discovering missions - Southern Nazarene University

245187 Disc Missions ins 9/6/07 1:04 PM Page 105
Language has powerfully affected the world since God spoke the universe
into existence (Genesis 1). Christians talk about the Bible as God’s Word and
refer to its power. Acknowledging the power of language, John ends Revelation
with a warning about adding to or subtracting words from that apocalyptic
book (Revelation 22:19). Language was one dramatic sign of the Holy Spirit’s
coming at Pentecost. On that day, God moved in such a way that people from
more than a dozen cultural backgrounds said they each heard the gospel spoken
in their native language (Acts 2:5-11).
Language, whether vocal, written, or signed with the hands, is used to
share ideas, cast visions, exchange information, express feelings, and deepen relationships.
Because of how language serves human beings, one cannot overstate
its importance in the study and practice of global mission.
Missionaries and Language
Intercultural Communication 105
For almost everyone involved in Christian mission, language learning is a
part of life. Not long after arriving on the field, one rookie missionary lamented
the frustrations of language learning by saying, “I can’t even communicate
with a three-year-old on the train!” Because language is part of a culture, the
sense of helplessness one feels in situations where a language is not understood
is one trigger of culture shock. Once in awhile one will hear of rookie missionaries
regularly attending an international church (often English-speaking) on
their field of service because, they say, “We just cannot worship in _____ [language
of their country of service].” In most cases, cutting back on participation
in church services until one learns the language is a mistake. When language
learning frustrations set in, missionaries must not cave in to the temptation to
withdraw into enclaves of their own cultural group. This does not mean missionaries
should refuse fellowship with people of their own nationality. If, however,
they spend most of their free time with people from their home culture,
they will miss out on things that facilitate language learning as well as cultural
bonding. A frustrating downward spiral can set in that starts when discouragement
in communicating leads to withdrawal and to spending more and more
time with speakers of one’s own heart language. Because of that withdrawal,
language learning slows down, which in turn increases one’s frustration level.
That tempts the missionary to spend even more time with people who speak
the language he or she knows. It is a discouraging cycle that prevents bonding
and is counterproductive for language learning. Because the way people worship
is an integral part of their culture, missionaries wanting to bond with a
culture must learn to worship alongside people of that culture.
Whatever frustrations missionaries have with language learning, they must
never think that using an interpreter means they have communicated perfectly