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Resources for cross-cultural ministry training

Books

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Training Missionaries: Principles and Possibilities

Evelyn & Richard Hibbert

Missionaries must know God, be able to relate well to other people, understand and engage with another culture, and be able to use the Bible in a way that informs all aspects of their lives and ministries. Missionary training must address each of these areas if it is to help Christians to be effective in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. Effective training has been shown to prevent people from prematurely leaving the field. It also reduces the danger of cross-cultural workers uncritically exporting culturally bound forms of Christianity. This book details four key areas that every missionary training program, whatever its context, must focus on developing. It shows how these can be holistically addressed in a learning community where trainers and trainees engage in cross-cultural ministry together.

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Leading Multicultural Teams

Evelyn & Richard Hibbert

Churches and mission agencies are increasingly characterized by cultural diversity. As a result, many Christians find themselves working as part of a multicultural team. Leading these teams is a complex challenge that requires team leaders to understand how to help multicultural teams thrive. Team leaders need to know how to help team members grow in particular qualities and acquire specific skills related to multicultural teamwork. This book integrates insights from the Bible, team theory, leadership, and intercultural studies to explain how leaders of multicultural teams can help their teams become enriching and enjoyable contexts to work in, at the same time as achieving their purpose.

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Christianity Rediscovered

Vincent Donovan

Christianity Rediscovered is more than just a classic missionary story. It is also a profound challenge, a call to a radical redefinition of what we mean when we talk about mission - as relevant to today's church as it was when it was first written.

For Vincent Donovan, his experiences amongst the Masai in East Africa meant a total reappraisal of the meaning of his faith, and a rediscovery of his Christianity. Written with moving simplicity, Donovan's account continues to represent a provocative challenge to all those engaged in issues of evangelism and culture. 

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Cross-Cultural Servanthood

Duane Elmer

Cross-cultural specialist Duane Elmer gives Christians practical advice for serving other cultures with sensitivity and humility. With careful biblical exposition and keen cross-cultural awareness, he shows how our actions and attitudes often contradict and offend the local culture. He offers principles and guidance for avoiding misunderstandings and building relationships in ways that honor others. Here is culturally-savvy insight into how we can follow Jesus' steps to become global servants.

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Anthropological Insights for Missionaries

Paul G. Hiebert

One source to help missionaries understand the people they serve and their historical and cultural settings is in the field of study called anthropology. The author, an expert in his field, taps its insights for missionaries in a way that few others do.

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We are not the Hero

Jean Johnson

While globalization gives North American Christians unprecedented opportunities to influence the world, we need to take care not to slip into a type of postmodern colonialism in which we make ourselves the experts or the 'hero come to save the day.' The day has come when all of us who influence or practice missions need to intentionally guide others to look to God and to their own communities for resources, solutions, creativity, ingenuity, hard work, and interdependence, instead of making them perpetual recipients of all the good things we can do for them. In We Are Not the Hero, missionary Jean Johnson shares lessons learned from her sixteen years in Cambodia, in an area known as the Killing Fields, including why our North American culture, church experiences, and financial solutions to church growth will not work elsewhere.

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Telling the Gospel Through Story

Christine Dillon

Everybody loves a good story. In an age when prepackaged gospel formulations leave people cold, well-told Bible stories can be used powerfully by God to touch people's hearts and draw them to himself. After ministry in both Western and non-Western contexts, church planter Christine Dillon has discovered that Bible storying is far more effective than most other forms of apologetics or evangelistic presentations. In fact, non-Christians actually enjoyed storying and kept coming back for more. Storying provides solid biblical foundations so listeners can understand, apply and respond to the gospel, and then go on to fruitful maturity in God's service. This book includes practical guidance on how to shape a good story, how to do evangelism through storying and how to lead Bible discussions. With particular insights for trainers and those working in crosscultural contexts, this guide provides you with concrete steps for sharing the Story that everyone needs to hear.

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Give Up the Purple

Julyan Lidstone

It would seem that every culture on earth has a propensity towards controlling and authoritarian leadership – at its very core, the human condition has a desire for control and self-determination. In this book, Julyan Lidstone uses his decades of experience in western and central Asia and, most importantly, the authoritative teaching of the Bible, to shed light on issues of authoritarian leadership in honour-shame cultures.
 

eBook

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The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures

Jayson Georges

To enhance your ministry among the nations, learn how the Bible speaks to cultures of guilt, shame, and fear. Western theology emphasizes forgiveness of sins, but people in the Majority World seek honor or spiritual power. In today’s globalized world, Christians need a three-dimensional gospel of God's innocence, honor, and power.

Photo by Şahin Sezer Dinçer from Pexels

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CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY APPRENTICESHIP

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Traverse is an initiative of Pioneers Oceania and overseen by Trellis Oceania Foundation Ltd, ABN: 56 642 009 694 © 2024 Trellis Oceania Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved.

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