Heart to Heart
Fall 2004
In the last issue of Together we explored the meaning of "the nations" in our Navigator calling. Tracing "the nations" through Scripture, we saw God's hand in the formation and history of the nations.
Nations organize human beings into social groups that provide enough commonality to make life doable and meaningful. Families (including relatives) formed tribes that ultimately coalesced into nations. These social groups developed customs and ways of doing life together that were both experienced and taught as normal. Thus, it's important to remember that the Greek term ethnos (nation) comes from the word ethos, which means "a custom or habit." A nation, then forms around people with common ways of understanding and doing life.
A stream of biblical passages (Genesis 1:28; 10:5,20,31,32; 12:3 and parallels, Isaiah 49:6; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9; and Revelation 5:9-10) suggests "the nations" have at least two significant purposes in God's plan of salvation for the ages:
1. To provide a place for the Kingdom of God to grow and express itself with sufficient diversity to bring glory to God, and,
2. To provide a structure to carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the world.
The nations provide the very highways that allow the Gospel to be carried to the ends of the earth. This is how it transforms our world, "leavening" the whole of society as it penetrates the social networks of a nation.
The United States is one country made up of many "nations." What about these "nations" who make their home in the United States? We must take seriously the complexity and untapped potential of all these people. We want to plant the Gospel of the Kingdom in these "nations" so it can grow generationally and bring hope and wholeness to all the people groups of America. This is an important part of The Navigators' biblical mandate to go to the nations!
Our next issue will examine the nature of the Gospel of the Kingdom and how it grows into the nations.
Summer 2004
Our Winter 2003 issue highlighted seven principles for genuine and effective inter-ethnic encounters: dignity, understanding, trust, embracing, empowering, engaging, and thinking and living like a missionary.
The following questions are designed to help you think more deeply and engage in dialogue with others about each of the seven principles.
1. Dignity:
* How would I find out or know if I am not treating a person with dignity?
2. Understanding:
* Listening is a critical skill in understanding and building effective relationships with people from different cultures. To what degree do we "unmask" ourselves in order to relate to someone who is perceived as different from ourselves?
* What are some practical ways I can pursue understanding individuals from different ethnic backgrounds in a genuine, empathetic, open, and informed manner?
3. Trust:
* How am I identifying, affirming, and submitting to other people's strengths in healthy ways?
* What am I doing to earn and build trust in my relationships with others from diverse ethnic backgrounds?
4. Embracing:
* How do we embrace someone we feel uncomfortable embracing?
* What is the best way to allow a person's ethnic and cultural uniqueness to help shape the identity of your ministry?
5. Empowering:
* What developmental opportunities, responsibilities, roles, or relationships might I "sponsor" this person into?
6. Engaging:
* How do I engage men and women in my ministry who have a different worldview than mine?
* What are five strategic ways I can begin engaging with men and women in my personal life who have ethnically diverse backgrounds?
7. Thinking and Living Like a Missionary:
* What am I doing to learn and understand more about the culture, history, worldviews, and the like of those with different ethnic backgrounds?
* How am I contributing to the communities of which I am a part? In what ways am I benefiting from such communities? Do these communities include a variety of ethnicities?
Spring 2004 - Ethnic-Focused Ministry: An Opening Consideration
The Navigators' calling that compels us to impact the increasingly diverse people of our country raises several questions. In the next few issues of Together, we will consider one such question, "Do we really need ethnic-focused ministry?" Some may think that ethnic-focused ministry is divisive since Jesus says we are to be "one." We will address this and related questions, but let's begin with a brief look at ethnic identity.
"Ethnic identity" is what the Scripture refers to as "nations" from the Greek term ethnos, which refers to a people group with a common language and ancestry.
This is different than the contemporary use of the terms "nation" and "country," which refer to the politically determined geographic areas in which we find many ethnic groups. Nations, in the biblical sense, are the smaller people groups that share a common worldview, language and history.
