So, you've made the decision. You're definitely going to be a missionary. Now what? You have a jillion questions, right? And several thousand concerns (not to mention several thousand more that your mother has). You're excited, of course, but... You're committed, but what if... It seems like a great idea, but what about....? Is that how you're feeling right now?

Well, join the club. We've all had questions and doubts and concerns (sometimes called fears). Let's face it—we're going into unknown territory. A new place. New job. New culture. New language. New challenges. We want to succeed. We want to make a difference. We want to be "good missionaries". But how do we go about it? And in addition most of us have heard "horror stories" about western missionaries (Americans or Europeans) who have gone abroad and been really obnoxious—the "Ugly American" syndrome. And we definitely don't want to do that—right?

How can we avoid coming across as arrogant and culturally insensitive? How can we live in a new place in such a way that we do not offend, repel, antagonize and in other ways alienate those whom we are trying to reach? In other words, how can we be successful missionaries who draw people to ourselves, Jesus and the gospel, rather than turning them away?

How God Modeled Incarnational Mission

Let's begin our search for some clues on "how to be a successful missionary" by looking at some significant portraits of God and Jesus (our model missionaries) that are scattered throughout the Bible. From these "snapshots" we can see how they interacted with people who were different, even estranged from them. Then we can ask what their example means to us.

God with Us
At the very beginning of recorded history, before sin even entered, we find an important picture of God. He is walking and talking with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden at the close of each day. There they are. Together. Simple though it is, this scenario sets the stage for the thousands of years of interaction between God and humanity that have followed. God has always wanted to be together with his people.

Then when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and He wanted to show them clearly that He was there with them still, He stayed right in their midst in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. And when He gave them the directions for the building of the tabernacle (and later the temple) He clearly stated that it was for the purpose of living "among them." Together, again.

Last of all we see Jesus, referred to as "Emmanuel" in both Isaiah and Matthew: "God with us." God left behind the glories of heaven, the companionship of angel friends, the food, clothes, language, and culture of heaven, to come to this backward, dirty, degenerate mission field called earth to be with His people again. He lived with them for 30 years—eating their food, wearing their clothes, speaking their language, thinking their thoughts. Together again.

This is what we call "the incarnation." And this is God's example to us of what real mission is about. It's being with the people we've come to serve. Close. Together. Living as much like them as is possible. We sometimes refer to this as "missionary identification."

How Jesus Identified with Us
What did incarnation mean for Jesus? In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we read, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." Just exactly what this meant is outlined very clearly in Philippians 2. First of all He gave up His status—equality with God and His identity as God. (He still was God, of course, but He did not use His divinity or was not recognizable as God.) In addition, He gave up His independence and actually became a servant.

He also gave up His immunity to the vicissitudes of life and became weak and vulnerable. Lastly, He totally identified with the people He came to serve and save. Jesus was a first century Jew living in a tiny underdeveloped country in the Middle East.

The incarnation of Christ helps us to understand something very practical. By following the example of Christ in identifying with people we are in fact saying to the people we are serving:

• Your ways are good and valuable and I respect them.
• I am not superior or better than you.
• I like you and want to understand you better.
• I want to learn from you.

But what does that mean to us today in the nitty-gritty, everyday areas of life?

Attitudes of an Incarnational Missionary

The first (and most important) thing that is affected is our attitude.

• We consider others as our equals, even superiors, accepting the role of a learner.
• We also become a servant, giving up our rights to be "in charge."
• We cast in our lot with those around us, experiencing life as they do, as much as possible.
• We try to see the world through their eyes, rather than asking them to look through ours.
• We choose to see the good around us, cultivating a sense of tolerance and ultimate acceptance.
• We admit that our own culture is less than perfect. We remember that

  ...[t]here is no person, no nation, that is perfect in every habit and thought. One must learn of another. Therefore God wants the different nationalities to mingle together, to be one in judgement, one in purpose. Then the union that there is in Christ will be exemplified. (Ellen White, Historical Sketches of SDA Missions, 136.)

Behaviors of an Incarnational Missionary

Secondly, incarnation or identification affects the way we live from day to day—eating, dressing, housing, shopping, playing, and even worshiping. Though we may never be able to do everything in the same way as those of our host culture do, we nevertheless need to make an effort to adapt to as many ways as we can.

Eating
Whether the staple food is rice, noodles, pasta, potatoes, or corn meal mush, we learn to eat it gracefully, hopefully even with gusto. We curb our urge to spend most of our salary on imported Western foods that others can only see as an unnecessary luxury—a silent symbol of our separateness.

