Book Review by Sarah

“Ministering Cross-Culturally” by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter

"Missionaries and others who accept the challenge of cross-cultural ministries...must, by the nature of their task, become personally immersed with peoples who are different. Following the example of Christ, that of incarnation, means undergoing drastic personal and social reorientation. They must enter a culture as if they were children – helpless, dependent, and ignorant of everything from customs of eating and talking to patterns of work, play and worship. And they must do this in the spirit of Christ."  -Sherwood G. Lingenfelter

This book was recommended to us by our great friends and fellow missionaries serving in Paupa New Guinea, Caleb and Adrienne Weir. They went through extensive training leading up to their service on the mission field and this book was a great piece of learning to them, and now it has been to me as well! I would recommend this book only to people who desire to serve as full-time missionaries cross-culturally as it is an extensive look at the needs to engulf yourself in a foreign world and culture. It can be a bit dry at times, but has many personal reflections of a family who went to serve and live among a very foreign culture in Asia and learned they must fully immerse in the culture and people around them. This is a desire of ours and the reason we have moved in to the place we serve here in Ocean View and helped to build my framework and understanding of what we are doing. You need to be intentional about ministry! Christ came to live and dwell among us and it was how God wanted to share His deep love for us, and so I believe it is a beautiful way to do ministry and share the love of God with others. For us, we are CONTINUALLY challenged with how we need to immersed more and more in the culture here, but truly because of our efforts we are seeing God work in miraculous ways!

Grade: B-