others who either

accept or reject the individual.  Through this process a child begins to formulate a conception of their own world - a personal culture

Our personal culture is the product of the combination of

1. The heritage acquired from our parents, 2. The broader cultural heritage acquired through enculturation and feedback from the community, and 3. Our acceptance or rejection of those forces

Even though we are all unique individuals we share common

beliefs, values, and a  way of life with others around us

The shared aspects of our personal cultures produce the

common values, priorities, and standards for behavior that we apply in each social context

We arrive at our identity by our

nationality, race, language, and the groups we affiliate and identify with

Because of our choices the communities we form

include some and exclude others

People must feel like they belong before

they will become a part

People perceive and respond to each other in

culturally conditioned ways

Each person creates screening filters that blocks

unwanted ideas, people, associations, and concepts that they do not want to re-consider

The screening process produces a

blindness to cues from cultures not our own

Our cultural bias that we share with others becomes a consensus we use to protect ourselves from others. This reinforces our belief that our way of doing things is

the proper way, and we are blinded to the possibilities of doing things differently

Because of cultural blindness we must become incarnate in the culture and lives of those we want to serve.

the culture and lives of those we want to serve.

It is impossible to be 100 % foreign culture because we were not born into that culture.  However we can become

“Imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1) and “live a life of love.” (Eph. 5:2)

We must love the people to whom we minister to the point we are willing to enter their culture as a child:

speak their language, play as they do, eat their food, study what they study to earn their respect and become full participants within their culture

The first step for becoming incarnate is

learning the language

 Language is one of ten primary message systems found in every culture. They are:

1. Temporality - attitude toward time, routine, and schedule

2. Territoriality - attitude toward space and property

3. Exploitation - methods of control, attitude toward sharing            resources.

4. Association - family, kin, and community

5. Subsistence - attitude toward work and division of labor

6. Bisexuality - differing modes of speech, dress, and conduct

7. Learning - by observation, modeling, or instruction

8. Play - humor and games

9. Defense - health procedures, social conflicts, and beliefs

Each system has rules that govern relationships and communication -

each has a structure, pattern, and variations

the purpose of Ministering Cross-Culturally to examine experiences in

interpersonal relations using a conceptual model to give and understanding of underlying priorities or values of the host country

The model of basic values contains twelve key elements (first proposed by Marvin Mayers - 1974) with six pairs of contrasting traits. These pairs are viewed as

opposite poles on a continuum

The six pairs of interpersonal relations are:

1. Time / Event orientation, 2. Task / Person orientation, 3. Dichotomistic / Holistic thinking, 4. Status / Achievement Focus, 5. Crisis / Non-Crisis Orientation, 6. Concealment of Vulnerability /Willingness to Expose Vulnerability

The personal profile of basic traits is an approximate representation of the motivations behind

an individual’s actions within his or her culture

The “Time” - “Event” orientation will be a matrix that dominates both

individuals and cultures

Both Time and Event orientations are valid. 

Some are happier with no set routine, others feel better with a precise schedule

Time oriented people and cultures:

1. Exhibit a high concern about schedule and punctuality manifested in a variety of ways.

2. Scheduling toward a goal with specific objectives that are to be achieved within a given time period. 

3. Time oriented cultures associate reward with a careful utilization of time.

4. Some see “time as money” and use it to earn a reward or achieve a particular objective

Event oriented individuals have a primary interest in

the process of what happens - is the event was meaningful

It is more important to complete an activity than to observe

arbitrary constraint of time

 For event oriented people

a.            Participation and completion are the central goal. 

b.           Playing the game is indeed more important than winning.

c.            The present is more important than either the past or the future.

d.           History is a matter of sequence rather than exact dates.

e.            The most important is with things that have relevance now

The accounts in the Gospels that mention “time” does not refer to a schedule but to

an opportunity

When the orientation of an entire culture conflicts with that of a missionary, attempts at cross-cultural communication and ministry may become characterized by

hostility and strife

If differences lead to frustration, compensating strategies can be adopted.  In most cases the formal activity begins

at least two hours after the announced starting time

The Hebrews were not systematic. They expressed their comprehension of God in

holistic forms such as independent narratives, life histories, and prophecies

The Old Testament does not attempt to put everything together in a systematic way.

