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HOME » FOR MISSIONARIES » CULTURAL CHANGE AND MISSIONS "Culture is a key in effectively communicating the gospel message." As missionaries called to carry and share the gospel overseas, we do not even question the validity of that statement. We have been taught and we recognize the importance of language learning and understanding the culture of any group with which we work. Ironically, however, with all of our emphasis and training in foreign culture, we have neglected to notice rapid changes in our own western culture that are subtly affecting many aspects of the life of today's missionary, his message and his mission organization. When we contrast the missionary of the 2000's with the old timers of fifty years ago, we see many important differences. To list a few, the new breed of missionary for the most part is more professional with a higher level of formal education allowing them more of an academic head start. More academic and less practical and physical. Less common sense. While the old timer prided himself on his Spartan lifestyle, the new breed sees creature comfort as a logical part of the missionary profile resulting in a need for more support and logistics on the field resulting in a greater demand on maintenance and their mission's logistic capability translating to more support personnel, more storage, more flights and more overseas shipments. This new breed of missionary has a different definition of commitment; they have grown up on change, many believing "missionary" to be only one of the several "hats" they will wear in their working life. By their own admission, commitment isn't a popular word! "Hang in there," "toughing it out," "keep on keeping on" aren't politically correct terms. This results in shorter on-field time, a higher turnover in personnel and an increase in the tempo of the missionaries favorite game, "musical chairs." To the old timer, family was second or third on the priority list. Today's missionary places family on top of the list resulting in a growth of home-schooling, shorter furlough span and again, shorter on-field time. Increasingly, younger missionary candidates are showing the effects of our changing U. S. culture, entering the training program without a physical work ethic, little Biblical knowledge and certainly a lack of evangelical fervor! Today's emphasis on worship rather than the Word further erodes the urgency of the Gospel. And more changes are coming. They are predictable and will continue to affect missions of every type. An over protective, morally permissive, physically weak and more nationalistic society will combine to produce a missionary candidate even more radically different from those of today. Unfortunately the future missionary's message will be more affected by their culture then the Word. The culture in which we are raised can't help but put it's own "spin" on the messenger and his message as well as its intensity. Missionary candidates are growing up in a much different "spiritual environment" than that of the old timer. "One nation under God" has gradually become one nation without God! Most churches have lost their fire in favor of being politically correct. Words like "hell," "damned," "judgment," "repentance" and "lost" are no longer acceptable in the Christian's dictionary. If the unsaved aren't as lost as they once were what kind of mandate will send the new missionary to the far corners of the world. Today's church gathers together Sunday morning to worship and celebrate then close with a short devotional. Evangelism, Sunday school and vacation Bible school are slowly fading out of the picture. Prayer meetings have been replaced by entertaining activities. In almost every church the key word is "fun"; if it's worth doing at all it has to be "fun" missions agencies must take a hard look at what they may not want to see; their future depends on it. As the church cools down at home, it will affect to some extent the messenger and consequently the heat of his message abroad. God brought the church into the world to change the culture instead the church is eagerly adjusting to the culture. The missions agency itself must be concerned about other changes, more pragmatic changes. Old-time contributors were rather trusting and generous givers, but these saints are gradually dying off. Baby boomers are a little more suspicious but holding in there. Financial support of missions and missionaries is gradually being transferred to the "new breed" giver making the future look a little tight. The baby buster generation and the X-generation are predicted to be more cynical, more conservative, more nationalistic, want more "bang-for-the-buck" and less overhead. They want to be more directly involved with their investment. If this is true, it will soon reflect itself on the overall giving base of overseas missionaries and their mission agencies. The sophistication and comfort level of our coming missionary candidate will require more "perks" which will add to the ever growing support need. On the other end an increasing number of contributors are demanding more for their dollar. They are signaling for more "real" missionaries, which translated, means less bigness, smaller support base, less overhead. Contributions are starting to reflect this attitude. The bigness of the organization will ultimately bring it into suspicion. In an increasingly non-personal society, missionaries in gaining their support are going to have to be more visible, real and personal. Technology can be of help here. Perhaps a new type of communication will have to be created to build a viable bond between the missionary and his supporters. The old prayer letter and bulk mail will continue to lose its appeal. Other changes are on the horizon. We must review our methods of incrementing and communicating the goals and progress of our mission. Our approaches to recruiting candidates must change and continue changing. Those who represent missions and do the recruiting must grab a mirror and adjust to meeting and communicating to the "new breed." The training of new candidates must reflect an awareness of these changes. In some cases this will require a complete retooling of the old school system. The changing culture in our own country demands a response! How and when we respond to that change will to a great extend determine our future as mission agencies. Missionaries as well as their leadership must keep their eyes on the horizon and anticipate closely the changes that are coming if they are to be a viable force in carrying out their own mandate. Even as these changes are becoming necessary, we must take care as we navigate through the cultural fog and make an increasing effort to stabilize our message and keep the integrity of that message intact.

