Connecting Culture and Ministry - Some Worldview Tendencies to Consider

The Role of Authority and Social Control [i] [ii]

The issue of who has authority, and how power is exercised also varies from culture to culture. Here again, the distribution of authority in the rest of the world, can often be quite similar, particular in contrast to North American perceptions. The charts here show two categories, "American," and "Contrast-American." There are, certainly, exceptions to these generalizations. They are used, however, to underscore the possible cultural barriers which might occur, when two cultures interact.

It was my responsibility at Cambridge First, as host pastor, to keep everything running smoothly. When we first arrived, if one church wanted to use a space used by one of the other churches (on exception), that pastor would come to me for a decision. I would direct that pastor to work it out with the other congregation. Only once in eight years was it necessary to call a meeting to work it out. Everyone showed an amazing spirit of cooperation.

The Decision-Making Process

The decision-making process is an additional part of the 2^nd degree of separation. Again, North American decision-making differs from that of most other cultures. These differences are, to a large degree, built upon the perception of the role of authority in the culture. The table above gives us some examples to illustrate a few of these perceptual differences. There are, as always, individual differences. However, the church that is interested in reconnecting will disregard them at its own peril.

The Nature of Property

The nature of property also varies from culture to culture. What is property? To whom does it belong? In North American culture, private ownership is seen as an extension of one’s self. In many other cultures, property is more than likely to have a "natural" use, regardless of ownership. This is one example that is illustrative of our decision to allow unused space in Cambridge to be available to all. The effort was to make certain that everyone would feel as though the building belonged to them.

An immigrant from a particular country was seen picking fruit from a plum tree that was hanging over the sidewalk in my friend’s front yard. My friend was upset about it, until I asked him if he planned to use the fruit. He said no. I explained that in his neighbor’s country, as in many countries, fruit trees belong to the community, and his fruit would be put to good use and not wasted. He seemed to accept that.

In a Two-Thirds World country, a number of squatters moved onto some pasture which bordered on a main road. The land belonged to a missionary school. The missionaries had not built on the road, because they did not want the students to be subjected to the "bad influences" of the people living on the side of the road. The North American missionaries, who ran the school, went to court to remove the squatters. The judge ruled that the squatters had a right to remain on the land. What was more, he ruled that after five years, the squatters could also use the rest of the pasture. His reasoning was that the "natural" use of the land was for living and not pasture, because it adjoined the main road. The missionaries were distraught. Losing the use of that portion of their property was the same as having it stolen.

The enculturation process provides the cultural filters out of which come stereotypes, perceptions, traditions, customs, urban legends, and superstitions. We do not have to be captive to them, but we must fight them if we are to overcome them.

Socio-Economic Distance

This third degree of cultural separation represents a further distance in bridging cultural difference. Bringing the classes together in one congregation, particularly Protestant churches can be difficult. Although it has been done, one could argue that class may be even more difficult to bridge than race. The issue at stake here is feeling at home. When it has happened, in most cases, race had also been bridged before class.

Language Difference

Language is the fourth degree of cultural separation. When there is no easy way to communicate, language becomes the most difficult distance to bridge. Even with translation, language confusion can create all kinds of communication problems. These differences can be most noticeable, when churches share facilities. It is not practical to walk around with a translator at one’s side. In our multi-congregational structure, I was blessed with our four congregations and a large Chinese Bible study group. It was always possible to communicate with the pastors and leaders who shared the building with us. In my eight years at Cambridge, we always found a way to communicate. It is always good when everyone, to at least to some degree, speaks the same language. During that time there was never an angry word spoken, at least in my hearing.

What are your experiences when ministering to other cultures?

 

 

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[i] Adapted from material by Edward Steward, who wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Jasper Ingersoll, Department of Anthropology, Catholic University to the development of this table.

[ii] Adapted from my book “Reconnecting the Church: Finding Our Place in Complex Culture.”