What is God's purpose and destiny for the nations? God commanded Adam and Eve to fill the earth (Gen. 1:28). He spread the nations that descended from Japheth, Ham, and Shem throughout the earth (Gen. 10-11). God chose Abraham to be the father of a nation through which He would bless all the nations of the world (Gen. 18:18). He said that the Messiah would not merely go to Israel but be sent to the nations (ethnos) (Isa. 49:6). Jesus sent His apostles to make disciples of all nations (ethnos) (Matt. 28:19). And at the end of time, believers from every kindred, tongue, nation (ethnos), and people will be gathered around God's throne praising Him (Rev. 5:9-10; 7:9-10). Even at the end of time, "nations" are still distinguishable!
The Scripture paints a picture of the Gospel bringing the blessing of God to the nations, not of melting the nations into one. The nations, even in their fallenness, possess a beauty and capacity to know God and uniquely express His glory.
Biblically and practically, ethnic identity is not going to disappear. Every major metropolitan area has many ethnic communities. In the African American, Asian American, Hispanic, and Native American communities there is a strong and steadily increasing expression of ethnic identity and commitment to teaching this identity to the next generation. Even a cursory reading of ethnic-oriented magazines will reveal a significant focus on developing and instilling the beauty of ethnic identity in the current generation and then passing it on to the next.
Speaking of next, in the next Together we will look at our calling and ask, "How can we best advance the Gospel into the nations of our country?"
Summer 2003
Can you imagine engaging in seven days of intense interaction with men and women from the Ivory Coast, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Chile, Kenya and the U.S. on the question, "How do we advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom in the countries where we live?" This was my task May 5-12 when The Navigators hosted our International Council in Colorado Springs, Colorado with 70 leaders from 27 different countries.
It was my privilege to address the group on the subject of one of our Core Values: "The dignity and value of every person." While I don't have space here to share my entire message, I would like to leave you with three questions that I posed to the group.
First, let me simply define dignity as "inherent nobility and worth," and value as "relative worth, utility or importance." There is a relationship between dignity and value, and authority.
This leads to the first question, "Who has the authority to determine the value of a human being who is created in the image of God?" The second question is "What does the Gospel do to "save us" from the effects of sin against our dignity?" My last question is "What are the implications of the second greatest commandment for how we treat one another in light of our dignity (Matthew 22:37-39; Luke 10:25-37)?" These questions will lead us deeply into the Scriptures and have profound bearing on how we treat one another.
Spring 2003
Welcome to this first edition of Together! The title Together communicates the reality that we are one (unity) and we are many (diversity). The model of the body that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 is a powerful picture of what we can be together at work for the glory of the King and His kingdom.
We need the contribution of all the diverse and wonderful parts of the body to advance the Gospel of the kingdom into the nations of our country and beyond. You are a masterpiece in the making
in Jesus, and the work of kingdom building will never be complete without your unique contribution.
When an orchestra is playing The Spanish Dance from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, many different instruments work together to create this beautiful Christmas classic. The cello, bassoon, French horn, clarinet, and flute do not play the same note; they play in harmony with one another to create the full sound of a symphonic masterpiece.
"Stand fast in one spirit," the apostle Paul tells us, "with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27). This publication seeks to better connect our hearts so we can celebrate what God is doing across our diverse ministries, share needs, opportunities, and resources as a body working together for the faith of the Gospel.
Winter 2003
During the National Staff Conference in Tampa, the Cultural Affairs team had the privilege of leading two Learning Labs. The first one, "Reaching the Ethnically Diverse People Around Us," focused the participants on seven principles that should guide every interaction between dominant or Anglo staff and the ethnic minority men and women with whom they relate, staff and nonstaff.
The second Learning Lab, "Effective Leadership in Multi-Ethnic Contexts," exposed Navigators to the leadership competency of leading and managing dynamic tensions with sensitivity and creativity. Leading in a multi-ethnic context requires a leader to deal wisely with tensions.
Take, for example, the tension of unity and diversity. Are we to have unity? Yes. Are we to have diversity? Yes. Which is right? Both! In the Kingdom of God, there are principles that may appear to oppose each other; but when held in tension with each other, they actually give us a balanced wisdom for dealing with complex intercultural situations. Ecclesiastes 7:18 (NIV) says, "It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes."
Sound interesting? In 2004 we will make these resources available to Navigator staff on the Web. It is our desire that these tools promote the coaching, mentoring, and encouraging of many Navigator staff to become more effective in ministry to and among the ethnic minority peoples of the United States.
