Ministering Cross-Culturally: A Model for Effective Personal Relationships 3rd ed.
Overview
This model for effective personal relationships in a multicultural and multiethnic world has proven successful for many. On the occasion of its thirtieth anniversary, this contemporary classic has been thoroughly updated to reflect Sherwood Lingenfelter’s mature thinking on the topic and to communicate with modern readers, helping them minister more effectively to people of different cultural and social backgrounds.
Key Features
- Examines various Scriptural materials to see what they teach about relationships
- Explores how relational principles can be applied in concrete behaviors
- Helps readers gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the people with whom they live
Contents
- God’s Metaphor for Ministry: Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God
- A Model of Basic Values
- Tensions about Time
- Tensions regarding Judgment
- Tensions Associated with Handling Crises
- Tensions over Goals
- Tensions about Self-Worth
- Tensions regarding Vulnerability
- Ministering Cross-Culturally
- Appendix: Basic Values Questionnaire
Top Highlights
“Paul uses the verbal, abstract, and rational thinking that was characteristic of Greek philosophy rather than the pictorial, concrete, and emotional thinking that was characteristic of the Hebrew prophets.” (Page 44)
“Our personal culture as individuals, then, is unique; it is not the same as that of our parents or of any other individual. It is the product of the combination of (1) the personal cultural heritage acquired through socialization with our parents, (2) the broader cultural heritage acquired through enculturation and feedback from the community, and (3) our act of accepting or rejecting those forces. Each individual develops a personal lifestyle and a set of standards and values by which to order and organize his or her life.” (Page 8)
“The objective of this book is to share some of the conflicts and struggles we experienced and to explore their meaning for the larger issues of cross-cultural living, work, and ministry. To do this, we must go beyond specific personal experiences to the underlying principles of culture and communication through which we establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. The particular focus of this book is on priorities or values people use to order their lives and relationships with others.” (Page 2)
“A cultural cue is a specific signal or sign that people use to communicate the meaning of their behavior. Each culture has literally thousands of cues that signal a change of context and a corresponding need to follow the rules appropriate to the new context.” (Page 6)
“Culture is the anthropologist’s label for the sum of the distinctive characteristics of a people’s way of life. All human behavior occurs within particular cultures, within socially defined contexts.” (Page 5)
Praise for the Print Edition
With vivid insight, lively narrative, and down-to-earth practicality, this book, by leading Christian anthropologists, is essential reading for anyone interested in ministering cross-culturally.
—Robert Priest, associate professor of mission and intercultural studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
The model of basic values outlined in Ministering Cross-Culturally is one of the clearest and most helpful anthropological tools ever created for Christian workers. I have used this text for years in the preparation of undergraduate and graduate students for cross-cultural service, and it remains a student favorite. The model is simple and straightforward yet profoundly helpful in assisting cross-cultural sojourners to recognize value differences, assess and modify their behavior, and build trust in cross-cultural relationships.
—Murray Decker, chair, department of anthropology and intercultural studies, School of Intercultural Studies, Biola University
This book’s focus, becoming incarnational ministers, is vital in the study of missions. No book more incisively and creatively invites learners to evaluate themselves as they analyze other cultures. This new edition reveals Lingenfelter’s enhanced theology of culture: Cultures are not neutral but ‘prisons of disobedience’ that incarnational ministers must enter and submit to for the sake of the gospel.
—Gailyn Van Rheenen, professor of missions, Abilene Christian University
Product Details
- Title: Ministering Cross-Culturally: A Model for Effective Personal Relationships 3rd ed.
- Authors: Sherwood G. Lingenfelter and Marvin K. Mayers
- Edition: 3rd
- Publisher: Baker
- Publication Date: 2016
- Pages: 144
- Resource Type: Topical
- Topic: Missions
About the Authors
Sherwood G. Lingenfelter (1932–2007) was distinguished professor of mission and anthropology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and previously taught at Fuller Theological Seminary. He also served as a pastor and missionary to India. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota and was the author or coauthor of numerous articles and books in the fields of anthropology and missions.
Marvin K. Mayers has taught for many years in the intercultural studies department of Biola University.