Preparing for the unexpected: The importance of theological training for Cross-Cultural Ministry
“Lord God, thank you for helping me.”
It took Zoë a few moments to realise what Ming was saying. There they were in a wooden shack in a slum in the middle of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Zoë had brought some lunch from the market to share with Ming and begun to tell another story from the life of Jesus. Ming, like most people in that community, was scarred both physically and emotionally by years of unspeakable deprivation and suffering. A wounded soul with a small altar in the corner of her room. She was using spiritual words, in the Cambodian language Khmer, to address Zoë! Words which are used for gods or the spirits who occupy places of veneration – and fear – among those shaped by the particular form of Buddhism practiced in Cambodia. Was Zoë like a god to her?
As a Christian missionary how do you begin to unpack and respond to what is happening here? Do you, like Paul and Barnabas in Lystra, tear your clothes and shout that you are a mere mortal (Acts 14.14)? Do you begin to talk about Jesus who was a man but also God (but then find yourself wondering if she will think that you are suggesting you are like him)? Or do you carry on as normal and leave and pray and seek out advice about what to do next time?
Perhaps you try a little of each of these things. (Zoë learned later that Ming’s language was often used when people spoke to monks.) Whatever you do, this is an example of (real) scenarios faced by those who are engaged in cross-cultural ministry; an example of experiences which are unlikely to have happened to you before and which can – will – disorient you.
These experiences are why Crosslands has developed a specialist Seminary track for people preparing for or involved in Cross-Cultural Ministry. We believe that serious theological study and reflection is the best way to prepare yourself for the things – both known and unknown – that come your way when you enter new cultures, engage with people from different religious traditions. And oh yes, you may well be doing it in a new language, while adapting to new climates, contexts and way of life – although increasingly you might be doing all that amongst your neighbours living right here in the UK or Europe.
The whole point of studying theology is to obey the two great commandments: to love God and to love our neighbours. Being equipped to share the knowledge of the Lord God with those, like Ming, who have never heard it is not simply an academic exercise; it’s an act of love, worship and obedience.
Crosslands Seminary provides theological study and ministry training that’s specially designed to be taken in-context, learning whilst you work and serve, wherever you are. For those engaged in cross cultural mission and in pioneering contexts, circumstances are often uncertain and plans are often emergent – but your study can begin wherever you are and continue when your situation changes. Two intakes each year, in September and January, also offer greater flexibility for the more varied circumstances of those working in different mission fields.