Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships

Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter and Marvin K. Mayers.

This book forces the reader to examine his own cultural bias and how he compares it to other values that other culture's hold. Lingenfelter focus on his ministry time with the people of Yap and discusses how he had to re-look at cultural views. One does not have to plan on being a missionary to learn from Lingenfelter's experiences, but his model for personal relationships can easily be applied to the counseling and helping professions.

Throughout the book Lingenfelter looks at different cultural differences and values that compete with one another. These differences include:values of time and punctuality; dichotomistic versus holistic thinking; how peoples are orientated towards handling crisis and crisis management, being task orientated versus people oriented, focus of achievement or status, and cultural values of humility.

These cultural values and differences are not just listed, but Lingenfelter demonstrates that Jesus had a need to learn and understand the culture he was placed into and so should we. Counselors are called to work with people of all backgrounds and in order to serve them best therapists must learn to identify their own cultural awareness and be flexible with others around them.

Sherwood G. Lingenfelter & Marvin K. Mayers, Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 2003)