CHANGING LANES, CROSSING CULTURES:
Equipping Christians and Churches for Ministry
in a Culturally Diverse Society
By Andrew Schachtel, Choon-Hwa Lim
& Michael K. Wilson
Great Western Press. 195 pages. £7.38
ISBN 978 0 869 010 808
Australia is a more culturally diverse society than the UK, but like us they face the challenge of building congregations that truly reflect the uniting power of the gospel across racial and cultural divides.
This book brings together the experience of three practitioners in the field. The book is in four main sections answering the questions: the why, the what, the how and the when. Under those headings there are six modules that would be suitable for house-groups or the leadership team to work through together. The metaphor of car driving binds it all together.
Wealth of good things
The Australian context should not put British readers off. There is a wealth of good practical things here, united with clear biblical thinking. There are lists of other resources in appendices, together with statistical analyses of Australian society and a very helpful checklist to evaluate the cross-cultural abilities of your church. The book is good in distinguishing between a multi-ethnic church and one that is culturally inclusive. There is wise advice on building a multicultural leadership team, with caveats about different understandings of leadership. It also reminds us of differing patterns of cultural identity amongst immigrants entering a new community
More to discover
A book of under 200 pages cannot cover everything that you need to know. While there are some examples of cultural differences, anyone taking the challenge seriously will want to read some of the many books, both Christian and secular, that seek to explain why people do things differently. God’s action over the Tower of Babel dispersed people throughout the world to develop different cultures. The gospel brings them back together, not in abolishing their separate cultures, but by uniting them in the worship of the one Lord Jesus. Get driving!
