In my estimation, community research is a necessity for every church, whether rural or urban, a church plant or a revitalization. Many people have an intuitive sense of their neighborhood, but making an effort to go deeper can be of great benefit for the ministry. Additionally, God is raising up a generation of people passionate about church planting and many are moving to new cities as a result. Neighborhood assessment is regularly part of the church-planting process, but many tools are overly statistical or do not provide the depth I want to achieve in this book. Spending time conducting good research initially can save many unnecessary hardships later on. Furthermore, many churches engage in short-term mission trips and utilizing one for community research purposes is a wise use of time. I have been on several short-term trips where we used a team-based approach to research with great success. Ten people working hard for a week can equivocate the research hours a single person may need six months to accumulate. Later in this book we will look more closely at how to do short-term, team-based research. In short, God has already provided you and your church with the resources you need to conduct good community research and formulate an effective strategy for ministry. Allow this book to be the motivation and tool necessary to get you out the door.
Layout of the Book
At times, I have come across people who are suspicious of community research and the social sciences behind it. They see it as somehow unbiblical and unnecessary. In response to this mindset, I walk through the Bible in chapter 2 exploring how God’s people have always sought to be learners in their communities and places of ministry. Effective ministry needs close proximity so we follow Jesus’ model of incarnational living and make our homes in the places where we minister. We can learn much about taking the posture of a learner who is fully engaged in his or her community from examining the lives of key biblical figures such as Joseph, Moses, Daniel, and the Apostle Paul.
Chapter 3 provides an overview of culture and its role for both uniting and dividing a community. People relate to one another in many different ways and sometimes barriers exist that create an “us” versus “them” mentality. This chapter helps makes sense of those unifying characteristics that are important to understand for effective ministry.
Chapters 4–10 explore the tools necessary for cultural research. At its core, the process is simply a matter of going into the neighborhood, looking around, finding people to talk to, and then making sense of it all. That’s the good news. Cultural research can be a very natural thing that we are already accustomed to doing. However, there is a technical side to the research, especially if it is to be done well and accurately. I walk through each of the steps, explaining what is needed and provide many examples to give a picture of what things may look like.
The book concludes with chapters on special considerations for research in multicultural cities and then a guide to short-term, team-based research. An appendix provides a sample survey that is useful as you conduct your own research.
Conclusion
Pastors and Bible teachers receive training on how to exegete the Scriptures, that is, how to read them in a way to clearly understand what God is communicating and be able to transfer that message to the church. Biblical exegesis is vital for a healthy ministry. In the same way, we must become cultural exegetes and gain the skills necessary to clearly understand what is going on in our communities. Community exegesis is vital for a healthy ministry. Without it, we have a difficult time connecting with those to whom we minister. My home church had for its motto, “In the city, for the city.” No matter where we live, we should adopt a similar goal: to live fully in our community, knowing its people and needs deeply, and equipping the church to make disciples of all nations, even those in our own backyards.
1. “Table 1.”
2. “Foreign-Born Population in the United States,” 1.
3. “Table 25.” Zong and Batalova, “International Students in the United States.”
4. Zong and Batalova, “International Students in the United States,” para. 1.
5. Payne, Strangers Next Door, 43.
6. Payne, Strangers Next Door, 43–44.
7. “United States—Foreign-Born Population Percentage by State.”
8. Payne, Unreached Peoples, 34–35.
2
Culture Learning in the Bible
Introduction
I went to college 600 miles northwest of my Ohio hometown. I loved snow and cold, both of which Wisconsin had in abundance. I knew I would have to adjust to the temperature, but I never thought I would be confronted with a different culture. I soon assumed the nickname “Ohio Man,” though people often asked if I was from Texas because of my “Southern” accent. My first memory of confusion came on my very first night at college. My roommate and I decided to explore the town and as we were driving around, he mentioned he needed to find a time machine. I found this statement perplexing—had I unwittingly been matched with a Back to the Future junkie? Not wanting to appear ignorant, I said nothing and went along. After making several rounds, I again heard the statement, “Surely there is a time machine around here somewhere!”
I was beginning to rethink my housing arrangement when he exclaimed, “Ah ha, there it is.” I eagerly looked up, wondering what he was talking about. And there it was. A TYME machine (Take Your Money Everywhere), an interbank ATM network in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I had a good laugh and explained to my roommate how I thought he was crazy, driving around looking for a time machine. I quickly found out I had much to learn if I wanted to be a local and shed the moniker Ohio Man.
Most people understand the need to learn their way around their community. Where are the schools, the grocery stores, the churches? But, in my experience training church planters and missionaries in North America, Christians get suspicious when I talk about the need for cultural research. “Isn’t that social science stuff unnecessary? I’ll just love people and preach the Bible.” Little do they know, cultural research and adaptation are themes that run throughout the entirety of Scripture.
The Pattern of Jesus
Jesus is the supreme example of one who learned deeply the cultural context in which he ministered. The incarnation at its core is a model of immersion and identification with humanity. Jesus left his heavenly home, where he had been lacking nothing. He took on flesh, language, and culture of a specific region of the world (John 1). He dressed as the Jews dressed. He spoke with a Galilean accent, which was distinct to his hometown. Jesus did what Jews did—he grew up in a locally recognized family structure, apprenticing into the profession of his father, as was common. He regularly went to the synagogue, as his friends would have. He took part in the local festivals and feast days. In many ways, Jesus lived so regular a life that people were shocked when confronted with his true identity. “‘Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?’ they asked. Is this not the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?” (Matt 13: 54–55). Before Jesus began his public ministry, he was fully immersed in the local culture, where he truly knew the people.
Furthermore,