Australian College of Ministries

Subject: LCB120 Culture and Ministry

Lecturer: Bruce Pederson

Date of Subject: 13^th – 16^th July, 1999

Ministry Centre of Subject: Carlingford

Student’s Name: Grant Mitchell

Student’s ID: C9901028

Item Of Work: Essay

Words: 1980

Worth: 60% of subject mark

Date Submitted:

Due Date: Friday 22^nd October 1999

Signed:_____________________________ Date:______________

God’s truths are the foundations of mission. Unfortunately it is my love of my own culture that has often misrepresented this truth, and not allowed it to be expressed in a relevant manner. I believe that through redefining some of the "old" practices, and working through relationship, the chasm between God and the world will be bridged by the church, with me included as a bridge-builder.

A starting point in mission is not only knowing the God that I am sharing, but also being absolutely and resolutely committed to the truth revealed by God. The first struggle I have found then is to discern what is the absolute, unchanging truth amidst the vast changes of history and the relative truths of the present age. Some of the principles I have been taught, such as being polite, I have come to learn are not directly related to scriptural truth, but are far more connected with the culture I am a part of. [1]

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, one of these truths I am committed to is obedience to Christ. If I am to communicate Christ to others, then my obedience to him must live out in words and actions: and the way this occurs, the style that is used, will differ in different places and with different people. In some of the circumstances I have been in when ministering to youth I have had to live out my obedience to Christ rather than sacrificing it to "develop trust", eg. refusing to buy alcohol for an under-age adolescent.

However, it is situations such as these that have challenged me to determine whether I am trying to move a person toward conversion to faith, or merely cultural change. The world of youth, a "pre-Christian world … tribal, face-to-face culture needs to hear about the kingdom of God and Jesus’ power over the world of spirits." [2] What they don’t need is for me to change the way they do things that have very little to do with faith in Christ, eg. the style of music they listen to, the clothes they wear, the words they speak. Admittedly some Christians will struggle with some of these issues, and even be offended by them (such as through foul language), but I am far from expecting youth to be perfect before they know Christ as Lord, and similarly even after they know Christ as Lord. There is a process they will undergo, and this means freedom to keep or leave some of the practices they have as youth without being made to feel guilty about them.

Often "we will assume that our own theology is simply theology undoubtedly in its purest form." [3] This attitude is childish! Some of the ways we view God have been so strongly shaped by our society, right from the appearance of Jesus [4] to the way we prevent homosexuals from even thinking about stepping into our churches. [5]

I have been greatly challenged to look at my own ethnocentricity. I have to admit that I do love my own culture; I am afraid to let go of it and stand outside of it. There is a connection between my own identity and the identity of my culture. [6] It can be a draining experience (yet still rewarding) when I spend time with youth doing the things they like that I don’t necessarily like, eg. listening to a band playing a style of music I don’t prefer.

However, as my idea of ministry has transformed from the "child-minding" mentality of youth groups, to a disciple of Jesus involved in the lives of youth, I have learnt the strengths of putting myself in their shoes. "The key for successful personal relationships and ministry is to understand and accept others as having a viewpoint that is as worthy of consideration of our own." [7] The times I have given youth value by not merely listening to them, but supporting their choices without prejudging their actions, I have seen significant growth in opportunities to speak what I believe into their lives.

This attitude and method has stretched me. It has placed me outside my comfort zone. Often I have wanted to say, "No you shouldn’t have done that!" Instead I have listened and tried to understand, "What was it like for you in that situation? (For I may have made the same mistake myself given the circumstances)."

In letting go of my ethnocentrism and being more involved in the lives of youth, I believe we need to take a queue from secular society and realise that "ministry, like information, needs to be ‘refreshed’ or it decays and stagnates." [8] The pagan world around us can adapt to changing circumstances; why can’t we who are disciples of Jesus? Is it a never ending circle – our ethnocentrism blocks us from changing and so prevents us from meaningful mission, and without being involved in meaningful mission we don’t learn how to be involved in the secular society that is ever changing?

Thank God that He had some idea when Paul wrote, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." [9] Paul may have seen the struggles that the early church had in bringing Gentiles into a Jewish group tied up with Jewish culture; yet he persisted so that the blessings of the gospel could be shared by all. It is this compassion that I find compels me most to not merely understand another culture, but to become some part of it, so that youth may know Christ. Gone are the thoughts of "they’ll get it when they’re older" – youth can know Christ now!

