Is it just me, or is the world getting smaller? Maybe Earth isn’t shrinking, but it is becoming easier to travel from here to there. In just the past few months, I have spoken with a Peruvian pastoring in Washington State, a Kenyan pastoring in Kansas City, and a Korean studying in Missouri with hopes of becoming a missionary to Taiwan. Some have called it globalization; others just say the world is becoming flat.¹ No matter what you call it, people and information can travel faster than ever. Did you know that nearly two-thirds of all active church members in America have visited or lived in another country?² Internet hot-sites like Youtube, Facebook, and Blogspot have made it possible for anyone to share their thoughts with the whole world in just seconds. This information explosion has made it almost impossible to identify distinct national cultures among developed countries, which means there’s not really any such thing as a unique American culture anymore.

This conversation is not anything new to most of us. As church leaders interested in cross-cultural ministry, this is something that we have realized for quite some time now. But if the world around us is becoming more and more like a global village, why is the local congregation still focused on its own specific ministries and problems? As Ephesians 4:1-6 tells us, there is only one Kingdom of God to which all Christians belong. So here’s the question: Are North American congregations taking their place among the universal Body of Christ?

If you have ever read a book on cross-cultural ministry, you know that sociologists and missiologists agree that almost everyone possesses some form of ethnocentricity. This means that most of us, consciously or unconsciously, think that our culture is the best. For over a century, North America has been sending missionaries all over the world and has been home to the highest concentration of Christians. For this reason, it makes sense that many North American congregations have a deeply ingrained belief that North America is the center of Christianity.

Since we are an international denomination that believes that there is one universal church, it is important that we understand how Christians around the world relate to one another. The fact is, all Christians are co-heirs with Christ and equal partners in the mission of God to reach and save the world. So, how can we look more like the Kingdom of God in our local congregations? There are several tools and ministries that God has been using all across America in congregations of all shapes and sizes that can help us make this transition.

Cultural Ministries: Many cities and towns in North America are filled with a large variety of cultures. Planning ministries or outreach events for a specific cultural group is a great way to expose our congregations to other cultures and expressions of Christianity. Often when immigrants first arrive in a new home, they seek out other members of their cultural group or nationality. When believers come together like this, they may form churches and need a place to worship. In the Fall of 2008, a man from Myan-Mar, formally called Burma but since renamed by its Buddhist government, stopped by our church office, looking for a place for a group of Burmese Christian refugees to gather for worship. Since that October, that congregation has been worshiping in our sanctuary free of charge every Sunday afternoon. In October 2009, they invited our English-Speaking congregation to an anniversary celebration and to a dinner of authentic Burmese food. Opening your building up for cultural-specific congregations is a great way to express partnership in the ministry of God. It also offers opportunities for your congregation to learn new things about other cultures.

Another great outreach tool that has been used worldwide is English as A Second Language (ESL) classes. Offering free English classes in North America is a great way to bring individuals from other cultural groups into your congregation, while helping those in need around you at the same time. Use this ministry as an opportunity to provide cross-cultural orientation for your congregation. ESL classes often lead to new congregations or churches.

Teaching & Discipleship: Right-living starts with right-believing. If we understand the theology that the Bible lays out for the church, living out what it means to be Christ’s Body becomes much easier. Sunday School, house churches, and small groups are a great place to teach what the Bible says about the Church. The unity of the Church and its inclusiveness for all who believe are major themes throughout the New Testament. Also, for those interested in history, it may be helpful to explain the Nicene Creed. For 1600 years, this creed has provided the theological basis of the four marks of the Church across denominations of all kinds. If these principles are explained in light of the global Church, and not just the local congregation, our relationship to Christians around the world becomes so much clearer.

Cultural Training Events are another way to help our churches see the significance in cultures other than their own. For example, the community of believers that I am a part of is predominately a white congregation. However, our church is in an urban community that is made up of a variety of races and ethnicities. Soon, our church will host an African-American friend of mine, as he shares some of the differences between the culture of our community and the culture of our congregation. Such an event helps create understanding and appreciation across cultures.

Revival Speakers: Nazarene churches of all sizes and cultural make-ups still bring in special speakers for revivals and special events. When was the last time your congregation had a speaker who was a different ethnicity than your congregation? Have you ever had a speaker come who had to speak through an interpreter? Seeing people of diverse backgrounds take part in the normal ministries of the church makes the partnership we share in God’s mission a visual reality.

Short-Term Mission Partnerships: Anyone who has gone on such a trip can testify to the life-change that these trips make. Often, those who go are changed as much or even more than those visited. Within the last five years, local congregations have become more intentional in their short-term mission endeavors. Instead of ministering to a new country or region on each trip, some churches have ventured into long-term partnerships with specific regions or churches in other countries. Bethany First Church of the Nazarene in Bethany, OK, for one example, has made a partnership with Swaziland.³ All of their Work & Witness and short-term mission trips are to the same place. Not only that, this partnership is a part of the everyday life of their church. This type of partnership, perhaps more than any other method, truly embodies the fellowship that Christ intended for His church.

As members of Christ’s body, we are all equal partners in this mission. At the center of our understanding of the Church is that it is One Body, and each local congregation and individual is a part of it.

Keith Davenport

Community Outreach Pastor
Victory Hills Church of the Nazarene
6200 Parallel Parkway,
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 299-4662