Talking Together as Christians Cross-culturally A Field Guide Revised Edition Talking Together as Christians Cross-culturally: A Field Guide, rev. ed. Written by Ronald W. Duty Copyright ©2004 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Copyright for the Revised Edition, ©2009. Permission is granted to reproduce this document as needed provided that each copy carries the copyright notice printed above. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and are used by permission. Preface and Acknowledgments The church today not only lives in a multicultural world, the church itself is also a multicultural body of Christ that is still struggling and learning to live fully into that reality. Two personal examples may illustrate this struggle and also why talking together as Christians cross-culturally is important for the church’s life and mission. The congregation in which I grew up was located in a largely White blue collar suburb. When Latinos and African Americans started moving into the area in greater numbers, members of the congregation, many of whom lived in the immediate area, began to discuss this informally. When I suggested that perhaps we ought to welcome them, the pastor abruptly changed the subject. No effort was made to invite the newcomers to the area to worship with us. The congregation which once saw between 125 and 150 people worship on a Sunday now has about 30 at worship each week. While this first example is a mission failure Those congregations and pastors include: The marked by fear of people who are culturally Church of the Abiding Savior, Durham, N.C., different, the other example concerns an effort Rev. Gordon Myers; Angelica Lutheran Church, at cross-cultural spiritual discernment about an Los Angeles, Calif., Rev. Carlos Paiva; Iglesia urgent matter for church and society. A few of us Luterana Ascención, Dorado, Puerto Rico, Rev. from that same congregation also met with others Vivian Davila; Ascension Lutheran Church Hmong in the Lutheran Human Relations Association at Ministry, Milwaukee, Wis., Revs. Youa Kau Vang Messiah Lutheran Church—LCMS, an African and Jon Jacobs, and Ms. Caitlin Vang; Augustana American congregation in San Diego’s Logan Lutheran Church, Portland Ore., the late Rev. Heights section, during the late 1950s and 1960s. Ramona Soto Rank and Rev. Walter Knutson; We met to discuss developments in civil rights Chinese Life Lutheran Church, Alhambra, Calif., campaigns of the Southern Christian Leadership Rev. Timothy Fong; Christ Lutheran Church Conference, and to talk about what the realities of Cambodian Ministry, St. Paul, Minn., Rev. Ronald race in America and these developments meant for Johnson and Ms. Thaly Cavanaugh; Church of us as Lutheran Christians in that time. Dream Builders, Anaheim, Calif., Rev. Joel Lee; Iglesia Luterana Epifanía, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, This church, the ELCA, imagines for itself a Sr. Carmen Ramirez; First Lutheran Church, more flourishing multicultural future, a future for Torrance, Calif., Rev. Fumio Itoh; First Lutheran which it may now act in hope. This field guide is Church African Ministry, Sioux Falls, S.D., Mr. offered as a means to help this church live into that Samuel Gayetay and Rev. Natanael Lizarazo; future. Any effort such as this one to provide a field Frederick Lutheran Church, Charlotte Amalie, St. guide for cross-cultural conversation in the church Thomas, Virgin Islands, Rev. Stephan Kienberger is naturally a cross-cultural one itself involving and Rev. Rochelle Lewis; Good Shepherd Lutheran many conversations. This project gratefully Church Korean Ministry, Naperville, Ill., Rev. Jae- acknowledges the collaboration of several ELCA Bum Kim; Hmong Central Lutheran, St. Paul, congregations and their pastors, who acted Minn., Rev. William Siong; Holy Trinity Lutheran hopefully by engaging in conversations that helped Church, Fredericksted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, open up for the author how these congregations Rev. Robert Wakefield; Holy Trinity Lutheran engage in public conversation in their own cultural Church, Hollis, Queens, N.Y., Rev. Perucy Butiku; contexts. These conversations inform the material Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Inglewood, Calif., in Sections 21-40 of this field guide. Rev. James Lobdell and the late Rev. Carol Scott; i Huria Kristin Batak Protestan of New York, Juan, Puerto Rico, Rev. Mario Miranda; Mision Elmhurst, Queens, N.Y., Rev. Samuel Silaban; Luterana San Pablo, Weslaco, Texas, Rev. Ismael Huria Kristin Batak Protestan, Upland, Calif.., de la Tejera; Iglesia Luterana Santisima Trinidad, Mr. Hasudungan Hutajulu; Indians for Christ, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Rev. Jose D. Zayas; St. Elias Rockville, Md., Rev. Chandra Lite; Joy of the Christian Congregation, Chicago, Ill., Rev. Rimon Gospel Lutheran Ministry, Lake Ridge, Va., Rev. Said; St. Jacobi Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, N.Y., Edward Buabeng; Kingshill Lutheran Church, Rev. Mary Chang; St. John’s Lutheran Church, Kingshill, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, Ms. Thelma Austin, Texas, Rev. Timothy Anderson; St. John’s Youngblood; Lao Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sudanese