Step 3: Exposure to Other Cultures
by Steve HokeIt’s been observed that people don’t really understand themselves or their culture until they have a chance to step outside their own culture and look back. That distance gives them a fresh perspective. Simply put, that is the great benefit of exposure to other cultures during the early phases of your missionary training: gaining perspective, stretching your vision.
Cultures are neither “right” nor “wrong”; they’re just different. Behaviors, language, social systems, cultural values, and worldview all vary depending on your location and the people around you. People who go to live in a culture very different from their own almost universally experience something called “culture shock.” That’s the stress experienced as a result of losing all the familiar cues from our home culture. Not until we have actually experienced another culture by attempting to live as part of it do we really understand the tremendous differences that exist.
Some are better equipped than others to be “bridge people” between their own culture and the culture in which they are attempting to communicate Christ. God has apparently gifted these individuals with a unique ability to cross cultures. Nevertheless, almost everybody can learn to be more prepared for culture adjustment by deliberately broadening their exposure to other cultures.
Cross-cultural experience cannot be obtained through books, although these will help in your preparation. You need to gain actual experience. It’s important that as soon as possible you have an opportunity to live and work in another culture. Even better is a program that permits you to have a series of experiences like this. One experience may not be a true test.
There are many ways this can be done. A number of colleges have a “year abroad” program in which one does a year of study in another country, usually living in the home of nationals. Other colleges offer an inter-term or summer study trip to selected mission fields.
There are myriad short-term missionary experiences available. They vary in length from two weeks to two years. The two-week trips are primarily for exposure and getting your feet wet. Summer mission projects lasting eight to 10 weeks allow you to do ministry, usually using English or a language you may already know. The longer one- and two-year experiences actually place you in ministry roles where you engage in longer-term ministry alongside ex-perienced career missionaries or supervisors. Some groups are specifically designed to place young men and women in short-term ministry experiences cross-culturally; agencies such as Youth With a Mission, Operation Mobilization, and International Teams are notable examples. Others are part of a larger mission program. Some short-termers do specific work. Others go primarily as learners (see the article that follows).
Don’t overlook cross-cultural experience in your home country. You’ll be surprised at how many people of different cultures live around you. God has brought the unreached peoples to our back door. Visit ethnic neighborhoods in major cities. Consider inner-city summer internships with groups like World Impact, InnerCHANGE, or City Teams. Look for opportunities to work and to serve in ethnic settings. This will sharpen your sense of the delightful differences between cultures and heighten your awareness of the need to build bridges. (See “Why Wait Till You Get There?” on pages 42-43.)
Look through the resources available. Choose specific cultural exposure programs that fit your overall career plan. If possible, choose an agency or project among a people with whom you think you may eventually like to work. For further ideas and resources, read the next two “first person” stories by former short-termers, and the guidelines for discovering the best short term for you.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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