HOME » FOR MISSIONARIES » CULTURAL CHANGE AND MISSIONS

"Culture is a key in effectively communicating the gospel message." As missionaries called to carry and share the gospel overseas, we do not even question the validity of that statement. We have been taught and we recognize the importance of language learning and understanding the culture of any group with which we work. Ironically, however, with all of our emphasis and training in foreign culture, we have neglected to notice rapid changes in our own western culture that are subtly affecting many aspects of the life of today's missionary, his message and his mission organization.

When we contrast the missionary of the 2000's with the old timers of fifty years ago, we see many important differences. To list a few, the new breed of missionary for the most part is more professional with a higher level of formal education allowing them more of an academic head start. More academic and less practical and physical. Less common sense. While the old timer prided himself on his Spartan lifestyle, the new breed sees creature comfort as a logical part of the missionary profile resulting in a need for more support and logistics on the field resulting in a greater demand on maintenance and their mission's logistic capability translating to more support personnel, more storage, more flights and more overseas shipments.

This new breed of missionary has a different definition of commitment; they have grown up on change, many believing "missionary" to be only one of the several "hats" they will wear in their working life. By their own admission, commitment isn't a popular word! "Hang in there," "toughing it out," "keep on keeping on" aren't politically correct terms. This results in shorter on-field time, a higher turnover in personnel and an increase in the tempo of the missionaries favorite game, "musical chairs."

To the old timer, family was second or third on the priority list. Today's missionary places family on top of the list resulting in a growth of home-schooling, shorter furlough span and again, shorter on-field time.

Increasingly, younger missionary candidates are showing the effects of our changing U. S. culture, entering the training program without a physical work ethic, little Biblical knowledge and certainly a lack of evangelical fervor! Today's emphasis on worship rather than the Word further erodes the urgency of the Gospel. And more changes are coming. They are predictable and will continue to affect missions of every type. An over protective, morally permissive, physically weak and more nationalistic society will combine to produce a missionary candidate even more radically different from those of today. Unfortunately the future missionary's message will be more affected by their culture then the Word. The culture in which we are raised can't help but put it's own "spin" on the messenger and his message as well as its intensity. Missionary candidates are growing up in a much different "spiritual environment" than that of the old timer. "One nation under God" has gradually become one nation without God! Most churches have lost their fire in favor of being politically correct. Words like "hell," "damned," "judgment," "repentance" and "lost" are no longer acceptable in the Christian's dictionary.

If the unsaved aren't as lost as they once were what kind of mandate will send the new missionary to the far corners of the world. Today's church gathers together Sunday morning to worship and celebrate then close with a short devotional. Evangelism, Sunday school and vacation Bible school are slowly fading out of the picture. Prayer meetings have been replaced by entertaining activities. In almost every church the key word is "fun"; if it's worth doing at all it has to be "fun" missions agencies must take a hard look at what they may not want to see; their future depends on it. As the church cools down at home, it will affect to some extent the messenger and consequently the heat of his message abroad. God brought the church into the world to change the culture instead the church is eagerly adjusting to the culture.

The missions agency itself must be concerned about other changes, more pragmatic changes. Old-time contributors were rather trusting and generous givers, but these saints are gradually dying off. Baby boomers are a little more suspicious but holding in there. Financial support of missions and missionaries is gradually being transferred to the "new breed" giver making the future look a little tight.

The baby buster generation and the X-generation are predicted to be more cynical, more conservative, more nationalistic, want more "bang-for-the-buck" and less overhead. They want to be more directly involved with their investment. If this is true, it will soon reflect itself on the overall giving base of overseas missionaries and their mission agencies.

The sophistication and comfort level of our coming missionary candidate will require more "perks" which will add to the ever growing support need. On the other end an increasing number of contributors are demanding more for their dollar. They are signaling for more "real" missionaries, which translated, means less bigness, smaller support base, less overhead. Contributions are starting to reflect this attitude. The bigness of the organization will ultimately bring it into suspicion. In an increasingly non-personal society, missionaries in gaining their support are going to have to be more visible, real and personal. Technology can be of help here. Perhaps a new type of communication will have to be created to build a viable bond between the missionary and his supporters. The old prayer letter and bulk mail will continue to lose its appeal.

Other changes are on the horizon. We must review our methods of incrementing and communicating the goals and progress of our mission. Our approaches to recruiting candidates must change and continue changing. Those who represent missions and do the recruiting must grab a mirror and adjust to meeting and communicating to the "new breed." The training of new candidates must reflect an awareness of these changes. In some cases this will require a complete retooling of the old school system. The changing culture in our own country demands a response! How and when we respond to that change will to a great extend determine our future as mission agencies.

Missionaries as well as their leadership must keep their eyes on the horizon and anticipate closely the changes that are coming if they are to be a viable force in carrying out their own mandate. Even as these changes are becoming necessary, we must take care as we navigate through the cultural fog and make an increasing effort to stabilize our message and keep the integrity of that message intact.