Please welcome Alicia Wong as Lifeway’s new Women’s Ministry Specialist! Alicia will continue writing the Leading Well series that Kelly King originally started. We are excited to hear from her monthly on the blog!
I am often asked about ministering cross-culturally since I served overseas as a missionary in over ten countries. My work, community, church, family, and friends include people from various cultures. However, the best Person who set this example is Jesus. Jesus ministered cross- culturally, first coming from heaven to earth, and more explicitly, we see His interactions with the Samaritan woman in John 4. While the encounter occurred many years ago, we often find ourselves in similar situations with others from unfamiliar cultures. As leaders, we may be asked to lead a group of women from different cultural backgrounds, or outside of the church in our everyday lives, we can be an example and actively engage with others from different cultural backgrounds.
In John 4, we see Jesus was resting at a well. This woman came to draw water from the well. She was a Samaritan, and He was a Jew. The Jews did not like the Samaritans for several reasons. Historically it went back to when the 12 tribes were being divided in Genesis. The Samaritans and the Jews dislike each other for distinct reasons ranging from their values, rituals, customs, race, background, and specifically their worship.
That sounds a lot like us in our society. We see a backlash of racism and prejudice in our own society today. You could be in any country or culture, and human nature has a tendency to disassociate with those who are different from us. The first thing we need to do is evaluate our own hearts and see where we are at in the spectrum of prejudice or racism. Is there an ethnic group, race, or culture in which you feel fear, antagonism, hatred, or indifference toward them because of a negative encounter or experience with them? You are not alone. It is our human tendency to protect ourselves. But have we gone too far to project those feelings onto all the whole group? This may be an area where you need to spend some time confessing and going to the Lord with this matter and let Him change your heart to see people of other cultures differently and learn to embrace them.
What are some ways to that we could minister cross-culturally? I was first introduced to what is known as the 7 C’s from Jaye Martin at jayemartin.com. I found that these were conversations and considerations one should have when finding themselves in various situations, whether leading in the church or out doing your normal chores.
- Common ground (vv. 4-8)
- Curiosity (vv. 9-15)
- Concern (vv. 16-19)
- Change religion to relationship (vv. 20-24)
- Confession (vv. 25-26)
- Conversion (vv. 27-30,39-42)
- Challenge (vv. 31-38)
First. you want to start with developing a common ground. In John 4:4-8, we see both the Samaritan woman and Jesus at a well. Jesus started off with the obvious, “Give me a drink” (v. 7). Wherever you are, start there.
I was waiting to pick up my foster daughter from the youth group. While waiting, I struck up a conversation with another mom about raising teenage girls. One thing led to another, and a junior high girl’s Bible study for the summer was born. Several moms would take turn leading the Bible study. What did I have in common with all these women? !e all wanted our teenage daughters to have Christian friends and to love God more.
Evangelistically, it may look something like this. While waiting again for my daughter in ballet class, I started a conversation with a mom about her daughter taking ballet and began to ask questions related to ballet. I had a captive audience for one hour. Use this time to have at least one spiritual conversation in hopes that you may get an opportunity to share the gospel later. Get creative—as you are “waiting,” think of ways you can start up conversations with someone from another culture that starts with something you have in common.
Second, you want to create curiosity. Jesus creates curiosity in three ways:
1. He crosses cultural and gender lines (John 4:27). Notice in John 4:9 that Jesus created curiosity by just reaching out across cultural lines from a Jew speaking to a Samaritan. It often starts with us crossing those cultural divides and striking up a conversation with someone from a different culture.
2. He is intentional. He alluded to something she is familiar with (getting water from the well) but added something that she may not know. Watch how Jesus pulled her into the conversation by creating more curiosity by letting her know about the “living water.” If I were her, I would want to know what is “living” in that water.
3. He shares about a need that she does not even know that she needed. We want to keep in mind as we minister cross-culturally to create this curiosity in our conversation. While we know that everyone needs Jesus, they may not necessarily be curious about Him. You may want to create conversations that get other curious about Jesus and how He has worked in your life. Start with things in common and move them to a place of curiosity. This may take place in your first conversation, or it may happen in subsequent conversations. What are some ways that you can create curiosity in your conversations?
