Identifying With and In Your Cultural Contexts For Disciple Making

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Identifying With and In Your Cultural Contexts For Disciple Making

A couple of years ago I was invited to a 3 day International round table discussion on Discipleship. During one of the discussions, I was able to share some thoughts about catalyzing a disciple making culture. About 20 minutes into the conversation a church leader from another country stood up and objected that I, as a “Gringo,” did not know or understand the context of the people here and that my advice wasn’t culturally applicable. Almost immediately, several others around the table objected to his objection. They were people who knew us. They were people who have seen the work of our ministry up close. They were the ones that have inspected the fruit of the missional ideas that we espouse. That wasn’t the first time an objection like that was directed towards us. That kind of objection can take on many forms. It’s both wonderful and bothersome when someone asks, “How can we take what you’re doing in your contexts and cultures and make it work in ours?”

It’s a difficult question to answer because “our context” is so very diverse, and the question itself might be one sided. It’s not “what works,” but “who works.” ”for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)

In the region of Ecuador where we work, there are more micro-cultures than in many other parts of the world. The reasons are extensive, but center on microclimates, micro-geographics, micro-economies and micro-stories. Initially when I was thinking through this, I was going to name some cities, towns, villages, and neighborhoods and describe the differences among them culturally. Then I decided it might be imprudent. Instead, here are some two-word descriptions of some of the communities we work in:

Transient Hosters

Intense Workers

Entitled Coveters

Agrarian Loners

Religious Protectors

Suffering Sinners

Isolationist Defenders

Curiosity Satiators

Tourist Pleasers

Inquisitive Seekers

Movement Joiners

Fearful Worriers

Prepared Listeners

Faithful Migrators

Tribal Warriors

Conquered Objectors

Hope Quitters

Forgotten Yearners

Tradition Maintainers

Disciple Makers

As I stated earlier, these are my “off the cuff” first thought, two-word descriptions of just some of the cultures we find ourselves working in. I don’t mean any of them to be derogatory. These reflections are meant to be thought provoking and representative of my initial assessments. Each of these would also have distinct sets of sub-cultures. The above list only represents about half of the communities that we have worked in. Discipleship in these contexts necessitates an adaptable manner of gospel delivery, but an unwavering message. So, in answering the question, ”How can we take what you’re doing in your context and make it work in ours?”, I would ask in return if any of these descriptions fit your context? Surely there are some similarities. Disciple Making is rooted in the Gospel. The Gospel is neither pre-modern, modern, or post-modern. The Gospel is trans-generational, trans-cultural, and trans-modern. We likewise do ourselves a disservice when we get bogged down in arguments of Eastern vs. Western and Hebraic vs. Greek thought because primarily, we are a people who are being transformed by the renewing of our minds. Additionally, we simply can not limit every human being to two schools or modes of thinking. There is no magic decoder ring for discipleship within different contexts or cultures. It’s simply being in and amongst people in motion while gospelizing and loving them and God.

A few questions:

1. What two-word description would you use to describe the context(s) you’re working in?

2. In what ways do you try to understand and identify with the cultures and contexts in which you live?

3. What contextual or cultural barriers exist where you are that impede disciple making?