I ran across this quote today and thought it was worth posting in place of our ongoing discussion on what we mean by “church”. I have used the word “workers” to replace the normal word used:
“All workers now have a new role of inbetweeners. They are bridge-persons, culture brokers, who stand between worlds and help each to understand the other. They stand between the church and unreached people and between churches and missions in different lands. This calls for a new understanding of the psychological, social, and cultural nature of the workers of the future. They must truly be bicultural or transcultural people, living in different worlds but not fully at home in any of them.”
I am an “inbetweener” in my life as a believer as I experience the “already and the not yet”, seeking to bridge living in this world with the longing to be in the full presence of my Father. But I am also an “inbetweener” in my work with others, seeking to build bridges of relationships whereby the message of the Father can be shared with many.
There’s a lot to consider in being an “inbetweener”.
Filed under: Contextualization, Crossing cultures, Mission |
Thoughts Along The Journey 
I like the term – thanks for this. Sometimes it just helps to recognize this idea because feeling ‘out of place’ would seem quite natural for an ‘inbetweener.’ Out of place between our current home and our true Home…out of place in the cultures we serve within… out of place when spending most of our time with those who don’t share our worldview and beliefs… Being an inbetweener forces us into permanent Arms to hold us when the ‘inbetweenness’ gets overwhelming. He is Enough.
I guess that’s why the Gospel is a core element of our daily lives; reminding us of the arms of the Father into which we can run at any moment.