Cross-Cultural Communications: Sharing the Bread of Life With All People
Welcome to an adventure in culture. We have filled this course with graphics, life stories, and practical exercises to make it as real and helpful as possible. It explores the missionary’s purpose, character, and challenges of understanding layers of culture and worldviews of various people groups. From the inside out we will practice thinking from the positions of those who are mostly relational, or intellectual, or spiritual. We will examine the cycle of communication, and the barriers to overcome in each of its steps. We will take time to consider 12 ways that we communicate without talking. There will be an invitation to climb the five steps of learning new values. We will encourage and even stretch you to practice seeing nine values through the eyes of those who view life from an opposite perspective than yours. And because the rise and fall of our message depends on relationships, we will devote several lessons to emphasizing and practicing 12 principles for relating to family members, team members, and the host culture that God calls us to serve. Finally, since conflict is an inevitable part of life, we will consider its role, its levels, responses to it, and key principles to deal with it. Thank you for studying with us. We believe this journey will enrich your life and help equip you for ministry. (This course is designed for 3 credits, based on 16 class hours per credit.)