• Our hope-filled future is bound up in sharing the story of Jesus, in discipling others, in bringing those disciples together into communities of believers, and in developing and releasing those believers to create other communities... till Jesus the King comes again!

Going more “contextual”

Posted on August 26, 2010 by wtdavid

Going “contextual” can’t just be limited to the words one uses or hears.  Meaning and transformation is also conveyed through one’s life, actions and the frameworks that one uses to serve others.  This came home to me in a prophetic or transformational way recently at the house church/Bible study we attend.  Though I was part of the team that was at the origin of the current group, I had deliberately taken a more facilitative role, encouraging the others to assume leadership direction.

On the last meeting night before the summer break, the main leader announced that we should be praying about creating a second group in the fall.  I almost fell out of my chair.  This is what so many of us hope and pray for, that is, that a group catches the multiplicational spirit and actually moves to create other communities. 

I approached the leader right after the meeting and shared with him that I was willing to help in any way that I could in the launch of this new community.  Without even hesitating, he reminded me that I was too busy and my offer was a little unrealistic. Besides, he said, “What more could you do?  I just appreciate the fact that you’re around and I can talk through situations with you that come up in the group.” 

My pride certainly took a hit.  Who wouldn’t want to jump back in to working such a neat initiative?  But, the facilitative stance I had sought to take far outweighed my words, and had liberated this leader not only to move the group forward, but also to speak transformationally to my heart.

Filed under: Contextualization, Mentoring | Leave a comment »

Going “contextual”

Posted on August 25, 2010 by wtdavid

The YouTube clip from yesterday by James Choung raises a number of issues for us, but one in particular is that of contextualization. It’s a word we insert into numerous conversations in our work.  Yet, a complete definition is somewhat difficult to come by.  Paul Hiebert, in his work, Anthropological Insights for Missionaries, writes: “The gospel calls not only individuals but societies and cultures to change.  Contextualization must mean the communication of the gospel in ways the people understand, but that also challenge them individually and corporately to turn from their evil ways.” 

Going “contextual” in our work would mean that our sharing of the Gospel story, for example, is done in such a way that people can grasp and understand the message in their context, and that the message has a prophetic, transformational character or thrust. 

I really like that second element: the prophetic or transformational thrust.  But as I reflected on the clip from yesterday, I realized that I am not as enamored by that second element when it is “directed” towards me and my heart.  As the light of the Gospel is shown on my heart, it should reveal areas where further change is needed.  Perhaps, this is where going “contextual” is hard for me (and others) as it means a work not only in the hearts of others, but in my heart as well.  Am I grasping and understanding God’s message to me today through His Word?  And am I open to the transformational thrust being called for by that message?

Filed under: Contextualization, Sharing the Gospel story | Leave a comment »

Applied “Out of Context” Thinking

Posted on August 24, 2010 by wtdavid

I’ve done a good deal of reading the past few weeks, and one author I read mentioned the following YouTube clip.  As a preliminary introduction to the clip, he wrote: “The church has an amazing opportunity to become what God is hoping it will become. It’ll take the resculpting of our organizations and corporate culture, the incubation of new art forms, new languages and expressions, new symbols, flexible ways of being organized and led, and even a fuller explanation of what we know as the gospel.” (Underline mine)  I was intrigued, and so I watched.

I was struck by the fact that here was someone trying to apply “out of context thinking” to the very message we seek to contextualize and share.  Now you may not wholeheartedly agree with how the clip presents the Gospel story, but I would suggest we consider one bigger question: What could we learn from such a presentation that would aid or influence our sharing of the Gospel story?

Filed under: Innovation, Sharing the Gospel story | 4 Comments »

Who Am I And How Are Others Receiving Me?

Posted on August 19, 2010 by wtdavid

In response to my most recent post (“A Developmental Mindset”), Noah made the following observation: It is our privilege in mobilization to foster a person’s awareness of their giftedness, in full recognition of their Creator and Redeemer’s authorship in their story. It is our privilege to point them to their Creator’s redeeming process in their lives.  That got me thinking.  We have been emphasizing the importance of other-centered development in several posts, but we should not neglect our own personal development as well.

One of the core elements for training in the Gospel Leader Profile is self-awareness, and one of the ways to describe it is as follows:

Self-awareness of one’s own need for the Gospel and personal development in relation to God, self and other team members.  A leader reflects a proper estimate of their own strengths and weakness and also seeks insights from others around them.  They keep a close check on their physical and emotional health in the varying seasons of life.  They seek to maintain healthy boundaries in relationships and on the use of their time.

