Lesson #10 -- How to Be Effective in Another Culture

Missionaries, by definition, encounter cross-cultural barriers on a daily basis. We need to realize, too, that in the 21st century, unless you live in a very remote village, that most people are having to learn cross-cultural skills. So in this sense, the missionary is not as unique as he or she once was. But it is still critical that missionaries, like most other people, learn how to work with other cultures if they are going to be effective at what they are called to do.

We are not just talking about learning a new language. We have to learn a culture -- a new way of thinking and doing things. Of course, you can't become an expert in cross-cultural living by completing a single lesson in a missions class. You can't even become good at it by taking a whole course about a particular culture. Cross-cultural ministry is a lifetime investment and you will learn something new every day. (This is one reason I prefer to be around people from cultures other than my own. I'm always learning something new from them.) But we do have to start the cross-cultural learning process somewhere.

To get your creative juices flowing I want you to watch a seven-minute video about hot and cold cultures. I don't know who the speaker is. He says that he is from the country of Sierra Leone in Africa but that he now lives in Florida (the US state where I live). He was speaking to a Toastmasters group. (Toastmasters is a community organization where people gather regularly to improve their public speaking skills.)



After watching the video I'd like you to read chapter 14 in the textbook, "Relating to People of Other Cultures." (pages 221-229 in the print edition, Kindle locations 5767-6025).

I want you to develop some strategy skills, so, please make a list of 10-15 steps you will need to take in order to start making friends with one or more people from another culture. The steps should be listed in the order that you think you need to take them. Briefly explain why you need to take the step and why you think it is important. Use the information that you have gained from the reading and the video to help you form the list. This is a chance to be very creative.

Send your list to me embedded in an email or as a Google Doc. My email address is: bboydston@piu.edu. This assignment is worth 30 points.

As soon as you are done with this please start on Lesson #11.