Most people enter cross-cultural ministry partnerships with the best of intentions. However, often when conflict arises it is because different beliefs and assumptions about how money should be spent or managed have not been properly examined. Financial stewardship and accountability frequently mean different things to people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The purpose of this workshop is to help people better navigate these types of complexities. It will be an interactive session built upon adult learning principles. It is designed to help mission practitioners grow in cultural intelligence when funding is part of a cross-cultural partnership.
Everyone who has been on a medical mission has some embarrassing and/or hilarious stories of cultural insensitivity or language blunders. Sometimes the events are just funny. Sometimes they can seriously compromise the intended impact of the whole mission, including our Christian witness. This session offers perspective, spiritual grounding and practical tools for building healthy relationships, avoiding, or at least recovering from many of the common mistakes in cross-cultural missions.
Our discussion will include:
• Framing the problem: Why doesn’t everyone see the world my way?
• A spiritual foundation: Humility – be a Learner
• Communication: Language is more than just words. A simple, practical language/culture learning process – even for short-term missions.
• Relationships: Essential Bridges - - build them to last
• Good news is not always Good News: Why context is always important. Looking for systemic roots to disease, poverty and hunger - - and how to work for lasting change.
Ralph Winter said that for every 100 people who made a mission commitment at some point in their lives, only one made it to the mission field. Why? For lack of mobilizers! The same can be said of lack of mentors—and the lack of appreciation of the resources that are available to fan into flame serving in medical mission. What is a mentor? What are the resources available? Come to this session to find what’s available to keep you on track for medical mission. As an extra bonus, meet a young medical missionary (not me, obviously) on home assignment to discover how he found a mentor and what this means to him.
Healthcare missionaries serving in emerging cultures confront a complex set of ethical issues that may not be obvious at first glance. This session will discuss the unique ethical challenges of ministering to underserved populations, with an emphasis on resource limitations, cultural taboos, and human justice.
If God has been nudging you about serving in missions, you have many questions: How do I know I’m called? How do I pick a mission agency? What training should I get? What about raising support? What is it like to raise your kids overseas? How can I avoid burnout? Using his experience and lots of stories, Dr. Stevens will answer these questions and others at this popular breakout session.
