Review of Crossing Cultures

by | Jun 23, 2020 | DBSJ Volume 25 Book Reviews

Crossing Cultures: Preparing Strangers for Ministry in Strange Places, by Stephen M. Davis. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2019. 89 pp. $17.00.

Foreign missions is often an aspect of church ministry dominated by emotions. Potential workers are recruited, candidates are approved, and workers remain supported by subjective “callings” and heart-tugging pictures and statistics. While the work to see the glorious gospel of Jesus spread around the world should engage our affections, it must also employ biblical discernment and evaluation. The lack of critical evaluation has contributed to high levels of attrition among foreign workers, resulting in large investments of money and time that seem to provide no return. In Crossing Cultures: Preparing Strangers for Ministry in Strange Places, Stephen M. Davis proposes that better pre-field preparation could help lower the attrition rate and allow churches to be better stewards of the resources God has provided. Davis is a bi-vocational elder at Grace Church in Philadelphia, a church he helped plant beginning in 2010. He previously lived in France and Romania doing church planting and pastoral training and served as missions director for churches in the U.S. He is a graduate of Bob Jones University (B.A.), Reformed Theological Seminary (MATS), Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (D.Min. in Missiology), and Columbia International University (Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies). He draws from both his education and his experience in producing this work.

The book is designed to encourage churches, missions agencies, and missionary candidates to evaluate and strengthen the training that is provided and expected for cross-cultural missionaries. The emphasis is primarily on pre-field training but also touches on continuing training and instruction on the field.

Davis begins with some theological considerations that will guide his approach to missionary preparation. Here, he states his support for the traditional view of missions that emphasizes the work of gospel proclamation, church planting, and pastoral training. He urges for missions work to be stopped or adjusted if “missionaries are engaged in ministry that does not result in planting reproductive fellowships of saved, baptized disciples” (12).

Davis then offers some missiological considerations. As Davis helpfully notes, “Serving God cross-culturally is not more spiritual than serving God at home. But it is more demanding in some ways and requires different gifts” (27). In light of the unique challenges and demands of cross-cultural ministry, it is important for local churches and mission agencies to properly evaluate and prepare candidates for this work.

In discussing the kind of preparation that is necessary, Davis highlights some key areas that need attention, including relational abilities, spiritual maturity, theological training, practical ministry experience, and language learning aptitude. These areas must be developed because of the difficulties that cross-cultural workers will face in being effective ministers in their new context. Since each context/location is unique, those involved in cross-cultural work need to consider the worldview of those in the new context and what specific challenges that may bring. Though not extensive, Davis highlights areas like the attitude toward Americans, the role and nature of religious commitment, the difficulty of learning the language, the level of difference between cultures, and the missionary’s ability to adapt. He concludes with some recommendation for local churches, mission agencies, and missionary candidates.

One of the greatest strengths of Crossing Cultures is its emphasis on the local church. Davis rightly urges local churches not to outsource their responsibility to recruit, equip, and support missionaries to educational institutions or missions agencies—in part because those agencies often do a poor job of screening and training missionary candidates but also because they are not able to provide the kind of mentoring and oversight that is necessary and God has given that task to the local church.

Another value of the book is that Davis pushes back against the mindset that thinks cross-cultural work requires less training than domestic work. Missionaries need the theological training given to church leaders in the State as well as cultural and missiological instruction. Davis urges a proper balance between formal training and informal training, urging a variety of formats and venues where those who are preparing for cross-cultural work can be equipped.

Perhaps the biggest weakness of the book is the tendency to remain overly generalized and broad. Part of this is the result of addressing multiple groups (candidates, local churches, and mission agencies) rather than focusing on just one of these. But Davis also has a tendency to offer a survey of ideas without making clear what his suggestions would be. For example, he provides three different lists from others for qualities/competencies for church planters but does not offer his own (44–45). In discussing the challenges families face, he mentioned problems he has seen in different models of schooling (homeschooling, boarding school, national schools) but does not provide suggestions for a solution (69–70). While some of the generalizations likely arise from an awareness that each situation is unique and, thus, there are few answers that work for everyone, I believe that readers could have been helped by Davis offering more explicit guidance.

There is no doubt that Davis has provided a helpful resource for those involved in supporting and training missionaries. He raises the kinds of questions and concerns that must be addressed in order to prepare workers for the rigors of cross-cultural work. Missions is a central task of the church, so we must do our best to prepare workers to advance the gospel in cross-cultural locations.

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