Third, you want to show that you are concerned about them as a person. Notice the progression in verses 16-19 that Jesus did not start here but with water. Now, He has deepened the conversation to something more personal. Jesus helped her to become aware of her need. Yet, instead of calling her out that she is looking for love in all the wrong places, He helped her see that He gets her.
What are some ways that you can show concern or care for someone? Neighbors? And elderly person? A single mom? Perhaps you could show concern and care even by seeing someone who is distressed and asking if you can pray for them. You could ask waiters and servers if they have any prayer needs before you say grace. Prayer is such a great way to show concern for any culture. It is interesting to note that in many cultures they have their version of “prayers.”
Fourth, you want to change from talking about religion to a relationship. In verses 20-24, the Samaritan women was stuck on a place of worship, and Jesus helped her to see that God was more interested in having a relationship that is genuine. Worship is not about a place but how doing it in spirit and in truth.
You will find that often people get stuck on the religion aspect, and most religions are about what we can do for our “god” instead of what God has done for us. Moving your conversations to focus on your personal walk with God may help them see that the difference of intimacy is about a relationship based on grace and not works. Most religions are about works.
For example, I was waiting on for a friend in the dressing room and started talking with the attendant. We had this conversation about his faith, and I shared about mine. He kept referring to how he needed to get back into doing all these things. I just shared with him that while doing good things is great, God would want a better thing for him which would be to have a personal relationship with Jesus. In your daily conversation with others, find ways to change a conversation from religion to a relationship.
Fifth, you want to make a confession of your faith. Look at how Jesus started with a personal need for “water.” He showed he genuinely knew her, helped her to understand that it a relationship God wants, and now has set her up to confess who He really is In verses 25-26, Jesus did not start off with “I am a Jew” or “I am the Messiah.” Perhaps that would have scared her off. Keep this flow in mind as you have conversations with others. Perhaps you may want to even start off by asking someone a simple get-to-know you question, such as what they do for fun on the weekends. If they ask you what you do for work, you may share with them how you lead in the church and then have the opportunity to ask them if they have a church they attend. Eventually, lead into a time where you are able to share your testimony.
Sixth, you will also want to give them an opportunity for conversion. In verses 27-30,39-42, you see that woman is converted into a believer in Jesus. She ran off, but she had been changed. She went and told others about Jesus. You will want to give an opportunity for the person to receive Christ. Those opportunities could be through your church, evangelistic outreaches, or creating your own event or finding time for a private one-on-one conversation. The key is making that time for them.
Seventh, you will want to take on the “Challenge.” In verse, we see that Jesus challenged us to “look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest” (v. 35). It was through a Samaritan women who was of a different culture and gender than Jesus who went back into town and testified. Notice that Jesus stayed with the Samaritans in verse 40. My encouragement to you is that ministering to them starts with a conversation that is based on things in common and builds friendships.
Get to know them personally and take time to learn about their culture either through reading or watching movies or videos about the culture. Next show concern for them and find out what some of their needs are and try to meet them. Be intentional moving conversations toward relationship with Jesus and by giving them an opportunity process what that means for them. It can be costly for some cultures for them to become Christians. Be sensitive to what their cultural beliefs are prior to meeting you. Give them a chance to commit to following Him.
ABOUT ALICIA WONG
Alicia Wong serves as the women’s ministry specialist for Lifeway Women and as an associate professor of Women’s Ministry at Gateway Seminary in Ontario, CA. She has served as a missionary with IMB and NAMB and has been teaching in seminaries and local churches on the topics of Missions and Ministry to Women for over twenty-five years. She is a graduate of Gateway Seminary (M.A. in Intercultural Studies and Christian Counseling) and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. and Ed.D.). Her desire is to see women be firmly rooted in biblical truth, built up in Christ, and established in their faith in order that they may share the good news with others to the ends of the earth.
