Forming Multicultural Partnerships

The increasing presence in Britain of missionaries from other parts of the world and the proliferation of many different ethnic congregations are hugely significant developments and raise many crucial missiological issues. This well-researched book offers an unusually comprehensive approach, drawing on a wide range of resources from the disciplines of theology, anthropology, psychology and sociology. The authors explore complex and sometimes contentious topics in a thoughtful and creative way and offer many practical suggestions to encourage partnership and multicultural initiatives.

One of the earliest missionary challenges was the crossing of cultural boundaries. The church refused to be captured by a single culture; the message was to be taken to all peoples and so the puzzle of how to express the faith in many cultures has been a perpetual theme in mission. Almost always that challenge has been picked up by practical cross-cultural partnerships expressed in deep friendships and strong teams. This book is a thorough and thoughtful examination of the challenges that come to us as these themes are confronted. It is a timely and rare contribution to a growing debate.

Wherever you look, people are on the move searching for a better life, whether that is freedom from life-threatening persecution or just looking for more opportunities to improve their circumstances. Migrants inevitably search out others in the same situation and keep a distance from those who are different. In this melting pot of humanity, what might church need to look like if it is to be inclusive of many diverse lifestyles and understandings of the gospel? Using the tools of social science as well as theology, this work offers an insightful analysis of the emerging situation and explores ways in which the church can embrace and celebrate differences while being faithful to the message of Jesus.

Effective missionary work in Britain today must involve a united movement of Christians from various ethnic and cultural heritages. True multicultural partnerships are the only way forward; nothing short of that will do. With this fascinating book, Andy Hardy and Dan Yarnell have humbly raised up a much-needed voice on a subject of growing concern among missionaries and Christians from the rest of the world, especially those living and serving in the West. Every chapter is filled with powerful insights that, if taken seriously, will make all our work a lot easier.