Dressing
Whenever possible, we try to fit in with whatever the appropriate dress is for the place and position we have been asked to fill. How do teachers (nurses/pastors/government agents) dress? What is considered modest/immodest? What is considered ostentatious? What is considered inappropriate for church? Work? The beach? In other words, how can you dress in such a way that you will blend in the best and not cause offense? What that means is that if women go swimming in dresses instead of swimming suits and don't wear shorts even for sporting events in the place you are serving, you will want to tuck those items of clothing in the bottom of your drawer and leave them there for your entire stay, just as Jesus tucked his robes of glory away and never donned them during his entire 30 years on earth—not even for festive occasions. And if men do not wear beards or neckties or bright-colored shirts in the place you are serving, you will follow Jesus' example by getting rid of yours for the duration of your term of service.

Housing
In times past, it was quite customary for Westerners, including missionaries, to live in very nice houses—much nicer that most of the local people could ever afford. As you can imagine, this caused a great deal of real ill-will. Fortunately, in many places this is no longer true, though to some extent the tendency has survived. There is, however, still a tendency for us to take our standards of living with us, perhaps subconsciously expecting things to be "just like back home"—tiled bathrooms and kitchens, hot water heaters, spacious rooms, etc. As incarnational missionaries we will be willing to accept housing that is much simpler and plainer than we would have back home. If single teachers live in a room with a small bathroom attached, and the only furniture is a bed, wardrobe, table and two stools, we will accept that housing with grace.

Shopping
Most places we serve have a variety of options for shopping. There will probably be local markets, small shops, and in many cases, various types of department stores—ranging from relatively modestly-priced ones that many local people can occasionally shop at, all the way to very exclusive ones that only expatriates and very wealthy local people can afford. Where would Jesus shop? Whether we like it or not, where we shop does make a statement both about how we use our money, but also about how much we are trying to identify with the people we have come to serve. Unfortunately, the quality of the products available in some of the local markets and stores may not be quite up to the standard we are accustomed to, and we at times find this frustrating, but we must remember that this is the only choice most local people have and if we are going to be "with them" as Jesus was "with us" we will shop where they shop as much as possible.

Playing
Every country, every people has its own ways of relaxing and playing together. Part of fitting into a new place and becoming one with the people is learning to enjoy playing with them in every way that is morally acceptable. This frequently calls for some choices and adjustments. We may have to exchange our love of baseball and learn to play soccer; forego the traditions of the Fourth of July or Thanksgiving, in exchange for the wonderful festivities of some of the local holidays; set aside our dependence on TV, videos, and movies to experience the fun of community that is at the heart of relaxation in many parts of the world. Together with the people we've come to serve—that's the goal.

Worshiping
You may never have thought much about it, but the truth is that worship is actually a very cultural event. That's hard to believe when most of the worship services you've ever attended all looked pretty much alike, but there are really very few "rules" that govern worship practices worldwide. Even a brief tour through the Bible and history will show you that there are many ways that Christians pray, experience music, and show reverence to God. Identifying with the people in worship means that we allow, and even encourage people to worship God in ways that may be very different from our way, but that are relevant and meaningful to them. Removing one's shoes before entering a house of worship is an important part of showing respect and reverence in some cultures; chanting may be more meaningful than singing; prostrating oneself in prayer better than standing or kneeling, etc. So, just as Jesus worshiped in the synagogues of Israel and followed the other religious practices that had become a part of normal Jewish worship in his day, we also allow people to worship God in ways that feel appropriate and meaningful to them.

But How!?

In this chapter we have looked at the question of incarnational ministry and what its implications are in the life of a missionary. It sounds good, right? But how do we really do it?

To consider how it is accomplished we have to look at the "other side" of incarnation. We started out by thinking about Jesus—how he became one with the people and thus became our example. Galatians 2:20 points us in the direction of how we can follow in His footsteps. "Christ lives in me. The life I live...I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." If Christ is living in me, HE enables me to become one with the people. John 15:5 further reminds us that only as we are abiding in Christ (the vine and the branches) can we bear any fruit. It is knowing Christ and experiencing His love intimately, having him "in us" that then compels us to serve as he did (2 Cor. 5:14). And finally, Paul reminds us that we "can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." (Phil. 4:13) Not I, but Christ—that's the foundation of incarnational mission.

So that's the good news: He who called you will live in you and enable you to live in a way that will build bridges, not barriers.

1. How would you feel about someone who came to live in your country and made absolutely no effort to "fit in"? How would you feel about someone who not only made no effort to fit in, but was almost arrogant about being different and maintained his separateness? How would you feel about someone who made some basic efforts to adjust and adapt to your country? Which one would it be easier to become friends with?

2. Of the areas of identification mentioned, which do you feel will be the easiest for you? Why? Which will be most difficult? Why?

3. What are some practical things you can do to make the difficult ones easier?