They communicated in a holistic style

Western (Greco-European) tradition seeks an Aristotelian comprehension of the universe -

everything fits into a logically cohesive worldview

For holistic thinking each story is

complete in itself - not connected to any other story

Dichotomistic thinking examines and sorts the details then

reasons on the basis of perceived ordered relationships among them

Dichotomistic thinkers tend to categorize people into specific roles -

People are labeled and the label defines the character and role of the person even though it may not be an accurate assessment of the person

Holistic thinking insists that the whole is

greater than the parts and reasons on the basis of perceived relationships within the whole

We tend to evaluate others according to our

predominant mode of thinking

Dichotomistic people may reject because of a

particular mistake - Holistic people say all people are flawed because of many mistakes

The difference between Dichotomistic and holistic ways of thinking may originate in the distribution of

thought processes in the human brain - left brain, right brain dominance

Left Hemisphere:

Analytical, Logical, Precise, Time sensitive

Right Hemisphere:

Holistic, Emotional, Pattern recognition, Sensory

Healthy individuals use

both hemispheres, but usually one side dominates

People think in either words or mental pictures -

left side usually thinks with language or verbal means; right sided thinkers use concrete images or sensory mode of thinking

Old Testament writers describe specific historical incidents or concrete pictographic visions, whereas Paul uses

abstract verbal logic of the Greek philosophy of his day

Systematic theology grew out of Greek philosophical perspective which uses analytical thinking opposite of

that used in the Old Testament by the Hebrews

Systematic theology employs mechanisms of

sorting, comparison, and contrast, to dissect texts and put them in constructed systems of theological thought

Earlier theologians sought to conduct theology using

more holistic methods, treating tests as complete narratives that must be considered in their own right

Hemispheric dominance in individuals and cultures tends to

operate in extremes

The challenge for missions and ministry is to learn to

think with the mindset and culture of those with whom the work is being done

Jesus teaching methods suggest

right-hemisphere, pictorial, concrete, holistic, and analogical strategies

Jesus seldom used

left-hemisphere, verbal, abstract, Dichotomistic and analytic thought

1.     Jesus used illustrations from

nature, tradition, and daily life to challenge thinking from geometric intuition rather than algebraic analysis. He was “receptor-oriented and personal”

1.     Segmented thinking styles illustrates

“left-brain domination.”  Holistic thinking styles illustrate “right-brain domination.”

1.     Segmented thinkers (Dichotomistic) demand

clear-cut, black and white answers. They insist on universal application of principles and cannot feel secure unless their perceptions are recognized as correct.

Holistic thinkers see most issues as

open for debate.  Each situation is unique (situational ethics) and they are uncomfortable with standardized procedures and rigidly applied rules. They resist being pinned down to a particular position on an issue or to a particular social role

Dichotomistic thinkers will reject the ambiguity of their holist peers accusing them of

lacing principle and being inconsistent.  Holistic thinkers will reject the  rigidity of those who are Dichotomistic thinkers citing legalism and callous toward others

Crisis orientation looks for

potential problems and attempts to solve them before they happen or bring a swift resolution when it occurs

Non Crisis orientation

downplays the likelihood of a crisis and avoid taking action as long as possible.  They wait for problems to work themselves out

downplays the

likelihood of a crisis and avoid taking action as long as possible.  They wait for problems to work themselves out

Non Crisis orientation is experienced-focused. 

When the crisis does occur individuals choose from multiple options for resolving the problem

Mayers calls crisis oriented individuals as having a

declarative lifestyle.  These people seek out  expert advice and are single-minded in applying that advice when they face crisis

Non-crisis oriented people follow a term Mayers calls

interrogative lifestyle.  This is experience oriented that decide between alternatives that emerge from each new situation.  The style of management is open-ended

Crisis Orientation:

Anticipates crisis, Emphasizes planning, Seeks quick resolution to avoid ambiguity, Repeatedly follows a single authoritative preplanned procedure, Seeks expert advice

Non-Crisis Orientation:

Downplays possibility of crisis, Focuses on actual experience, Avoids taking action; delays decisions, Seeks ad hoc solutions from multiple available options, Distrust expert advice

Crisis oriented individuals shake their heads at

the lack of planning and predictability. For them plans and procedures supersede the needs of the people concerned

A common error in cross-cultural ministry is assuming that people understand us when

they hear our words.  Differing personal orientations can prevent mutual understanding.  We assume that our style of decision making and crisis management is the best one

Both orientation types of individuals have

much to contribute to one another when an attitude of mutual understanding and acceptance are held

We must have an unwavering commitment to

the gospel and an open questioning, non-crisis oriented lifestyle and ministry. We must see others better than ourselves

Goals may differ in varying societies. The goal may not be to accomplish a task in a given amount of time.

The goal may be to enjoy the interaction - coming together and talking to one another.

Task oriented people find satisfaction in

reaching their objectives and completing projects. Life is a series of un-ending objectives. Achievement is more important than building social relationships

People oriented individuals find satisfaction in

interaction with others. Their highest priority is to maintain personal relationships

People oriented individuals need

the acceptance and stimulus of their group of associates. They work hard to promote group interests and interaction often sacrificing personal goals

Task oriented ministers/missionaries are well equipped to be

administrators, teachers, preachers, and to do Bible translation