Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Cross-cultural mission.

The ultimate in cross-cultural mission occurred when "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1: 14a). Ever since, followers of the Word have continued to cross cultural boundaries in a plethora of ways with the good news of Jesus Christ. While all Christians are called to mission, not all are equally gifted in communicating the gospel in settings foreign to their own backgrounds. In what ways are some more gifted to work cross-culturally than others, and why? Do these people have anything in common with one another? Are there some identifiable similarities that could have predicted their effectiveness early in their educational process? Are there ways to identify people who will be effective in cross-cultural ministry? Perhaps even more important, can we prepare young people to be effective in communicating the gospel in a variety of cultural contexts?

With these questions in mind, we need to explore the situation in our world and the church. The need for identifying and preparing such gifted leaders will then become evident.

The effects of sin

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and God saw that it was good. However, sin permeated every aspect of creation, including relationships between humans and God, within families, among people of different cultural backgrounds, within communities, and between those with power and those without power. Every human relationship was and is affected by sin, and the result was (and is) both individual and systemic. The consequences of sin are alienation, injustice, exclusion, oppression, racism, subjugation, and domination. God's salvation for all of creation--for individuals and for systems--is not simply a return to the Garden. It is a reality expressed in metaphors that surpass garden and invite all into community. Two different but complementary biblical metaphors form the basis for understanding cross-cultural mission: (1) breaking down dividing walls and (2) inviting all to the banquet table.

The good news is that the walls, built with strong bricks of sin, causing alienation and separation and depicted poignantly in the stories in Genesis, have been broken down. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, "he has... broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us" and has reconciled "both groups to God in one body through the cross" (Eph 2:11-22).

The second biblical metaphor is that of banquet. The banquet is inclusive, embracing all who will come. However, even when the banquet is all-encompassing, not all are perceived to be included. Some exclude themselves because they think they are the only ones included, or they do not allow themselves the time to accept an invitation to the banquet. Others are excluded because they are on the highways and byways and have not heard the invitation and therefore do not know they are invited. The mission is to break down the perceived dividing walls already nonexistent because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and to prepare the way to the banquet table, to which all are indeed invited.

In Holy Communion we experience the "foretaste of the feast to come," a taste of the banquet to end all banquets. In this sacramental banquet, we are embraced by God; it is Christ's table, prepared and set for all. We, therefore, are called to make space for others within ourselves and to invite them to the table. This community banquet has implications for mission and for those who participate in Eucharist and mission. Both are inseparable. Eucharist assumes mission, and mission assumes crossing over barriers--perceived or real. The evangelical effect is that both individuals and structures alike are redeemable, by the grace of God. All are welcome at the table.

Whom, then, shall I send?

Identifying people with potential for cross-cultural mission

The haunting question from Isaiah, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" expresses the need for individuals who, though they are a part of a lingering system of sin, are also leaders in the redeemed community. Such leaders serve within structures that represent the meaning of simul justus et peccator. They have experienced the liberation and reconciliation of walls that are no more and have committed their lives and their ministries to announcing that the walls are gone and extending the invitation to Christ's banquet.

In order to discover identifiable common qualities and/or experiences of such leaders, I interviewed thirteen people who had been nominated as effective in cross-cultural mission. (These in-depth interviews were apart of the ethnographic research for my Doctor of Ministry thesis. The interviewees represented a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and denominations.) These individuals are among those that God has called and sent to cross over broken-down walls with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their faith and their commitment to God's mission were clear. Now the task was to discover common qualities among them and explore whether these qualities could be identified in others.

My task was to ask deep, open-ended questions that would elicit stories and reveal the patterns and characteristics of those interviewed. I recorded their stories and information, charted the common categories, and discovered eleven common qualities and two similar experiences.

Common qualities

1. Personal humility/Confidence in God. Heidi said, "I have learned how little depends on me and how really amazing God's grace is." Tom spoke about how God is reconciling the world and "building community from a fundamentally different perspective than the world builds community." He added, "Sometimes I think God is saying, 'This is my church. Trust me with this one.' That's why I laugh and will not give in to despair."

