FEBC Global

by Roger Reimer, retired global partner to Ecuador.

When entering another culture to reach people for Christ, Interest, appreciation, and value are attitudes a global partner needs to have.  In addition to appropriate formal and informal biblical training for ministry, a well-prepared servant of Christ must also possess some indispensable attitudes toward the culture of the community he or she endeavors to reach

To begin with, I think it is wise to simply gather information about how and why things are done that are different; they are not good or bad, just different.  All too often, we are too ready to pass judgment about how things are said or done without disciplining ourselves to understand how a culture operates.  Coming from a large country, it is easy to assume that the way you are accustomed to doing things is better.  Living in a small country, people can watch and evaluate how others think and work.

Along with this kind of mindset, I think it is of value to invest your time and efforts into building healthy relationships as a foundation for any ministry. Having good, close friendships is essential in establishing opportunities to share your faith with others.  This, in fact, is part of reflecting credibility with those you serve.  I remember one veteran missionary friend telling me that if all I accomplished in my first years of ministry was creating some good friendships, I would be successful in God’s eyes.  An Ecuadorian cardiologist took me with him to do some teaching and training classes for hospital and clinic staff around the Andean mountains of Ecuador.  During those travel times, we became good friends and established a foundation for opportunities to share our faith.

This newly found doctor friend also introduced me to some typical foods that were part of the local communities.  Learning to appreciate those foods was a growing experience for me.  To this day, our family continues to prepare some of our favorite Ecuadorian meals.  The next time you are at a grocery store, pick up a couple of plantain bananas, cut them into slices lengthwise, and fry them.  When they’ve been fried, sprinkle some powdered sugar over them and try that for a fun dessert—very good and very different from our North American diets.

How we deal with time is another critical component to adjusting to another culture.  I used to have the attitude that punctuality was next to spirituality.  I remember going to the home of one of our hospital chaplains for an evening meal, arriving at the hour we were invited to come.  The people in the home had not even begun to prepare the meal, and we sat there waiting for about an hour.  So, from that awkward experience, we learned to arrive for any invitation about an hour later.  I can also remember the experience of setting up an appointment calendar for doing exams in my newly started department in the hospital.  One day, a patient who had a mid-morning appointment came in the middle of the afternoon, and I asked her what had happened that she couldn’t come in the morning.  She responded, “What’s wrong? I came on Thursday”.  We set up two areas for our patients in the hospital: one area for those who would take a number and wait for their visit with a doctor and then another area for those who actually made an appointment to be seen.

All these things are essential to have a positive experience as a cross-cultural global partner.  Learning to adjust and not be disgruntled at differences in how a culture operates are part of serving as an appropriate servant of the Lord Jesus.  Our attitudes and actions are part of the message we share as we endeavor to introduce people to the message of the gospel. 

How are you reflecting joy and contentedness throughout your life while encountering other cultures?  Being joyful is contagious and goes a long way in winning others to our faith.