Once again, if we ‘re-wrote’ this statement for all cross-cultural workers, we might come up with something like: “Self-awareness of one’s own need for the Gospel and personal development in relation to God, self and other team members.  A worker with a cross cultural heart reflects a proper estimate of their own strengths and weaknesses and also seeks insights from others around them.”  As soon as I put the statement that way, I realized that “insights from others” could come from a variety of sources, including short and mid-term workers whom I might be developing.

Then I began to wonder about my level (our level) of openness to receive such insights from others; to potentially be developed by others whom we are developing.  My own pride and self righteousness can stand in the way of that approach.  I realized I had missed a key phrase in what Noah had written: “It is our privilege to point them to their Creator’s redeeming process in their lives.”  And I would add, it’s our privilege to be pointed back to our Creator’s redeeming process in our lives. 

Self-awareness is that ongoing process where God shows us again and again our need to “first look upon His face, and then turn from contemplating Him to scrutinize ourselves.”  It’s Gospel self-awareness that we are ultimately after.

Filed under: Humility, Mentoring, Mobilization | 2 Comments »

A Developmental Mindset

Posted on August 17, 2010 by wtdavid

I’ve been trying to get back into a regular running routine; that’s my best exercise. Normally, I’m out three times a week with each run involving a different program (long distance, speed work, etc).  However, travel and most recently a bad case of shingles have set me back a bit in that routine.  As I was thinking about starting up again the last week of August, I found myself just beginning from where I left off.  In fact, I was even considering of adding some biking or swimming on the off days.  Obviously, you recognize as I did, somewhat more slowly, that the notion of “development” was missing.  There was no thought of how to slowly move up again towards the training level I was hoping to reach.  I simply wanted to get going now and not have to go through the different stages again to reach that consistent level of training.

Maybe that is why the development of others (see recent posts on short and mid-term workers) is complex and often wearisome because it involves walking with someone through the “stages” of development. 

Dr. Bobby Clinton wrote in his book, The Making of a Leader: “God develops a leader over a lifetime.  That development is a function of the use of events and people to impress leadership lessons upon a leader (processing), time, and leader response.  Processing is central to the theory.  All leaders can point to critical incidents in their lives where God taught them something important.”  Would the same hold true if we replaced the notion of leader with “cross cultural worker”? 

The statement might then read: “God develops a worker with a cross cultural heart over a lifetime.  That development is the function of the use of events and people to impress cross cultural lessons upon a cross cultural worker (processing), time, and cross cultural worker response.  Processing is central to the theory.  All workers with a cross cultural heart can point to critical incidents in their lives where God taught them something important.”

If that statement is in any way true, it should impact how I view the first day, week, month and year with a new worker.  And it should impact how I relate and “develop” that person.

Filed under: Mentoring, Mobilization | 2 Comments »

Out of Context Thinking About Interns & Short-Term Teams

Posted on August 12, 2010 by wtdavid

Some of you were probably wondering after reading my post from the other day (08.09.2010): “What was that innovative idea about using interns that David had come up with while on that trail in southeastern France?”  The idea was not what was most important. It was the principle(s) which caused me to look at a project from a different perspective, an “out of context” perspective, and which gave rise to innovative ways of approaching a project, namely working with interns. 

Priscilla Stothers, in her article in the most recent eLink (July/August edition): Why Bother With Short-Termers?  A World Teamer’s Perspective, does an excellent job of rehearsing this very thought, that it is a principled approach that can give rise to innovative ideas.  She writes: “The missionary can play a key role, serving as a bridge between two worlds, preparing both the team and nationals for the enriching experience that will bless all involved. If a short-term team humbly offers their talents and resources to the church / community and invite missionary and national leaders to be involved in deciding how best to use their gift for the sake of the Kingdom, good things can happen. When both the team and the nationals work alongside one another in a mutual effort the team is challenged to listen to the “heart” of the host and to deepen their grasp of what God is doing here.”

Rather than seeing interns and short-term teams as an intrusion or a bother, Priscilla pushes us to consider how they can actually grow in spiritual character formation as well as help us (long term workers and national churches) complete needed ministry tasks while serving alongside of us.  The ultimate goal is not to give people a good experience, but to help them, and us, “deepen their grasp of what God is doing here.”  Now that would certainly change the way we approach workers and teams coming out on a shorter term basis.

So, what do you think?  Part of the Global Mobilization Project Plan approved by the WT International board in May 2010 is to increase the number of opportunities and avenues for people to experience and engage in cross-cultural ministry (short and mid-term workers).  What “out of context” approaches should we be considering or avoiding?

Filed under: Innovation, Mobilization | 3 Comments »

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