Ministry, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minn., Rev. Thiem Baccam; Living Council Bluffs, Iowa, Mr. James Dak Rut; St. Waters Lutheran Church, Cherokee, N.C., Rev. Mark Lutheran Church, Los Angeles, Calif, Rev. Mary Louise Frenchman; Lord God of Sabaoth Brian Ecklund; St. Mark Sudanese Ministry, St. Lutheran Church, Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Mark’s Lutheran Church, Storm Lake, Iowa, Mr. Islands, Rev. Lester White; Mabaan Sudanese Peter Duk; St. Michael’s Truth Lutheran Church, Community Ministry, Grace Lutheran Church, Mitchellville, Md., Rev. Immanuel Grantson; Omaha, Neb., Mr. David Nange and Rev. Damon St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Lao Ministry, Revs. Laker; Messiah Lutheran Church, Los Angeles, Phetsamone Vannavong and Donna Brown; Thai Calif., Rev. Vivian Martin and Ms. Marie Gunigale; Church Washington, D.C., Arlington, Va., Mr. Supot Nile Lutheran Ministry, Trinity Lutheran Church, Ouasri; Thai Community Church of Chicago, Omaha, Neb., Mr. John Beding; Nile Lutheran Forest Park, Ill., Ms. Monta Limthongviratn; Mission, Rochester, N.Y., Rev. Jordan Long; Oromo Truth Lutheran Church, Naperville, Ill., Rev. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church of Washington, D.C., Wang; Tumaini Swahili Chapel, Chicago, Ill., Mr. Washington, D.C., Rev. Waagtolaa Dinagdee; Our George Mungongo; and United Sudanese Lutheran Redeemer Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ministry, United Lutheran Church, Lincoln, Neb., Minneapolis, Minn., Rev. Melkamu Negeri; Peace Mr. John Keck. Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Va., Rev. Nana Opoku; People’s Community Lutheran Chapel, This project owes a significant intellectual Baltimore, Md., Rev. Titus Clarke; Purna Jiwan debt to two scholars and practitioners of cross- South Asian Ministry, Chicago, Ill., Rev. Eardley cultural conversation. We owe to Dr. Patricia Mendis and Rev. Omega Varma; Reformation Taylor Ellison a debt for her pioneering research Lutheran Church, Chicago, Ill., Rev. Joseph on moral conversation in congregations and on Bocko; Salam Arabic Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, congregational leadership of conversation which N.Y., Rev. Khader El-Yateem; Salem Cambodian informs and helps to shape this project. We are Mission, Dakota City, Neb., Rev. Soriya Roeun; grateful to her for her comments on sections 46 and Parroquia Luterana Sagrado Corazón, Waukegan, 47 of this field guide on “Congregational Gifts and Ill., Rev. Heriberto Prudencia; Parroquia Luterana Assets for Talking Together” and “Leader Assets;” San Francisco de Asís, Aurora, Ill., Rev. Hector sections 46 and 47 of this field guide summarize Garfias Toledo; Iglesia Evangelica Luterana San some of her work. We also owe a significant debt to Marcos, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Rev. Marysol Dr. Thomas Kochman for his pioneering research Diaz; Iglesia Luterana De La Trinidad, Chicago, Ill., on public conversation between African Americans Rev. José Goitia; Iglesia Luterana San Pablo, San and European Americans. His work has illumined ii Talking Together as Christians Cross-culturally aspects of public conversation that are important staff. These colleagues reviewed earlier drafts of in this field guide and helps to inform the ethnic- this field guide, provided helpful criticisms and specific sections of this field guide. We thank him suggestions, or produced demographic data. as well for his personal generosity with materials Without these colleagues, this project would not he uses in his consulting. have happened. The project team for the first phase of this project from 2001–2004 includes: As you will see as you use this field guide, it Ms. Joanne Chadwick, Commission for Women; owes a great deal to those who have developed Rev. Ruben Duran, Division for Outreach; Ms. processes and methods of moral conversation and Victoria Flood, Research and Evaluation; Ms. deliberation. Rather than reinvent the wheel, this Loretta Horton, Division for Church in Society; field guide takes their work as a gift, and endeavors Ms. Marilyn Olson, Division for Ministry; Rev. to show ways to use their processes with deliberate Fred Rajan, Commission for Multicultural care in cross-cultural conversation in a way that Ministries; Dr. Leonard Schulze, Division for also honors cultural distinctiveness. The work for Higher Education and Schools; Ms. Evelyn Soto, which we are grateful includes Growing Healthier Division for Congregational Ministries; Ms. Valora Conversations by Dr. Patrick R. Keifert, Dr. Patricia Starr, Women of the ELCA; and Ms. Charlotte Taylor Ellison, and Rev. Ronald W. Duty; the Williams, Commission for Women. The project InterReligious Council of Central New York’s End team for the second phase of this project from Racism, Improve Race Relations, and Begin Racial 2007–2009 includes: Rev. Gemechis Buba and Healing, written by Ms. Beth Broadway; The Study Dr. Everett Flanigan, Evangelical Outreach and Circles Resource Center’s Study Circles in Paired Congregational Mission; and Rev. Sherman Hicks, Congregations; the ELCA’s Talking Together as Rev. Hector Carrasquillo, Ms. Rosemary Dyson, Christians about Tough Social Issues, written by Rev. Rev. Pongsak Limthongviratn, Ms. Kholoud Karen L. Bloomquist and Rev. Ronald