2. Compassion and respect for the other. George said, "If you don't have love for the community, you can't do the Great Commission. If you can't learn to love the people, you can't evangelize. You have to have passion for ministry and compassion for people."

3. Sense of justice. Joe was serving a congregation in Birmingham, Alabama, when the four little black girls were killed in the church bombing on September 15, 1963. Joe was thrust into the midst of the civil rights movement and into relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. He was also thrust into a counter-relationship with his own district president, who did not want him to get involved. Joe said, "Justice ministry is an important aspect of living and proclaiming the gospel. It is part of the heart of the gospel, especially when walking with the poor and those who are on the edge. Justice ministry is a sign of God's love to the world."

4. Risk taking. Donald, a Native American lay leader, told me, "I often push myself to bring up the hard questions and to open up discussion. Otherwise there is all of the unsaid stuff that leads to conflict. We won't find harmony or what direction we should go if we are afraid of offending or we just don't care. I do this in my Episcopal Church. I ask the logical questions about things that are inconsistent." But he also spoke about the weight of this gift when he said, "I do get into trouble sometimes but I am able to handle that. It's a hard gift." His primary question is, "How do you say the hard things diplomatically?" His pastor calls him a prophetic voice in their congregation and in the church.

5. Patience, joy, and resilience for the long haul. Karen, an ELCA missionary, spoke about her work in the community health program in Chile. She said, "We are in a 'U.S. McDonalds' culture. But ministry and justice and building communities cannot be done in five minutes. It takes long-term vision on a day-to-day basis. Also, we don't have to do everything; we are not the master. We are out there planting seeds. We need to recognize there is someone else in charge." She also said that "too many things come and quickly go in poor communities; nothing stays." She described how a woman in Chile has asked her when she would be leaving. She said the poor assume that everything good will end. The community health program and the Lutheran Church are "so good in the life of the poor. I want this to last."

6. Flexibility to live with tension and ambiguity. Curtiss spoke directly about his own "ability to live in ambiguity and tension for a while" as he sorts through some controversial social issues from both atheological and pastoral perspective. He went on, "on race, gender, class I have a clear witness from the Bible, but on some of these other issues it is not clear to me yet. However, if something is dehumanizing I am clear on that. I am willing to learn to keep talking and living in tension until I can discover some tentative answers. There are places for boundaries and places for boundaries to be stretched." John also talked about the importance of being able to live creatively in ambiguity and to be able to adapt to new situations.

7. Collegial approach to ministry. Jose spoke about how all ministry is done in community. "No one can fulfill one's vocation alone. Unfortunately we live in a country that defines success in individual terms, but I think successful ministry is more accurately a collective effort done in community. I celebrate that as a gift of God." Ken said, "When God died on the cross he had determined that we would be friends in heaven. This compels us to live out the meaning of that on earth."

8. Clarity of one's own cultural identity. Susan said, "I have learned that I can't take my culture off; whatever I do I will do through my culture. I don't want to deny who I am; it would be dishonest. I need to have a handle on my own culture in order to be multicultural. I have added on to who I am, but I am still the same person. I have just been expanded."

9. Musical talent and speaking the language of the people. Five of those interviewed spoke of the importance of their musical background in their ministry. Eight spoke about their ability to "speak the language" as critical to their ministry. Their understanding of the others' language and appreciating the culture go together. While not everyone who is effective in cross-cultural ministry will be particularly gifted in music, language and music may indeed provide a cultural bridge.

10. Sense of humor. Donald said, "We are taught that we cannot hold intimate conversation in certain circumstances except through humor. I am sometimes seen as a clown. People will say. 'That crazy Donald!' I don't know why, but it seems to work." Perhaps this sense of humor also allows these cross-cultural leaders to be resilient, even in the face of sometimes difficult, always challenging work. A sense of humor may keep them from taking any one incident or situation or themselves too seriously.

