Guest Editorial for April 28, 2005
By Alan Compton
A surprising phenomenon of ministry with Latinos and Hispanics in the United States is the reluctance of Anglo churches and individuals to become involved in church planting among Hispanics and other ethnic groups, even though those same churches and individuals will readily go to Latin America for a week or two on a mission trip.
For 23 of the 35 years that my wife and I served with the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, we ministered in Chile and Mexico. After a few years in retirement the opportunity came to me to serve the Virginia Baptist Mission Board in its mission to Hispanics.
Today I continue to train regional Hispanic church planting catalysts. I have approached the task mainly with the same calling and response as a missionary-to go out, love, minister, evangelize and start churches.
Church members on mission trips mix, relate and love Latinos in that context but return and all too seldom even think about that same group of people living right in their own back yard.
I suppose that since the tasks of mission trip participants are so well defined by missionaries that they are able to lay hands on the project and get it done. It does not require a long-term commitment and expertise in cross-culture missions.
With all due respect, some churches have shown an awareness for ethnic groups by sharing their church facilities with ethnic church planters whom they have called or who are supported by district associations. These churches often engage in English as a second language classes and in benevolent ministry. It's not that these ministries are not effective‹they are. What is often missing is the personal encounter and Christian fellowship with the group targeted.
To be cross cultural we must intentionally cross over into the other culture and relate to them where their culture functions rather than having them come to us for services we provide. We who carry the love of Jesus in our hearts must be face to face with them if they are to come face to face with Jesus.
This reluctance is in part due to the fact that our church planting experience in Virginia is among those who are like we are, those with whom we already have affinity. To have affinity means to have knowledge of the other, to know how they think on social issues, religion and other matters.
It is a bit daunting to attempt a church start with a group with whom we cannot even relate in language, much less in all the other characteristics of culture. There is no group of people, no matter how different from us, that would not respond to an expression of sincere love. Who says we don't have affinity with another group who in so many ways is different from who we are?
In ethnic church planting our purpose is to intentionally love those with whom at the outset we have little or no affinity. As knowledge of one another grows, the affinity can increase to the point of making possible action together-in other words in being able to share a common belief even though ethnically we are very different.
One church planter told me recently that while working with a sponsoring church he wondered why more church members did not connect with the fledgling Hispanic group. It then occurred to him both Hispanics and Americanos need orientation in how to relate. The key to cross-culture church starting is healthy relationship building between the sponsors and the target group.
Relationship building with the target group is even more necessary in cross-culture church planting here in the States because the target group is typically immigrant and needs a lot of support and love as they transfer their lives to a new culture. Some are migratory-here for just a while-but no less in need of the love of Christ.
As far as Hispanics are concerned, our culture may need our Christ-like example of showing respect and caring in love rather than reflecting cold and indifferent tolerance, because they are willing to work for us. Forget the fact you don't understand their culture and you can't speak their language and just fall in and love them!
There is not a missionary that lasted a year in another culture without offering love long before he or she could speak the language or understand the culture.
I feel that first of all Virginia Baptists need a revival of churches feeling the obligation to start other churches. I can remember when that was a primary focus of associations. In a pluralistic society, there is no such thing as enough churches.
In light of the rapidly growing ethnicity of our country, we also will need to see more churches sensing the Lord's call to start churches in their own back yard among those who are not like they are!
My purpose in writing this article is not for you or your church to feel that those of us who serve cross culturally think you do not have concern for Hispanics and other ethnic groups. I know you, and many of you have accepted the challenge, but you will have to admit you could have benefited from more understanding about what you were doing.
Doing ministry and evangelism that will result in churches, whether in our own culture or another, has to be learned. There are many resources for educating your church in cross-culture missions. One place is the courageous churches team of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.
Alan Compton retired from service with the International Mission Board and Virginia Baptist Misson Board, and is a former chair of the Latin American Mission Project (LAMP) sponsored by the Capital Region Baptist Initiative.