To truly reach another culture, to reach youth, I must redefine the old to become relevant to the youth culture. Everything has use-by-dates; but I think that some things can be recycled. They will definitely look different to how they used to be. Risk – think outside the circle. We actually have a youth church once a month (although most don’t realise that it could rightly be called a church), but even this is only a scratch on the surface. "Christianity … in the … New Testament is not conservative but dynamic, adaptive, unafraid to risk…"; [10] if they weren’t afraid to take a risk and try to bridge the gap between Jew and Gentile, then I am inspired to do the same between youth and the church as it is.

We need to "embrace change and be flexible." [11] The way things are done in church are often only a cultural expression. It is difficult to enlighten people about this when they have lived with traditions that seem to be God’s absolute truth. Style is a great area where flexibility may have its first steps in bringing necessary change to reach youth. At my church we realise that there are different mission targets at the different services, and so the styles of the services do differ. The evening service has been catered to a more youthful group, and it has adapted even over a small space of time.

The struggle is mostly in educating some of the "mature in faith" of the church to allow the rate of change and flexibility to increase. Church needs to be redefined. It is more than a building, more than a group of believers, more than a point of mission. Church is where God’s unchanging character meets with the differing cultures of our society. "If we are to minister successfully to the members of a different society, we must learn about and participate in their culture; we must even learn to do things in their way rather than our own." [12] God has appreciated us enough to participate in our culture through Christ. Our church should follow the example, learn about and participate in the life and culture of those youth that are being challenged and discipled for Christ.

This is where "the creation of a strong sense of community is critical." [13] If we are to redefine what is old to become relevant, then the unchanging constant is relationship. Building relationship with youth has been the most powerful method of learning how to redefine church, how to redefine old doctrines into new ones, without sacrificing the absolute truth of God’s revelation.

Reaching anyone, youth included, with the gospel is complex. It requires more than a shortened plan of salvation and a calling for decision. This is why it involves relationship. It is through relationship that God has called us to himself – by his Holy Spirit, and through other believers. We should be committed to the same when we are missionaries. When I teach Scripture in high school, it is less the teaching that impacts the lives of the youth, and more the personal stories and relational interactions.

Teaching truth can often be much simpler; but relationship involves personal sacrifice, especially when it means giving grace and mercy. God’s truth is that he is relational, and he has given us grace and mercy. By whatever means possible, without jeopardising my obedience to Christ, I will form relationships with youth, not because they deserve it, but because God’s grace shows me I can be gracious to them, so that they can share in the blessings of the gospel.

There is still so much to learn about whom the adolescents of today are, and what does it mean to try to live in a post-modern culture (of which my own culture is only partly living in). I am still on a path to understanding; and I have quite a while yet to travel before I will fully appreciate the way youth are, the way they dress, the way they talk, and the way they act. I am even growing in the small things, like a preference to talk more on Internet chat than face-to-face. I am looking forward to the time I will live with an informed judgment of adolescents today; and then I may have to keep travelling a similar journey as today’s children become tomorrow’s adolescents.

Bridging the chasm between youth and God is not something I am ignoring or merely leaving others to do. I am a bridge builder. Youth want to know that I am realistic, rather than being perfect. I am beginning to drop the masks of perfection theology and need-to-be-loved, and learning how I can relate deeply with youth. God’s truth will be lived out more in my dependence on God’s grace than in my wise and wonderful words.

Similarly so, the local church is a bridge-builder. It is not merely a self-encouraging closed unit, a clique. It is a centre for mission. Our local churches need to continually look upward to God, and then outward to others whom God wants to see saved. This heart for mission will transform our knowledge of truth into relevant methods and styles.

I am also involved in building bridges in schools. The blessing of the ISCF movement has actually placed a church that has some relevance to the mission field around it – a student run group in the midst of a student filled environment. I am inspired to see not merely my favourite ways of doing things, but the styles of the school and its youth, used in encouraging the Christian students, and then reaching out to those who don’t know Christ as Lord.

I have experienced relationship with God. I have seen God make his truth relevant to me through Christ, and through other Christians. It is this grace of God that draws me to continue to minister with ever-changing methods for an ever-changing world: to minister with post-modern concepts for youth that are living in a pre-Christian society. The church is the bridge builder; and I am one of those helping to build the bridge.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright Ó 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.