Written by: Richard Volzke on April 26, 2014

My personal interest:

The last time I was in London was in the 1980s. I was in the military and spent a two-week in Portsmouth at a Royal Navel Base with the British Navy. During that time some of the British sailors took me to London for the weekend. As I was getting ready to leave for the advance for the Dmin program I thought back to the last time I visited London and was really looking forward to seeing it again. The first time I visited I don’t remember much except that we went to many pubs and stayed up for two days straight. I didn’t visit any tourist or historical venues and I was really looking forward to doing that this time around. Also I wasn’t a Christian back then and was excited to explore the religious history and tradition that can be found throughout the city. This time around I was going to visit London with a different group of people who were focused on developing their faith in exploring new places and ideas while focusing on Christ.

(My Dmin cohort Lgp4)

This group of individuals are not just my peers, but became part of my family when I met them in London. Each one of these individuals has stretched my faith and thinking about all the different aspects of ministry from a cultural perspective. There are many different cultures and societies represented and this is the strength of this Dmin program. Before starting this adventure I had never really given much thought to how important it is to research different cultures and how by doing so would enhance my ministry on a global scale.

Having spent almost 20 years in the aviation industry I had many opportunities to interact with people from different societies as I traveled around from place to place. While I appreciated cultural diversity I never really explored or cared about an individuals cultural upbringing. During the advance my way of thinking has been radically changed by my immersion into different cultures throughout the 10 days. What I appreciated the most about the trip was the emphasis on exploring London through photographs and immersion into London’s different subcultures. While traveling around the city I interacted with people from India, China, Ethiopia, Iran, Italy, and Vietnam. These individuals had retained their culture while integrating themselves into every day life in London. From shop owners to students I had the privilege to interact with many different cultures, which opened my eyes to see that even though we are considered a global society there are multiple cultures that make up our world. It’s not the similarities that make us great it’s our differences and being able to accept one another for who we are and where we come from. This is what I learned during the advance embracing diversity and accepting people is the purest example of how Christ has called us to love one another.

New knowledge:

Visiting St Margaret’s Church and speaking with Rev. Crossley has significantly altered my view and understanding of ministry. His talk on how the Anglican Church and in particular his church are reinventing how they minister to their congregation is inspiring. When he was speaking to us he mentioned that they have services that are only 5 to 10 minutes long so they can make sure that people who are on their lunch breaks have time to come attend service and go back to work within an hour. These statements caused me to stop reevaluate my understanding my understanding of worship practices. I have been taught that there is a generally accepted way to orderly structure a worship service with regards to layout, time, music, setting, etc.. I immediately understood that I have been close minded when it comes to thinking of different ways to minister to my congregation as well as how to lie reach out and offer relevant worship services to the community around me.

(Rev. Crossley and I)

I am so glad that I decided to record his entire lecture and have shared this with my denomination so that we could glean new ideas on worship. While recording this interview it reminded me of what Pink said about how video can be used in researching cultures are society. Pink stated that, “To be reflexive ethnographic video makers need to be aware of how the camera and video footage become an element of the play between themselves and informants, and how these are interwoven into discourses and practices in the research context.”[1]
If a picture is worth 1000 words then a video should be worth 1 million words. When researching for this assignment I had taken several hundred pictures, but when I have learned is that my video of Rev. Crosley’s talk was the most important part of my research for this assignment. This video has given me a visual, audio, and contextual understanding of what is important to Rev. Crossley. I appreciate the ability to go back and listen and glean insight from his reflections, mannerisms, demeanor, and countenance with regards to his ministry. This is a man who truly seeks the heart of God. His grasp on the needs of the people he serves was inspiring. This is the type of pastor that I would like to be and his ability to be into with the culture around him is something that I strive to do. Rev. Crossley is not only into with the culture around him he is also able to adept when the culture changes and this is a very important skill. Many pastors are unable or unwilling to adapt to changing culture. This is especially true the longer a pastor is in ministry. It seems that the longer the pastor has been in ministry the harder it is for them to remain culturally relevant. Within my denomination there is a mindset of this is the way we’ve always done it and there is no reason to change. This is invaluable to me and that I can use this to further enhance my ministry and the way I interact and deal with people. This man of God has a soft-spoken manner, but speaks with authority and power from the Holy Spirit and shares his heart and passion that he has for the people he ministers to.

