Working Together in the Body of Christ

1
Working Together in the Body of Christ
Ethiopia Network meeting 4-27-07 Bill
Young
2
How Do We Work Together?

• Cultural and contextual issues
• Issues of Dependency

3
What is culture?????

• The integrated system of
• learned patterns of behavior
• ideas
• products
• characteristic of a society.

4
Culture
5
Cultural Feature Buying
From John Wimber, Power Evangelism, Harper 1986,
p. 190
6
Cultural Feature Youthfulness
From John Wimber, Power Evangelism, Harper 1986,
p. 190
7
Cultural Feature Age
From John Wimber, Power Evangelism, Harper 1986,
p. 190
8
Cultural Feature Clothing
From John Wimber, Power Evangelism, Harper 1986,
p. 190
9
The Role of WorldviewREALITY reality
All that happens What we believe
What we What we
Our view of (REALITY) possible
experience
analyze reality
From Charles Kraft, Christianity with Power,
1989 Vine Books, p. 19
10
The Role of WorldviewREALITY reality
Each culture has its understanding of REALITY,
which is their reality or worldview
We all assume our worldview is REALITY until we
encounter another worldview
We need the combination and correction of all
realities to get REALITY
11
McArthurs Corrective Map of the World
From Charles Kraft, Christianity with Power,
1989 Vine Books, p. 23
12
How Do We Do Mission Work?

• Cultural and contextual issues
• Issues of Dependency

13
Note much of the following material is based on
some from Rob Weingartner
14

• The demographic center of the church and the
  locus of the churchs mission initiative have
  shifted away from the West.

15

• From the West to the rest

• From everywhere to everyone

16

• Is this creating dependency?
• A more useful question
• Is the dependency in this mission relationship
  healthy or unhealthy?

17

• One-way flow of resources from us to them

• Sharing gifts as part of the worldwide body of
  Christ reciprocity

18

• We are doing mission for them (and for God)

• We are in mission together as parts of the body
  of Christ

19

• Unless we humbly, intentionally, and patiently
  build dialogical relationships and practice
  two-way mission with people, our cultural default
  is a demeaning one-way mission for people.
• Sherron George
• Called as Partners in Christs Service

20

• Rather than point Christians away from reliance
  upon one another, the Bible celebrates dependency
  in the body of Christ.
• This dependency is reciprocal and
  complementary .

21
We (PCUSA) Are Automatically in a Position of
Power in Relationships
22
Eight ways to create unhealthy dependency

• Ignore our position of power in relationships
• Make alliance with a lone ranger
• Send money directly to individuals
• Finance pastors and local churches
• Give resources based only on need
• Underwrite 100 of ministrys need
• Hire nationals to be your mission staff
• Do for others what they can do for themselves

23
How to get off course

• Assume you think alike
• Assume you understand and have the answer
• Dont worry too much about cultural differences
• Promise more than you can deliver
• Make it up as you go along
• Let them worry about language issues
• Save time by taking short-cuts
• Do what you can and trust God to take care of the
  rest of it
• Run a race with no end

24

• Focus on projects and money

• Priority on relationships going long and deep

25

• Mission is about what we do to change others
  lives

• Mission begins with own transformation and
  involves our continuing conversion

26

• The new global church realities invite us into a
  deep humility in which we let go of control and
  learn from the faith and faithfulness of the
  majority church.