5 Reasons NOT To Do More Cross-Cultural Ministry

This is the sixth in a series of posts that explore Mission, Missions, and Short Term Mission Trips. 

by Dr. Steve Rasmussen

#5 They are fine as they are: “Let them live as they have chosen. Don’t press your beliefs on them.”

Yes, we do not want colonialism or pressure marketing, yet Jesus said; As the father has sent me so send I you.

When we do missions we are not pressing our beliefs, we are simply presenting an option for them to chose. Freedom of choice means allowing choices. Those in Tacum, Nepal had not ever heard of Jesus so they had no option to chose him. People in Somalia do not have a choice to follow Jesus, to be at peace, etc.

Someone chose to present these beliefs in a persuasive manner to us and to those who we heard it from (e.g. parents or ancestors).

Jesus said we should make disciples of him in every nation (ethne) and teach them to obey everything he commanded. Arrogant, bold, preposterous. If Jesus is simply one of many good teachers, YES. If he is our only creator and redeemer who sacrificed himself for us, then NO. There is only one name under heaven whereby we must be saved – Jesus.

When we say “they are fine as they are” we are showing that we do not really believe that Jesus is good news for all people. We have no problem pushing biomedicine,( vaccines), technology-development, democracy, free trade, even Coca-cola on people. You probably have investments through your bank or 401k in multinational corporations. When they say that they have found good marketing opportunities in China, we say great, lets invest.

#4 Someone else should do it

This one sometimes sounds like “I’m not called.”  But we are all called and commanded to do this together. (Matt. 28 is a plural “you all” or “y’all”). Each of us has a part. Just as we all must pray, read the word, and give even if those are not our giftings. We all must participate in cross-cultural ministry in some way, even though someone else may have a more specific role in it. For example, I do not consider myself gifted in evangelism even though I am a missionary, but I use my teaching gift to train missionaries who are evangelists in how to handle the cross-cultural piece.

Sometimes this sounds like “the nationals should reach their own people, they can do a better job.”  It’s true that many ministries are better done by people who are nearer. This is certainly necessary, but who will reach Somalia? With the unreached there is no one near (if all relatives got saved, 2 milllion would never know). But we also need each other. We need to challenge, encourage, and teach each other. We each have resources that others do not.

#3 We have our own mission field right here: Why go to another country when we have needs here (in America, in our cities, etc.)?

We do have needs in America. We need radical discipleship and new deeper ways of seeing our Christianity. We need to trust God and not money/economy, technology, health insurance/medical system, the pentagon or wall street. We need to learn how to handle sickness and death in a Christian way. Who can teach us this? Christians from other cultures – immigrants, people there, etc. and even non-Christians from other cultures who depend upon different things and have a different worldview.

There are also opportunities in other places. Opportunities to influence the next billion in Africa a billion new people and a next billion. Opportunities to make inroads in new places. Opportunities to learn about and influence Islam: Opportunities to be blessed and to be a blessing.

#2 It’s Too Hard

Yet Jesus said “take up your cross and follow me.”  Life is difficult. This is truth. We don’t love out of fear and laziness, so we must risk (trust) much and work hard (release God’s work) to love well.  Life anywhere is hard. There is no easy discipleship in Jesus. No Jerusalem comfort zone.

I do not see that life here is necessarily easier. Jesus said “I have chosen you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last…. I am the vine, you are the branches. Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15).

#1 Fear

God says: do not be afraid, I am with you (Matt 28, Joshua 1:8). Often when we listen to fears that keep us from engaging in cross-cultural ministry we don’t consider other fears. What about the fear of wasting our lives? Of getting to the end of it and saying all I did was to maintain myself and have children to take my place in maintaining themselves. I have no lasting legacy and no eternal investment. That seems like a worse outcome than facing the fears that hold us back knowing that God is with us.

The truth is that all of us need Jesus.

All of us are called together to help each other and to reach the unreached.

If we get hung up on the reasons not to do more cross-cultural ministry we will find a reason not, but the truth is that God has called us to GO and make disciples of ALL nations. If we want to find reasons not to do cross-cultural ministry we will find them, but imagine what could happen if we began to ask God to show us what it means for us to engage in cross-cultural ministry!

Let’s find out what happens when we join together in new ways to reach those who have not yet heard as we continue to advance the kingdom of God together!

How about you, what has kept you from engaging or compelled you to engage in cross-cultural ministry?

Dr. Steve Rasmussen and his wife Jan have been serving God in Tanzania and Kenya since 1996 founding TEAM (Training East African Ministers). In that capacity Steve has helped to develop Lake Victoria Christian College in Mwanza, Tanzania with several other branches located throughout the country and now teaches Cross-Cultural Ministry and Missions at Africa International University in Nairobi, Kenya.