The talk that Steve Chalke gave about his ministry and views has also altered the way I think about ministry. While I didn’t agree with everything that Steve said his philosophy about intertwining his ministry in every aspect of an individual’s life on a practical level is something that I have never really thought about before. Through his organization Oasis Steve seeks to transform communities around the world by offering everything from churches to hospitals. The oasis project is an all-inclusive form of ministry that deals with the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health of the individual. While this is not a new concept in Christianity the way that Steve and others are going about implementing it is vastly different from what we have here in the United States. The organization is operated as a non-profit business instead of the traditional church model. This is a unique approach to church ministry and that Oasis Church has a marketing department, HR department, accounting department, and most of the individuals working there are employees. This is a far different model than what we have here in the United States whereas pastor I’m considered self-employed and the church seeks to limit government interaction funding. Oasis Church openly seeks government and corporate funding for its ministries. I believe that the American church and missionary organizations should explore adopting some of the operating model of Oasis. Within the American culture there is a distinct divide between the understanding of the separation of church and state. This was not the original intention of the founding fathers and this has led to the fear that the church can never seek help from the government or private sector. I applaud Steve and how he and his organization have merged the relationship between government and church and the understanding that both can work together for the common good of the society.

Practical application:

There are several changes I have made my ministry since my trip to London. My interactions with my cohort and others have caused me to stop and reevaluate my understanding of theology. In the book of Theology: A Very Short Introduction Ford says, “Theology at its broadest is thinking about questions raised by and about the religions.”[2] and during this advance many of my pre-conceived notions about theology have been challenged. One area where I have to re-examine my theology is on accepting other Christian’s viewpoints about inclusion of different lifestyles. While I am a firm believer in Scripture and what it has to say about homosexuality and that God does not approve it and neither do I. but I have met some Christians in my cohort that think differently about this and while in the past I would be close minded and not even dialogue with them I have come to the understanding that there is nothing wrong with discussing their believes and looking at things from their perspective.

Steve Chalke is an advocate for allowing homosexuality in the church and were gaining again lesbian ministers. While I believe we should allow homosexuals in the church because they need God’s love and to see the truth I do not agree with him with regards to ordaining them as ministers.  During the advance I had the opportunity to dialogue with some of my peers who agree with Steve and while we did not agree on each other’s technology I have learned to openly embrace their viewpoints. I believe this is one area where the evangelicals have missed the mark in that we have tended to be close-minded and refuse to engage different viewpoints that we have not agreed with. I’m committed to being open to engaging different theological viewpoint in the hope that I may be better able to share biblical truths to everyone I meet.

Another change I am implementing ministry is the intentional teaching and training of my congregation about cultural diversity. The church I currently serve in now is what I call a “country club church.” The mentality of the church is that we love people who look and act like us, and who were already saved and have their lives straightened around. The segregation within American churches is a cultural stigma that must be changed. I have told my congregation that we are going to become a church that accepts individuals from every walk of life no matter there race, color, ethnicity, or lifestyle. I have incorporated cultural diversity training in my faith 101 classes. What I have come to realize is that Christ accepted all people and never discriminated or excluded anyone because of the culture or society they belong to.

Incorporating critical thinking skills something I also learned while I was in London. I can say that I was never a very critical thinker until I read The Mature Guide to Critical Thinking. Paul and Elders state that, “critical thinking is to learn to think for oneself, to gain command over one’s thought processes. It entails a commitment to analyzing and evaluating beliefs on the basis of reason and evidence, to question when it is rational to question, to believe when it is rational to believe, and to conform when it is rational to conform.”[3] This is a powerful statement and I have posted on my office wall. This semester and especially in London we were encouraged to think critically about culture, theology, and life and how we interact in the world around us. I can no longer go long with the flow and except the idea that this is the way we have always done it. There is nothing wrong with challenging established theologies or systems and it is every Christian’s responsibility question their leaders and their understanding of Christianity.

Conclusion:

What I have come to understand is that I have been narrow minded and self-centered when it comes to my theology and other cultures. I have bought into the American Christian lifestyle and viewed the world through that lens. My trip to London as well as the semester has shown me that Christianity has a much broader meaning and that by engaging in intentional and other cultures I can come to appreciate others views and ideas. My cohort is now part of my extended family and these individuals have introduced me to new ideas and ways of thinking.

George Fox seminary and the staff have challenged us to explore our faith and understanding of just to Christ is and how he interacts with his people. This advance has given me the opportunity to break out of my shell and cast-off some of my preconceived thoughts about what is and is not acceptable Christian standards. My heart has been softened and my eyes have been opened when it comes to accepting different viewpoints and ideas. Every individual deserves the respect and consideration of being listened to and accepted for who they are and what they believe. Faith is more than just believing in God or Jesus it is interacting with fellow Christians despite your differences in theology or beliefs.

My time in London also taught me that we are more alike than we realize and just because we may do things a little different doesn’t mean it’s wrong. How an individual approaches God is not as important what is important is that they are seeking God. Jesus calls everyone into relationship with God how we approach that relationship is different for every individual. Each one of us are different and it is that difference that makes the body of Christ strong and unified. This is what the advance has taught me.

About the Author

Richard Volzke