Hello All!
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter (Resurrection Sunday). It’s been a beautiful three weeks here in Biga, Turkey. I have been with my new team, “Sweet Tea”. While here in Biga, ministry has looked quite different than what it has looked like from the past countries. While we are connected with a ministry host here, there is a lot more flexibility as there is not a set agenda or schedule (except for two days, church on Saturdays and English club on Wednesdays). Otherwise, it really is an Ask the Lord (ATL) experience in which we are going out in the community and building relationships.
During this time in Turkey, I have begun to read one of my books for my Master’s Degree program titled, “Ministering Cross Culturally” by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter and Marvin K. Mayers. This book, while informing me a lot about other cultures and how they operate in the aspects of time, events, crisis, tasks, relationships, etc., it has been really eye-opening for myself and the “cultural repertoire” that I myself hold. For example, understanding that I’m person oriented over task oriented helps me to understand why I enjoy building relationships with others and why I enjoy it so much over just doing tasks and chores. In contrast, being a dichotomostic thinker who likes everything planned out, scheduled, organized, and categorized makes it hard for me just “go with the flow”. As this has been a struggle that I myself have wrestled with here in our ministry, I have learned that it’s not particularly wrong, but rather an aspect that I can continue to work on and develop in.
Being here in a foreign country for an extended amount of time (about a month and a half) and being immersed within the culture (the language, customs, and mannerisms), it makes you very self-aware of your own. But it also makes you aware of how you present your culture. What I mean by this is: are you acclimating into the other culture or are you trying to impose your own upon them? Like “Ministering Cross Culturally” has stated, “We must enter the community of strangers… and begin as children, learning at the feet of those as we have gone to serve. We must be willing to continually add to our cultural repertoire and become at least culturally sensitive and responsive as ‘world’ rather than ‘national’ Christians” (Lingenfelter & Mayers, 14). In fewer words, we must become leaners of the culture. Paul speaks about this as well in 1 Corinthians 9:19 -23 in which he states:
‘Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. ‘ -1 Corinthians 9:19-23
In all of this, I am wanting to say that I am learning that we must not just share the message with the people we are ministering to but also share life with them. In America especially, I see a lack of this within our evangelical approach to sharing the Gospel. Many are willing to acknowledge Christ, some are willing to share Christ, but I think few are willing to follow and live like Christ in which He did life with the people that He ministered to. So may this be encouragement, not condemnation, to evaluate whether you are “practicing what you preach” and “living the message that you are sharing”.
With Love,
Hunter Land
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