Evangelism/Cultural Intelligence Applied To Mission

Saturday, October 20, 2018

The Great Commission mandate provides a clear directive to believers: “Go,  Make Disciples, Baptize them, and Teach them *Mat. 28:19-20). This seems like a simple enough task until one recognizes the universal reach of the command: “of all nations”. This gospel is to be preached to all nations (Mat. 24:14).  This mission to the nations calls for the application of cultural intelligence as communicators of God’s message will need to have “a core understanding of cultures, language patterns, and non-verbal behaviors,”[1] unless the preference is to limit their cultural exchanges to a certain demographics. Many of the nations to which the gospel will be preached comprise people “whose tastes, behaviors, and assumptions are not only different but often in conflict with one another.”[2] That said, the message of the gospel may be foreign to many within these foreign nations. This means a clear grasp of intercultural communication that is catered to the audience. We are talking about creating an indigenous experience that is totally biblical, especially since the gospel is a universal message with universal appeal. The same approach can be used for local missions work.