In the last issue of Together we explored the meaning of "the nations" in our Navigator calling. Tracing "the nations" through Scripture, we saw God's hand in the formation and history of the nations.
Nations organize human beings into social groups that provide enough commonality to make life doable and meaningful. Families (including relatives) formed tribes that ultimately coalesced into nations. These social groups developed customs and ways of doing life together that were both experienced and taught as normal. Thus, it's important to remember that the Greek term ethnos (nation) comes from the word ethos, which means "a custom or habit." A nation, then forms around people with common ways of understanding and doing life.
A stream of biblical passages (Genesis 1:28; 10:5,20,31,32; 12:3 and parallels, Isaiah 49:6; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9; and Revelation 5:9-10) suggests "the nations" have at least two significant purposes in God's plan of salvation for the ages:
1. To provide a place for the Kingdom of God to grow and express itself with sufficient diversity to bring glory to God, and,
2. To provide a structure to carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the world.
The nations provide the very highways that allow the Gospel to be carried to the ends of the earth. This is how it transforms our world, "leavening" the whole of society as it penetrates the social networks of a nation.
The United States is one country made up of many "nations." What about these "nations" who make their home in the United States? We must take seriously the complexity and untapped potential of all these people. We want to plant the Gospel of the Kingdom in these "nations" so it can grow generationally and bring hope and wholeness to all the people groups of America. This is an important part of The Navigators' biblical mandate to go to the nations!
Our next issue will examine the nature of the Gospel of the Kingdom and how it grows into the nations.
Summer 2004
Our Winter 2003 issue highlighted seven principles for genuine and effective inter-ethnic encounters: dignity, understanding, trust, embracing, empowering, engaging, and thinking and living like a missionary.
The following questions are designed to help you think more deeply and engage in dialogue with others about each of the seven principles.
1. Dignity:
* How would I find out or know if I am not treating a person with dignity?
2. Understanding:
* Listening is a critical skill in understanding and building effective relationships with people from different cultures. To what degree do we "unmask" ourselves in order to relate to someone who is perceived as different from ourselves?
* What are some practical ways I can pursue understanding individuals from different ethnic backgrounds in a genuine, empathetic, open, and informed manner?
3. Trust:
* How am I identifying, affirming, and submitting to other people's strengths in healthy ways?
* What am I doing to earn and build trust in my relationships with others from diverse ethnic backgrounds?
4. Embracing:
* How do we embrace someone we feel uncomfortable embracing?
* What is the best way to allow a person's ethnic and cultural uniqueness to help shape the identity of your ministry?
5. Empowering:
* What developmental opportunities, responsibilities, roles, or relationships might I "sponsor" this person into?
6. Engaging:
* How do I engage men and women in my ministry who have a different worldview than mine?
* What are five strategic ways I can begin engaging with men and women in my personal life who have ethnically diverse backgrounds?
7. Thinking and Living Like a Missionary:
* What am I doing to learn and understand more about the culture, history, worldviews, and the like of those with different ethnic backgrounds?
* How am I contributing to the communities of which I am a part? In what ways am I benefiting from such communities? Do these communities include a variety of ethnicities?
Spring 2004 - Ethnic-Focused Ministry: An Opening Consideration
The Navigators' calling that compels us to impact the increasingly diverse people of our country raises several questions. In the next few issues of Together, we will consider one such question, "Do we really need ethnic-focused ministry?" Some may think that ethnic-focused ministry is divisive since Jesus says we are to be "one." We will address this and related questions, but let's begin with a brief look at ethnic identity.
"Ethnic identity" is what the Scripture refers to as "nations" from the Greek term ethnos, which refers to a people group with a common language and ancestry.
This is different than the contemporary use of the terms "nation" and "country," which refer to the politically determined geographic areas in which we find many ethnic groups. Nations, in the biblical sense, are the smaller people groups that share a common worldview, language and history.