W. Duty; Khoury, Ms. Christine May, Ms. Marilyn Sorenson, the United Church of Christ’s See—Judge—Act, and Rev. Albert Starr, Multicultural Ministries. written and compiled by Ms. Robin Peterson and We also thank Ms. Marilyn Campbell, Church Ms. Lou Ann Parsons; Finding Common Ground in Society, Ms. Kim Berry, Evangelical Outreach in the Abortion Conflict, by Ms. Mary Jacksteit and and Congregational Mission, and Ms. Sally Miles, Sister Adrienne Kaufmann, and the Women of the Multicultural Ministries, for their administrative ELCA’s Called to Deal with Difficult Issues, written assistance. by Ms. Faith Fretheim and Ms. Joan Pope. Others have contributed to the development Our thanks to those who reviewed earlier of this field guide, to whom we would like to drafts of this field guide for their critical insights, express gratitude. Rev. John Stumme gave steadfast suggestions, and other assistance: Rev. Said guidance and support throughout this project. Ailabouni, Dr. Per Anderson, Ms. Heather Feltman, Mr. Bob Sitze was generous with his knowledge Ms. Ana Cobiella Olson, Rev. John Stumme, Rev. of asset-based congregational life, as well as George Villa, and Ms. Lily Wu. with unpublished material he wrote and shared with the author. Thanks are due likewise to the This project benefited greatly from the late Bishop Margarita Martinez, Ms. Lily Wu, collaboration, support, and critical insight of two Ms. Maria Paiva, Rev. José Garcia, Rev. Pongsak multicultural teams from the ELCA churchwide Limthongviratn, Rev. Gemechis Buba, Ms. Marilyn iii Sorenson, and Rev. José Diaz-Rodriguez for their We thank those who led portions of training assistance in identifying congregations with whom events for synod teams using this resource in Miami we consulted, and for helping to facilitate our in 2004—Rev. Ken Wheeler, Ms. Ana Cobiella visits to San Juan and the Virgin Islands, Brooklyn Olson, and Rev. Ronald Duty—and in Orlando in and Queens, Rochester, Southern California, 2008—Rev. Gemechis Buba, Ms. Rosemary Dyson, Southwestern Texas, Portland, North Carolina, Dr. Everett Flanigan, Ms. Lily Wu, Rev. Sherman Minneapolis and St. Paul, Baltimore, Washington Hicks and Rev. Ronald Duty. Ms. Victoria Flood D.C., Sioux Falls, Dakota City, Neb., Omaha, and Ms. Modupe Edeoga, Research and Evaluation, Milwaukee, and Chicago. provided demographic data for synod teams in 2004 and 2008, respectively. Ms. Ann Rezny provided graphic design of this revised edition, and Ms. Connie Sletto and The ELCA gratefully acknowledges the Ms. Colleen Dorner of ELCA Communications funding received for this project from two Services assisted in its production and publication. churchwide grants in 2001 and 2007 made Ms. Esther Diley of Augsburg Fortress Publishers possible by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. assisted with copyright permissions. Thanks also to Additional funding or support has been provided Rev. Rebecca Larson, executive director of Church by the following churchwide units of the ELCA: in Society, and Rev. Sherman Hicks, executive Church in Society, the Commission for Women, director of Multicultural Ministries, both of whom the Division for Congregational Ministries, gave critical support at a very important juncture Multicultural Ministries, and Evangelical Outreach of this project. Thanks in addition to Rev. Wyvetta and Congregational Mission. We thank them for Bullock and Ms. Cathy Hunt in the Office of the their financial assistance. Finally, we are grateful Presiding Bishop for their timely and helpful for the work of the Rev. T. Michael Nisbet, formerly assistance at various times during this project. of the Division for Church in Society, who helped Thanks are due especially to Rev. Charles Miller both to conceptualize this project and to draft the for the vision to propose and support undertaking application for the first churchwide grant that a major project on moral deliberation as part of funded it. the ELCA’s participation in the UN Decade for a Culture of Nonviolence. The Rev. Ronald W. Duty, We express our thanks to Dr. Frances Kendall Project Director for permission to use material from two essays, Chicago, Illinois “Understanding White Privilege,” and “How to October 26, 2009 Be an Ally If You Are a Person with Privilege,” in the section on “White Privilege and Ally Responsibilities for European Americans,” and, also to The Copyright Company on behalf of Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Chris- Chalice Press for permission to use material from tian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Rev. Eric Law’s, The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. in Section 19. Used with permission. iv Talking Together as Christians Cross-culturally Table of Contents Section .....................................................................................Page Preface and Acknowledgements .................................................. i Table of Contents .............................................................. v 1 Introduction ..................................................................1 2 About This Field Guide .........................................................7 Part I. Why Should We Talk Cross-culturally as Church? 