Recommended Reading: Multicultural Ministry
Here are our recommendations for some of the best books on cross-cultural ministry.
Follow the link to Amazon.com for descriptions and reviews. (If you choose to buy online, 5% of the price will help cover expenses of our ministry.)
I want to start this section by recommending two wonderful books that every Christian should read:
Ministering Cross-Culturally:
An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships
by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter, Marvin Keene Mayers
Baker Academic, 2003
This book will prepare you for better personal relationships with people from other cultures. Beginning with a questionnaire to help you identify your own cultural values, the authors identify the six most common areas of cultural conflict and analyze how Christ lived out his values in each area.
I found this a very personal and practical book. Read it to enhance your cross-cultural friendships and ministry!
The Wolf Shall Dwell With the Lamb:
A Spirituality for Leadership in a Multiculutural Community
by Eric H. F. Law
Chalice Press, 1993
It takes more than good intentions to create cross-cultural trust and relationship. This book was written by an Asian-American (born in Hong Kong) with practical advice on how to structure meetings to maximize trust and participation.
The book is firmly grounded in Scripture and sets forth a powerful application of the cross and resurrection (in what Law calls the Gospel cycle) as it relates to leadership in cross-cultural settings.
This wonderful book is a "must read" for everyone who wants to be effective in cross-cultural ministry.
More Good Reading
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Here's a great find for anyone who travels and wants to share the gospel with people of other nations: The Gospel of Luke in Seven Languages
This beautiful little hardcover volume is just 4-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches, and contains the gospel of Luke in Italian, French, Arabic, English, Japanese, German, and Spanish. |
One New People:
Models for Developing a Multiethnic Church
by Manuel Ortiz (InterVarsity Press, 1996)
This book "is an invitation to open the
treasure chest of multiethnicity and rejoice." Offering both presonal stories and time-tested models, the author He
urges us not just to put aside our differences but to celebrate them and to embrace them in a way that draws us closer to each other and closer to God. |
God's Global Mosaic:
What We Can Learn from Christians Around the World
by Paul Gordon Chandler, John R. W. Stott
Intervarsity Press, 2000
"You will want to read the interesting (sometimes surprising, often moving, many humorous) stories and
illustrations in Paul-Gordon Chandler's book, God's Global Mosaic. It is my prayer that you will be
blessed, encouraged and challenged as you read about your Christian brothers and sisters in cultures
vastly different from your own, and yet all joined together in one family of God!" BILLY GRAHAM
"My friend Paul-Gordon Chandler leads us around the world and introduces us to the Christians with
whom we'll worship the Lord in heaven someday. During the journey we discover how much we need
one another in the body of Christ." LUIS PALAU
The World at Your Door:
Reaching International Students in Your Home, Church and School, by Dr. Tom Phillips and Bob Norsworthy with W. Terry Whalin.
Bethany House Publishers, 1997
No reader reviews
Does your church board question whether local outreach really "counts" as mission? Do you want to ignite church leaders to be more intentional about outreach to internationals in your community? The World at Your Door is a great introductory overview, written by the President of International Students, Inc.
Each year more than half a million international students enroll in American universities. These students represent the coming generation of world leaders. Yet few are ever welcomed into an American home, and even fewer ever attend a church. The World at Your Door makes ministry to international students understandable and attainable for all Christians.
Walking With the Poor:
Principles and Practices of Transformational Development
by Bryant L. Myers
Orbis Books, 1999
I first read this book when I was on staff with an international development organization. It revolutionized our thinking, impacted our programs, and even changed the language we used to describe our work!
Bryant Meyers writes from his twenty-three years of experience working with the poor as an employee of World Vision. Although the author writes in a context of economic development, the principles of this book apply to every cross-cultural situation.
The book is a good introduction to the best Christian and scientific writing about cross-cultural ministry, based on Scriptural principles, and challenges our assumptions as it calls us to truly respect the strength and resourcefulness of the poor.
Inclusion:
Making Room for Grace
by Eric H. F. Law
Chalice Press, 2000
In his new book, Law says inclusion is a discipline of consciously extending the boundaries of our communities to embrace and affirm people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. In this resource for ministers and church leaders, Law provides models, theories, and strategies that are both practical and theologically sound for moving faith communities toward greater inclusion.
The Bush Was Blazing but Not Consumed:
Developing a Multicultural Community Through Dialogue and Liturgy
by Eric H. F. Law
Chalice Press, 1996
I haven't read this follow-up to "The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb," but I list it because I think so highly of Law's first book.
Lost in America:
How You and Your Church Can Impact the World Next Door
by Tom Clegg, Warren Bird
Group Publishing, 2001
Lost in America will motivate Christians, individually and in the church, to think and behave as missionaries right here in North America.
The authors challenge readers to move from program evangelism to the New Testament pattern of relational evangelism. The book is chock full of interesting graphs and relevant statistics. It is plain to see that the church is losing ground in America, with the conversion rate not even keeping up with the birth rate. This book, calls the church to wake up and change!
