Culture

1
Culture Church Growth

• Understanding Cultures Facilitates Church Growth

2
Culture Church Growth

• Definition of Culture
• Culture is the integrated system of learned
  patterns of ideas, values, behavior, and products
  characteristic of a society.
• Culture influences our perception of reality
• Men holding hands
• Cause of disease
• Acceptable food

3
Culture Church Growth

• Elements of Culture
• Integrated - all the components that make up
  culture function as an interrelated unit
• Learned - culture is learned and passed on from
  generation to generation
• Ideas - language and mental images use to
  describe reality
• Values - the worth and importance of ideas and
  ethical standards
• Behavior - the observable actions of members of
  the culture
• Products - visible items utilized in the culture
• Society - organized interaction of all elements
  to accomplish its goals

4
Culture Church Growth

• Areas of Cultural Diversity
• Gestures
• Language
• Personal space
• Physical items
• Life style
• Nucular- independent
• Patrilocal
• Extended
• Music

5
Culture Church Growth

• Cultural Perspectives
• Ethnocentric - tend to see our culture as best
• View other cultures from our home culture
  perspective
• Every culture has it good and evil aspects

6
Culture Church Growth

• Evangelism Cultural Distance
• E-0 is Christians teaching nominal Christians of
  the same culture who attend their churches but
  have not made Christ their Lord.
• E-1 is where evangelism occurs among people of
  highly similar cultures in the same language.
• E-2 is evangelism among people in similar
  cultures but with differing languages.
• E-3 is evangelism among distinctively different
  cultures and different languages.

7
Culture Church Growth

• Bridging - being able to bridge cultural barriers
  to effectively communicate the gospel.
• Problems with using nationals to avoid bridging.
• Support often goes only to supporting local
  preacher and not church planting
• How money is used is not known
• Gives people excuse not to go
• Tribalism, ethnic fighting, clan animosity
• Nationals face obstacles

8
Culture Church GrowthHow To Work Within A
Culture

• Extractionism vs. Identificationalism
• Extractionism - is pulling people out of their
  cultural environment and into the missionarys
  cultural norm.
• Identificationalism - is an empathy between
  communicants involving a compassionate,
  interpersonal, reciprocal sharing of feelings and
  concepts.

9
Culture Church GrowthHow To Work Within A
Culture

• Perspectives of Extractionism
• Learning
• Missionary has all the answers
• Really does not know the answers
• Expect to teach without learning to relate to the
  culture
• Relating to people
• People brought to their comfort zone
• Isolate themselves (wont eat or sleep among)
• Dont see local problems

10
Culture Church GrowthHow To Work Within A
Culture

• Perspectives of Extractionism
• Language
• Try communication without learning language
• Depend on translator
• Indigenous thought forms
• Keep western thought forms
• Will not see cultural dilemmas
• Ministry
• High use of institutions
• Superimpose their own cultural perspectives of
  think organization of local people

11
Culture Church GrowthHow To Work Within A
Culture

• Basic invalid assumption of extractionism
• Assumes all people are the same
• Seldom focuses on a specific audience
• Outside support is generally approved
• Problems with extractionism
• Tend to westernize cultures
• High degree of dependence on the missionary
• Highly indoctrinated

12
Culture Church Growth

• Perspectives on identificationalism
• Learning
• Learner first
• Teach with cultural perspective
• Relating to people
• Regard people as equals
• Participate in local customs (food, sleep,
  celebrate)
• Wisdom education not the same

13
Culture Church Growth

• Perspectives on identificationalism
• Indigenous thought forms
• Teach in a culturally understandable form
• Use illustrations in their cultural context
• Ministry
• Personalize ministry to the people
• Does not superimpose our own cultural thought
  forms or organizational ideas (e.g. decision
  making)

14
Culture Church Growth

• Qualities of identificational thinking
• Compassion
• Enter into the suffering of other people
• Understand peoples life situation (Mt. 936)
• Interpersonal report
• Personal training
• Open home - friendship
• Being a part of the community
• Reciprocity - One another scriptures
• Transparency
• Sharing
• Empathy

15
Culture Church Growth

• Inner Outer Identification
• Physical conformity does not necessarily prove
  identification
• Things vs. People
• Heart felt empathy bring more than physical
  conformity

16
Culture Church Growth

• Cultural Adaptation
• Enculturation - the process by which a child
  learns to be a functioning member of its home
  culture.
• Acculturation - the process by which an adult
  acquires the knowledge, skills, attitudes,
  values, behaviors to function within a new
  culture.
• Culture Jolts - experiencing cultural differences
  which one adapts to after an initial experience
  of newness and uncomfortableness.
• Culture Shock - experiencing cultural differences
  but not being able to adapt and live in harmony
  with the differences.