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Cross Cultural Ministry Model

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Bilingual Worship is one of the least effective ways to build community in a congregation. ... Outreach will quickly meet resistance from the lower economic ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Cross Cultural Ministry Model


1
Cross Cultural Ministry Model
  • Our Redeemer Lutheran Church
  • Irving, Texas

2
ORLC Five-Seven Years Ago!
  • Fairly Ethnically Diverse Parish in a community
    alongside Dallas, TX
  • A Pastor in place who had built some strong
    congregational relationships and had at least Six
    years of ministry with the people.
  • Building debt of over 454,000 had been
    aggressively retired 7-9 years ahead of schedule

3
ORLCFive to Seven Years Ago!
  • Strong Christ-centered Congregational leaders who
    were aware of changing ethnic makeup of Irving.
  • No Congregational conflict!
  • About 230 in worship a week!
  • No predominant ministry outreach effort that was
    manpower intensive and financially straining!

4
ORLCFive to Seven Years Ago!
  • Congregation with a strong growth mentality.
    Congregation had seen several new families enter
    its presence. A strong core of young families
    developing friendships through sports activities.
  • Congregational ministry team was growing to
    facilitate more effect growth in the parish.

5
How Did We Start
  • Period of discernment through prayer,
    presentations by District Officials.
  • SLOWLY!
  • Lots of Communication with the Congregation.
  • Leaders of parish had to be on board from the
    beginning!

6
How Did We Start
  • We became a externally focused congregation!
  • We started determining what type of relationship
    would exist between the existing parish and the
    new predominantly Spanish-speaking members who
    would become members.
  • We determined to be one integrated community of
    faith instead of two parishes worshipping in the
    same building!
  • We had to accept a lot of unknowns as we moved
    into the future.

7
What Step Did We Take Early On!
  • We ask for visible support of District Leaders.
  • We sought out models already in existence of what
    we wanted our parish to look like!
  • We began the discernment process in terms of what
    type of Latino outreach leader we needed.

8
  • What Did We Find As Work Started!
  • English as Second Language Classes were in huge
    demand! Library had a waiting list! Many
    immigrants thrilled to find that they did not
    have pay to attend our classes.
  • Child-care and food were pretty essential. Lots
    of immigrants are new to area, uncomfortable
    leaving children with others, coming to class
    straight from work.
  • ESL gave us an opportunity to start building
    relationships even though we had just a handful
    of truly bilingual people to help with the
    program in its infancy.
  • When Pastor Gonzalez was called to ORLC, we
    already had a connection to the Latino community.

9
  • Ways We Have Expanded Upon the Initial Work
    Through ESL
  • Community Health Fair
  • Service of Blessing
  • Partnership in Education with Local School
  • Pan-American Fair
  • Expanding the ESL
  • Soccer Camps
  • Math Mania
  • Worship Service in Spanish
  • Initial Work in Developing Latino Leaders

10
  • LESSONS FROM THE JOURNEY!
  • Successful Models to learn from are far and
    few! Mentoring is not really feasible!
  • Lack of a Strong Voice at the Synodical Level.
  • Ongoing training geared for Cross-Cultural
    Ministry can be difficult to come by!
  • ALWAYS START FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH NOT
    WEAKNESS!
  • Cross-Cultural Ministry demands a very close
    relationship between the Existing Pastor and the
    Pastor called to work in Ethnic Outreach!
  • You must accept that cross-cultural ministry will
    take a high toll on existing ministries in terms
    of manpower!

11
  • LESSONS FROM THE JOURNEY!
  • Culturally Latinos are very different. Dont
    assume that because something is done in the
    Mexican culture that it is done throughout the
    rest of the Latino world.
  • Immigrants have tons of personal problems they
    become addicted to materialism quite rapidly,
    they have relatives dependent upon them back
    home, they are struggling to let go of their
    homeland, their children take on American
    values that sometimes cause real struggles, and
    financial challenges
  • Non-Latinos know absolutely nothing about
    Latino History!
  • Conveying information across linguistic lines is
    very difficult.
  • Bilingual Worship is one of the least effective
    ways to build community in a congregation.

12
  • LESSONS FROM THE JOURNEY!
  • Anglos struggle with why Latinos are slow to
    embrace English.
  • THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ISSUE IS OFF THE CHARTS IN
    TERMS OF A BARRIER TO OVERCOME!
  • Latino Outreach will quickly meet resistance from
    the lower economic sector of your parish on up to
    the lower middle class. These are the ones
    losing their lifestyle and jobs due to the rapid
    immigration into our country. Plain and simple
    Immigrants will work for less money!
  • You must have a poll of bilingual members to help
    with connecting the different languages in your
    parish.
  • Develop a name in your community as a church that
    is welcoming to Latinos and strives to reach out
    to them.

13
  • LESSONS FROM THE JOURNEY!
  • The person answering your phone will have to be
    bilingual if you are to be effect at connecting
    to the immigrant!
  • Do not expect Latino ministry to be
    self-sufficient anytime soon.
  • The children/youth will be the area where you see
    the fastest integration of the two cultures. You
    must strive to have a great youth program.
  • In a cultural diverse congregation, you have a
    small image of what heaven will be like. There
    is a richness to the diversity. There is an
    expanding of boundaries outside of our comfort
    zones that cause us to grow dramatically in the
    faith.
  • Latinos are very serious about their relationship
    with God and are incredibly faithful in worship
    and activities at the church.

14
CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY IS AN INCREDIBLE BLESSING
TO ALL INVOLVED! GO FOR IT WITH THE
CONFIDENCE THAT GOD WILL PROVIDE WHAT IS NEEDED
TO BRING THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST TO THIS
GENERATION OF TEXANS!!!
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