Cross-Cultural Conflict:
Building Relationships for Effective Ministry
by Duane Elmer
Intervarsity Press, 1994
Cross-Cultural Conflict is easy-to-read and rich in personal illustrations to help the reader understand options available for resolving cross-cultural differences. The descriptions of how conflicts are resolved in non-Western cultures is very helpful. At Amazon.com, a reader reviewer from Malawi, Africa, says of this book:
"The authors carefully consider what an American response would be, and also give examples of responses from cultures outside American culture. We are finding the book very useful for both our American missionaries, as well as our African counterparts. Both are coming to new levels understanding one another, as well as working together."
Where the Nations Meet:
The Church in a Multicultural World
by Stephen A. Rhodes
Intervarsity Press, 1998
Where the Nations Meetsets forth a biblical, ministry-tested pastoral theology of multiethnic ministry, including how God's creation was always intended to be multicultural, how the church is called to evangelize, serve and include all ethnicities, how the church can bring healing to increasing conflict in a world of so much difference.
Here are comments from Alberto Guerra, a reader reviewer for Amazon.com:
"The book is not about practical How to's, but about biblical truths and principles which are foundational for a succesful long lasting multicultural ministry. It is a must reading for elders, pastors, or lay leaders who want to get a biblical grounding on this subject. ... One quote worth the price of the book is 'God's call of Abraham was not an exclusive call but an inclusive one: 'In You all the nations will be blessed.'"
Transforming Culture:
A Challenge for Christian Missions
by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter
Baker Book House, 1999
James Duren (who wrote many of the articles which appear on this site) recommends these two books to help with your ministry planning:
Conflict Mediation Across Cultures:
Pathways and Patterns
by David W. Augsberger
Westminster John Knox Press, 1995
Believing not only that conflict is inevitable in human life but that it is essential and can be quite constructive, Augsburger proposes a shift to an "international" approach in resolving conflict. Augsburger focuses on interpersonal and group conflicts and provides a comparison of conflict patterns within and among various cultures.
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Cross-Cultural Connections:
Stepping Out and Fitting in Around the World
by Duane Elmer
InterVarsity Press, 2002
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What Color is Your God?
by David Ireland
Impact Publishing, 2000
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Making Room at the Table:
An Invitation to Multicultural Worship
Edited by Brian K. Blount and Leonora Tubbs Tisdale
Westminster John Knox Press, 2000 |
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The Global God : Multicultural Evangelical Views of God
Edited by Aida Besancon Spencer, William David Spencer, and Alda B. Spencer
Baker Book House, 1998
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Faiths in Conflict:
Christian Integrity in a Multicultural World
by Vinoth Ramachandra
Intervarsity Press, 2000 |
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Living in Color: Embracing God's Passion for Diversity
by Randy Woodley
Chosen Books Pub Co, September 2001
Author is Keetoowah Cherokee
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Creating Understanding:
A Handbook for Christian Communication Across Cultural Landscapes
Donald K. Smith
Zondervan Publishing House, 1992
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What Color Is Your God?:
Multi Cultural Education in the Church
by James Breckenridge
Scripture Pr Pubns, 1994
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Embracing Diversity:
Leadership in Multicultural Congregations
by Charles R. Foster
Alban Inst, 1997 |
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Peace Child
by Don Richardson
Gospel Light Pubns, 1975
A Marvelous Story of the Gospel in a Cultural Setting |
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Divided by Faith :
Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America
by Michael O. Emerson
and Christian Smith
Oxford University Press, 2000
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Beyond the White Noise: Mission in a Multicultural World
by Tom Montgomery-Fate
Chalice Press, 1997
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Building Credible Multicultural Teams
by Lianne Roembke
William Carey Library Pub, 2000 |
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And Everyone Shall Praise:
Resources for Multicultural Worship
by R. Mark Liebenow and Mark Liebenow
United Church Press, 1999
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The Color of Faith:
Building Community in a Multiracial Society
by Fumitaka Matsuoka
United Church Press, 1998
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Multicultural Images: Abingdon Clip Art
Abingdon Press, 1999
CD ROM
500 full-color professional illustrations by leading multicultural artists in North America. |
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Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally
by David J. Hesselgrave
Zondervan Publishing House, 1991
No reader ratings |
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Marginality: The Key
to Multicultural Theology
by Jung Young Lee
Fortress Press, 1995
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Church Is in a Stew:
Developing Multicongregational Churches
by Jerry Appleby
and Glen Lewis Van Dyne
Beacon Hill Press, 1990
No reader reviews |
No picture
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Choosing a Future for U.S. Missions
by Paul McKaughan
Dellanna O'Brien
William O'Brien
Marc Publications, 1998
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Many Cultures, One in Christ
(Covenant Bible Study)
edited by Julie Garber
Brethren Press, 1993
No reader rating |
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