3 Why Talk Cross-culturally as Church? ............................................10 4 Talking among Christians of Different Cultures is Nothing New ..................... 16 Part II. What is Cross-cultural Conversation Like? 5 Experiencing Conversation as Church ............................................19 6 Listening for What You Share in Common .........................................22 7 Dealing with How You Differ ...................................................26 8 Resources for Talking Together ..................................................34 Part III. How Do We Train Leaders and Lead Cross-cultural Conversation? Synod Teams Working with Congregations 9 Mapping Your Synod’s Assets for Cross-cultural Conversation ........................36 10 Diverse Leadership of Conversation is Important ...................................39 11 Identifying the Purpose and Scope of Your Team’s Work .............................41 12 Working as a Team ............................................................43 13 Training Skilled Conversation Leaders ............................................46 14 Leading Conversation as a Synod Team ...........................................51 Leading Congregations in Cross-cultural Conversation 15 Your Congregation’s Human Assets for Talking Together .............................53 16 “Mapping” Your Assets for Talking Cross-culturally ................................ 56 17 Leading Cross-cultural Conversation .............................................60 18 Rituals for Talking Together ....................................................63 19 Talking by Mutual Invitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Cultural Factors in Conversation 20 Cultural Variations in Talking Together ...........................................67 People of African Descent 21 African Americans and Blacks ...................................................74 22 Caribbean Islanders of the U.S. Virgin Islands .....................................76 Table of Contents v 23 East Africans .................................................................78 24 Liberians ....................................................................80 25 Oromos .....................................................................82 26 Sudanese .....................................................................84 27 West Africans .................................................................86 28 American Indians .............................................................89 29 Arabs and Middle Easterners ....................................................91 People of Asian Descent 30 Cambodians .................................................................93 31 Chinese .....................................................................95 32 The Hmong ..................................................................97 33 Indonesians ..................................................................99 34 Japanese ....................................................................101 35 Koreans .....................................................................103 36 Laotians ....................................................................106 37 South Asians ................................................................108 38 Thai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 39 European Americans .........................................................113 40 Latinos .....................................................................116 Assets for Cross-cultural Conversation 41 Gender Matters in Conversation ................................................118 42 Diverse Leadership of Conversation is Important .................................121 43 Using Scripture and Religious Traditions .........................................123 44 The Experience of Faithful Christians ...........................................128 45 The Assets of Culture .........................................................134 46 Congregational Gifts and Assets for Talking Together ..............................136 47 Leader Assets ................................................................138 48 White Privilege and Ally Responsibilities for European Americans ................... 143 Glossary of Key Words ........................................................157 Other Resources .............................................................159 References ..................................................................161 vi Talking Together as Christians Cross-culturally Introduction 1 Welcoming Strangers for Cross-cultural Conversation: An Invitation This is the right time—perhaps even a critical time—for cross-cultural conversation for the sake of the church’s mission. God is inviting congregations and other ministries to reach beyond their own cultures to talk with people of cultural backgrounds different than their own about ministry issues that matter. To engage in these conversations, God calls us to welcome the stranger. God calls us to open ourselves up to others’ perspectives, and to embrace those who are different from us also as creatures of God or as members with us of the body of Christ.1 This field book can be used to help cross- Rich opportunities abound for ELCA cultural conversations about a variety of ministry congregations and synods to engage in ministry matters. In this field guide, by