One Step at a Time
27/07/2018 3:00:59 PM |
It takes time for the fruit of intercultural ministry to be seen, however each day, our teams are taking faithful steps towards the shared vision of vibrant faith communities. So we are asking you to keep your eyes open for more workers for the harvest. You might be sitting next to someone at church who God is calling to intercultural mission… You may recognise this in them before they see it in themselves.
Is God calling you to be an encourager for His mission? If so read on…
The Flag
Global Interaction’s vision is to see growing vibrant faith communities among least-reached people groups. This flag at the top of the mountain is extraordinary in its ‘bigness’. There are followers of Jesus all over the world, but among least-reached people groups, there are very few. Among these communities, there are cultural, religious and spiritual barriers that work against people understanding and accepting the Gospel. Yes, the task is big, but it is the one we have been called to by an even bigger God and we believe it is possible.
Does this flag, or vision, resonate with you or someone you know?
The Mountain
To fulfil this vision, the foundation on which the flag stands is our mission of empowering communities to develop their own distinctive ways of following Jesus. This mountain is the foundation of our intercultural ministry. We believe vibrant faith communities will be established as the least-reached meet Jesus and develop ways to express their faith from within their language and culture.
Do you, or someone you know, have a faith-calling built on this foundation?
The Path
Core values form the path that Global Interaction intercultural workers journey with up the mountain and towards the flag. This path is where the ‘bigness’ of the task becomes a series of small, everyday moments building on each other towards the vision. It is far from a linear path. It’s winding with steps sideways, backwards and forwards but ultimately always moving up the mountain. While the path may look different for each intercultural worker, the steps they take are guided by the same core values of being attentive to where God is already at work, developing cultural competency, establishing authentic relationships and sharing the Gospel.
Are you, or someone you know, ready to explore the path?
1. Attentiveness
A core starting point for Global Interaction’s ministry is the belief that God is already there and actively at work. God has called us to these places, not to ‘take’ Him, but to partner with Him in the work He is already doing. This means that the first step in the path towards vibrant faith communities, is being attentive to where God is moving.
2. Cultural Competence
Our intercultural teams are committed to life-long learning, but particularly in the first years of ministry, significant time is dedicated to culture and language learning. At a basic level, there is only so far a friendship can develop without a common language. More deeply though, the act of learning another person’s language and seeking to understand their culture and what’s important to them, works to break down barriers. The experience of making mistakes and initially struggling to communicate in even the simplest language is humbling and demonstrates to the local language nurturer the value that the intercultural worker places on the local language and culture.
3. Authentic Relationships
Relationships are at the heart of Global Interaction’s ministry. It is likely that a person in a least-reached people group will have no close friends or family who identify as a follower of Jesus. We believe, that it is in an environment of a mutual trust that people will be most open to exploring Jesus and questions of faith.
4. The Gospel
As authentic relationships develop, it is only natural that our intercultural workers share the Good News with their friends. It is an underlying belief of Global Interaction, that the Gospel starts at Genesis and encompasses God’s whole story. The pinnacle of Jesus’ death and resurrection is a core part of the Gospel, but it is not the whole.
As our intercultural teams live among communities, they share hope through being, doing and saying the Gospel. Through their being, they exude character traits that reflect Jesus’ heart. In response to their friends’ practical needs, they demonstrate Jesus’ love by what they do and by what they say, they ground it all through sharing God’s stories.
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