What is God's purpose and destiny for the nations? God commanded Adam and Eve to fill the earth (Gen. 1:28). He spread the nations that descended from Japheth, Ham, and Shem throughout the earth (Gen. 10-11). God chose Abraham to be the father of a nation through which He would bless all the nations of the world (Gen. 18:18). He said that the Messiah would not merely go to Israel but be sent to the nations (ethnos) (Isa. 49:6). Jesus sent His apostles to make disciples of all nations (ethnos) (Matt. 28:19). And at the end of time, believers from every kindred, tongue, nation (ethnos), and people will be gathered around God's throne praising Him (Rev. 5:9-10; 7:9-10). Even at the end of time, "nations" are still distinguishable!
The Scripture paints a picture of the Gospel bringing the blessing of God to the nations, not of melting the nations into one. The nations, even in their fallenness, possess a beauty and capacity to know God and uniquely express His glory.
Biblically and practically, ethnic identity is not going to disappear. Every major metropolitan area has many ethnic communities. In the African American, Asian American, Hispanic, and Native American communities there is a strong and steadily increasing expression of ethnic identity and commitment to teaching this identity to the next generation. Even a cursory reading of ethnic-oriented magazines will reveal a significant focus on developing and instilling the beauty of ethnic identity in the current generation and then passing it on to the next.
Speaking of next, in the next Together we will look at our calling and ask, "How can we best advance the Gospel into the nations of our country?"
Summer 2003
Can you imagine engaging in seven days of intense interaction with men and women from the Ivory Coast, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Chile, Kenya and the U.S. on the question, "How do we advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom in the countries where we live?" This was my task May 5-12 when The Navigators hosted our International Council in Colorado Springs, Colorado with 70 leaders from 27 different countries.
It was my privilege to address the group on the subject of one of our Core Values: "The dignity and value of every person." While I don't have space here to share my entire message, I would like to leave you with three questions that I posed to the group.
First, let me simply define dignity as "inherent nobility and worth," and value as "relative worth, utility or importance." There is a relationship between dignity and value, and authority.
This leads to the first question, "Who has the authority to determine the value of a human being who is created in the image of God?" The second question is "What does the Gospel do to "save us" from the effects of sin against our dignity?" My last question is "What are the implications of the second greatest commandment for how we treat one another in light of our dignity (Matthew 22:37-39; Luke 10:25-37)?" These questions will lead us deeply into the Scriptures and have profound bearing on how we treat one another.
Spring 2003
Welcome to this first edition of Together! The title Together communicates the reality that we are one (unity) and we are many (diversity). The model of the body that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 is a powerful picture of what we can be together at work for the glory of the King and His kingdom.
We need the contribution of all the diverse and wonderful parts of the body to advance the Gospel of the kingdom into the nations of our country and beyond. You are a masterpiece in the making
in Jesus, and the work of kingdom building will never be complete without your unique contribution.
When an orchestra is playing The Spanish Dance from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, many different instruments work together to create this beautiful Christmas classic. The cello, bassoon, French horn, clarinet, and flute do not play the same note; they play in harmony with one another to create the full sound of a symphonic masterpiece.
"Stand fast in one spirit," the apostle Paul tells us, "with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27). This publication seeks to better connect our hearts so we can celebrate what God is doing across our diverse ministries, share needs, opportunities, and resources as a body working together for the faith of the Gospel.
Winter 2003
During the National Staff Conference in Tampa, the Cultural Affairs team had the privilege of leading two Learning Labs. The first one, "Reaching the Ethnically Diverse People Around Us," focused the participants on seven principles that should guide every interaction between dominant or Anglo staff and the ethnic minority men and women with whom they relate, staff and nonstaff.
The second Learning Lab, "Effective Leadership in Multi-Ethnic Contexts," exposed Navigators to the leadership competency of leading and managing dynamic tensions with sensitivity and creativity. Leading in a multi-ethnic context requires a leader to deal wisely with tensions.
Take, for example, the tension of unity and diversity. Are we to have unity? Yes. Are we to have diversity? Yes. Which is right? Both! In the Kingdom of God, there are principles that may appear to oppose each other; but when held in tension with each other, they actually give us a balanced wisdom for dealing with complex intercultural situations. Ecclesiastes 7:18 (NIV) says, "It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes."
Sound interesting? In 2004 we will make these resources available to Navigator staff on the Web. It is our desire that these tools promote the coaching, mentoring, and encouraging of many Navigator staff to become more effective in ministry to and among the ethnic minority peoples of the United States.