ministry matters with the variety of cultural groups that exist both we mean: within the ELCA and outside of it in the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories.2 Some (cid:115)(cid:0) Outreach and evangelism of these cultural groups have been present for a (cid:115)(cid:0) Congregational ministry questions3 long time; others have come with recent waves of (cid:115)(cid:0) Congregational social ministry immigrants. They present the whole church with the opportunity to reach out with the gospel, and (cid:115)(cid:0) Involvement in a variety of social justice to partner with them to serve people in need, and peace ministries, such as community to work for justice, peace, and the elimination development, faith-based organizing, of poverty, and to receive the blessings of their public policy advocacy, or the practice of partnership in ministry. These partnerships help non-violence all who participate in them to discover part of what (cid:115)(cid:0) Partnership with community God is up to in our midst and to participate in it. organizations or social ministry organizations of the church The purpose of this field guide is to invite and equip synods and congregations to have The possibilities of ministry matters that can fruitful public conversation across the frontiers be discussed are limited only by your Christian of culture about the full range of ministry imaginations. matters. It also invites ministries to go beyond conversation, whenever appropriate, to deciding God in the Conversation and acting together with those of different cultural backgrounds. This resource will The book of Genesis tells a story of Abraham and Sarah offering hospitality to three strangers who 1. Help ministries talk cross-culturally approach their tent at the oaks of Mamre (Genesis 2. Enable synods to equip ministries that want 18:1-15). During the meal and conversation they or need to talk cross-culturally to have those shared with the men, one of them promised conversations Abraham (while she listened at the entrance to the 3. Show why we are called to talk cross-culturally tent) that Sarah would bear a son in her old age. as church Introduction 1 God was in the midst of this conversation the resource. Several congregations in the ELCA have purpose of which was to tell Abraham and Sarah graciously and patiently explained to us how they what God was about to do for them and with them. engage in public conversation about the ministry We know this because Genesis begins the story, matters they face together. We are very grateful “The Lord appeared to Abraham…” and identifies to these congregations and their pastors for their God’s presence with the three strangers. trust and collaboration in this project. They are identified in the Preface and Acknowledgements God is active in the conversation when of this field guide. Christians, who are the body of Christ, are in conversation about things that matter. As they talk What Do We Mean by Culture? and pray together, they should seek to discern what God may be up to in their midst, and what God’s So far, we have talked about culture several word is for them in that time and place.4 times without saying what we mean. So, what is “culture” for the purposes of this field guide? Cultures Addressed by this Resource “Culture” is a very rich and complex concept. The primary focus of Talking Together as It is hard to exhaust its meaning or give a short Christians Cross-culturally is on ethnic cultures.5 definition that says everything important about it. This field guide addresses most of the cultural But for the purposes of this field guide dedicated groups currently present in the ELCA. These to helping Christians talk together cross-culturally, include: “culture” refers to two kinds of reality with which we are familiar.6 (cid:115)(cid:0) People of African Descent, including African Americans and Blacks, Caribbean The first of these realities of culture is things Islanders of the U.S. we can see, recognize, and describe when we pay attention. These are a group’s distinctive habits and (cid:115)(cid:0) Virgin Islands, East Africans, Liberians, patterns of living, its customs, the way it organizes Oromos, Sudanese, and West Africans its relationships, and its history and the stories it (cid:115)(cid:0) American Indian People both remembers and tells. (See Section 18 for some (cid:115)(cid:0) Arab Americans and Middle Easterners cultural dimensions that matter for conversation.) For example, although all cultures tend to have (cid:115)(cid:0) People of Asian Descent, including some emphasis on the family, there are noticeable Cambodians, Chinese, the Hmong, differences between the families of different cultures. Indonesians, Japanese, Koreans, Laotians, European American families tend to allow more South Asians, and Thai expression of individuality and individual freedom (cid:115)(cid:0) European Americans to their members than, say, Chinese American families, where the well-being of the family group (cid:115)(cid:0) Latinos as a whole is more important. This project would not have been possible The second reality of culture is about things without the collaboration of congregations with we do not see, but about things people in the people of the cultures that are addressed by this 2 Talking Together as Christians Cross-culturally