Toward a Theology of Cross-Cultural Ministry

Normally I try to write about Orphan Ministry in particular, but I thought that this time around I would write about working cross-culturally in ministry. This will actually be a bit more of a personal note or testimony about how I became interested in cross-cultural ministry. I was involved primarily in youth ministry in college. Working with youth is a lot like working with a foreign culture. Sometimes kids (even if they are only 5-6 years younger than you!) can seem like they are from a different planet. So, I told myself very specifically that I didn't think I would ever get involved with missions. I think that is about the exact same time that God began to peak my interest in missions (you know how it is). I then heard the famous illustration of World A, World B, and World C. Basically it goes as follows: the body of Christ spends most of its time pouring resources into World A: the small sliver of the earth's population that has heard all about Jesus three thousand times already. Some of us spend some time ministering to those people in World B: the 25% or so of humanity who has some sort of faint notion of who Jesus is (wasn't he a rapper in the 90s? they might ask). Then basically no one ministers and works with those in World C who have never heard the name Jesus and know no one who does know the name Jesus. So you have most Hindus, Muslims, or Indigenous peoples around the world who have very little statistical chance of meeting anyone who follows the way of Jesus.
WOW! That is challenging for those of us who have been preparing to go into ministry. If our calling is where the need is then the direction of that calling becomes very clear. Well, the other piece of theological wisdom that pierced my heart and led me toward missions was Paul's bit in 2 Corinthians 8:13-14
"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality",
So, Paul tells churches on one side of the world that there is real physical/material/financial need among some of the churches on the other side of the world. Paul says that shouldn't be and that what should be is: equality. Hmm, I thought. If I have something to give (my time, my willingness, the ability to travel to the other side of the world); then I should give it a shot because God desires equality and calls us to help one another out. Paul's point was that there will come a time when you have need, so give to others if you ever hope for anyone else to give to you.
That is why I do what I do. Let me know if God calls you to go with us to Russia, or if your preference is to go to Namibia or Turkmenistan after reading this. These are the things that spurred me on. It would be interesting to hear if you felt the same about these admonitions.