11. Communication skills--written and oral. Almost all of those interviewed have had experience in speaking in workshops and presentations of many kinds, preaching in a variety of situations, sometimes in two languages, and writing in assorted venues. Ability to express oneself clearly enhances cross-cultural ministry.

Experiential learning

In addition to the common qualities, I discovered in my interviews that two kinds of early experiences played a significant role in shaping their ability to cross cultural boundaries. The first was the supportive and unconditional acceptance experienced within family or community or church. Here a secure sense of cultural identity and belonging gave stability and comfort to them at a relatively young age. This experience could be identified as a community of grace.

The second kind of experience was an early cross-cultural encounter that the interviewees credited with opening their eyes to a larger world than that which they had previously known. These encounters became turning points and faith-defining moments in their lives, after which they were no longer quite the same again. The experiences transformed their lives and shaped their future vocations. They could be identified as experiences of challenge.

Implications and recommendations

The identification of common qualities and similar experiences has implications for families, congregations, seminaries, and the church. As we raise up leaders for cross-cultural mission, some of those implications are:

For families: Make "home" a safe and secure place of belonging for all within. Communicate unconditional acceptance and love in no uncertain terms. Allow and encourage children and youth to be open to "the other" in their friendships and encounters. Give children a global awareness through invitations to people different from themselves into their midst and by taking them out into communities of diversity.

For congregations: See the congregation as (1) a community of support and mentoring for everyone, a place where children and youth, in particular, experience the body of Christ surrounding them, and (2) a mission center, inviting the world inside the doors as well as providing opportunities for travel, study, and global exposure.

For seminaries: Continue the trend in most seminaries to globalize the educational process and connect theology to context in real and authentic ways. Seminaries should also identify those students (and those prospective students) who have had early experiences that may have prepared them for cross-cultural mission and who exemplify the qualities named in those already effective in cross-cultural mission.

For candidacy committees: Emphasize the importance of recognizing and identifying pastoral and diaconal candidates who have potential for cross-cultural mission. These candidates should then be given support, nurture, and a challenge to test whether God is calling them to cross cultural borders with the gospel.

As we identify future leaders with the characteristics, qualities, and experiences needed for effective cross-cultural mission, and as seminaries give the necessary preparation, the church will more fully carry out its vocation. That mission calling is to invite all to gather around the banquet of the Lord, to eat and drink in a community redeemed and made one by the grace of God.

For further reading

Chenua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (New York: Fawcett Crest, 1959).

Joseph Barndt, Dismantling Racism: The Continuing Challenge to White America (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1991).

David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991).

Orlando E. Costas, Christ Outside the Gate: Mission Beyond Christendom (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1982).

Curtiss DeYoung, Reconciliation: Our Greatest Challenge--Our Only Hope (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1997).

Edward Farley, Good and Evil: Interpreting a Human Condition (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1990).

James W. Fowler, Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1981).

Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures (New York: Basic Books, 1973).

George R. Hunsberger and Craig Van Gelder, The Church between Gospel and Culture (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1996).

Lesslie Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1989).

Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America (Boston: Little, Brown, 1993).

Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration ofldentity, 0therness, and Reconciliation (Nashville: Abingdon, 1996).

Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1992).

Nancy Maeker asks how we can prepare young people to be effective in communicating the gospel in a variety of cultural contexts. The consequences of sin are alienation, injustice, exclusion, oppression, racism, subjugation, and domination. Two biblical metaphors form the basis for understanding cross-cultural mission: breaking down dividing walls and inviting all to the banquet. Some of the qualities needed in cross-cultural mission are personal humility, confidence in God, compassion and respect for the other, a sense of justice, willingness to take a risk, patience, joy, and resilience for the long haul. Two early experiences are also crucial: supportive and unconditional acceptance in family or community and early cross-cultural encounter. The article closes with recommendations for families, congregations, seminaries, and candidacy committees on how to raise up leaders for cross-cultural mission.