Transitioning to a Multicultural Congregation (Cultural Awareness and The Multicultural Church)
published in Missio Dei, the online journal of Tyndale Seminary, January 2012.
The article looks at the change process required for transitioning toward a multicultural congregation as a missional response to changing demographics in a neighbourhood or congregation. A dialectical model for growth, redefinition and adjusted practices is suggested.
Can Multicultural Social Theory Help Us in Leading Multicultural Faith Communities?
published as a chapter in Reflecting God's Glory Together: Diversity in Evangelical Mission, edited by Scott Moreau and Beth Snodderly. William Carey Library, 2011.
This book is a collection of papers presented at the Evangelical Missiological Society, Charlotte, NC, in 2010. My paper was developed as an exploration of multicultural social theory within the Canadian context and the interplay of this theory with the practice of Christian ministry. A review of the current state of multiculturalism in Canada is offered along with an identification of factors pertinent to the discussion. The relationship between multiculturalism, theology of mission and the place of culture in Christian congregations is explored. Finally some suggestions are indicated where multicultural social theory may inform the development of better practices in multi-ethnic congregations.
Download Can Multicultural Social Theory-EMS
Making Disciples in the Canadian Context published (2011) as a chapter in Making Disciples in a World Parish: Global Perspectives on Mission and Evangelism. Edited by Paul Chilcote.
This book is a collection of chapters written by Methodists from around the world, reflecting on their own ministry contexts and the unique responses required for making disciples in their setting. My chapter examines some biblical images of discipleship that I think need to be applied in our Canadian context. Some examples and case studies are described.
Download Making disciples in the Canadian context
An Eternal Nation of Many Cultures published in Mosaic (Summer 2009)
God is in the process of building a new city, a new humanity, an eternal nation that is full of people from different cultures, languages, tribes and nations. No, that’s not Canada! Whatever we do in Canada with the multicultural idea, it falls short of what God has in mind.
Download An eternal nation of many cultures
Encountering the Other: Mission & Tranformation published in Common Ground Journal (Spring 2008)
This article examines the role of encounters with dissonance as a way forward in transformational learning. I look at the adult learning theory of Jack Mezirow in light of biblical and intercultural studies as a way of understanding the role of christian communities (ecclesiola) in creating dissonance in their neighbourhoods as the key factor in community transformation.
Download encountering_the_othermission_transformation.pdf
Assessing Intercultural Sensitivity in Mission Candidates and Personnel
published in Evangelical Missions Quarterly (January 2007).
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This article examines Bennett and Hammer's tool the Intercultural Development Inventory for use with mission personnel for training and development purposes.
"Learning to be a Missionary" published by WEA Resources (online archive of World Evangelical Alliance, 2003)
This article was written with Dr. Joyce Bellous (McMaster Divinity College) about the relationship between educational concepts regarding developing competence (or 'mastery') and the development of professional skills as a cross-cultural missionary.
The Cultured Palate: developing a taste for our differences was published in Light and Life magazine (Sept-Oct 2003)
This article looks at congregational life asking the question: "is the church prepared to do what it takes to become authentically multicultural?"
"Recovering the Missional Congregation" published by Free Methodist World Missions (2002)
This article was written to give a theological and missiological framework for the recovery of local church engagement in cross-cultural mission. It was accepted for publication by Missiology, but just before the publication date, they discovered that I had photocopied the article and distributed it to my FM mission colleagues -- which in their view qualified as prior publication, and cancelled it.
Leadership for the Multicultural Congregation published by McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry (2002)
This article was written as an outgrowth of my master's thesis, specifically focusing on leadership concepts required for shaping a multicultural congregation. Most of this material later showed up in my book, The Multicultural Leader: Developing a Catholic Personality.
Download SharpeningOurSocialConscience published by Light and Life magazine (January 2000)
This article was written out of our experience church-planting in an urban centre in South Africa (1994-1999), reflecting on both biblical and Methodist values regarding engaging with the poor.
"Ubunye Church and Community Ministries" published as a chapter in Serving With the Urban Poor, edited by Tet Yamamori, Bryant Myers, and Ken Luscombe (MARC Publications, 1998)
This article comes out of our 5 years of church-planting experience in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (1994-99). This was the post-apartheid, reconstruction era, during Mandela's only term as president -- a very "heady", anything's possible time in South Africa. It was written for a World Vision-sponsored colloquium in Manila, The Philippines in Jan 98, where a number of practitioners from around the world came together to present case studies and interact with academics. Our case study was the only one that featured "church-based" wholistic engagement.
We are All One in Christ was published in Light and Life magazine (Aug 1997)
This article looks at the issue of women in ministry, particularly within the Free Methodist tradition. Key biblical texts are discussed from a different viewpoint. My first writing on this subject was in bible college in 1982, when a wrote a major paper on the subject for Marriage & the Christian Home class.
