The world is constantly changing and there are some brave people who want to understand those changes on a societal level; and there are those who want to see how those movements impact our quality of life, well-being and community. Speaking about social theory and practical impacts Professor Charles Lemert says:<\/p>\n
\u201cFor others, it might be about thick credit and consumerism. For still others, it is about growing inequities between the West and the rest. All such notions about how society works play a role in facilitating social relations.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n It seems that as Christian leaders we\u2019d care about \u2018facilitating social relations\u2019, facilitating them in such a way that draws people to Christ. In this I find the motivation to learn social theory. Specifically, what caught my eye was the complex issue of globalization and how that reality creates opportunity for ministry.<\/p>\n The term \u2018globalization\u2019 has become so widely used that in popular culture its meaning is being defined by its context. Turn on the news and you\u2019ll hear it referred to when discussing terrorism, or even the recent news coverage on the spread of Ebola across continents.\u00a0\u00a0 Talk to your financial advisor and they might discuss the globalization of economies, or the globalization of your investments.\u00a0\u00a0 Yet when referring to social theory, it has more depth and history:<\/p>\n \u201cOne central part of what globalization means for critics is advanced capitalism in its broadest sense, and thus by implication the term has come to revolve around Americanization. This is the view that globalization is a central diver in the export of American commerce and culture, of vast spread of mass consumerism, of the unleashing of US-controlled turbo-capitalism.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n Maybe globalization can be understood as the exchange of world-views; a cultural exchange, facilitated by communications and transportation, but from reading Elliott\u2019s chapter on globalization it seems to be mostly about global consumerism. The critics of American capitalism and Western consumerism see globalization as the exporting of the worst of the west. Richard Sennett in his commentary on capitalism criticizes corporations, arguing that in light of globalization corporations are reengineering and reinventing themselves but at the expense of their workers. Saying, \u201cpeople are treated as disposable.\u201d[3]<\/a> Regardless, if we take issue with some of the assessment of these sociological perspectives, they indicate great opportunity for ministry.<\/p>\n We live in a day where companies rarely offer \u2018a career\u2019. In my parents post WW2 generation it was an anomaly to change jobs, or not have a career. In my generation a few changes across a lifetime of work is completely normal, and by the way \u2018retirement\u2019 as a corporate responsibility vanished. As my daughter heads off to college she can expect to hold at least 12 positions, or different jobs in a lifetime; and her success will require at least three re-workings of her skills set.[4]<\/a> It\u2019s common to have a short-termism attitude in the workplace. As Sennett points out it creates an \u201cerosion of loyalty and trust\u201d.[5]<\/a> The natural result is feeling used up and exhausted; now some come to that understanding more quickly than others.<\/p>\n Always looking out for the next change, the next career move, the next skill, the next relocation makes the mighty \u2013 vulnerable. As a result of globalization the world\u2019s most successful, brightest, top performers, \u2018the mighty\u2019 are asked to represent their NGO, their corporation or their country in another country. The prestigious expatriate, living in a host country, is assigned extremely demanding jobs in the context of cultural disconnect. Part of the attraction is certainly the financial remuneration; many expatriates are paid their \u2018western\u2019 salary plus an extra percentage (20 \u2013 30%) for the hardship of living overseas. Additionally their company pays for their overseas housing, transportation and schooling for their children. The corporate investment into these workers is extremely high, but with it comes the pressure to perform. The message they carry is \u201cyou\u2019re the brightest and best, you\u2019re highly compensated, now prove yourself\u201d. These expatriates are constantly trying to prove themselves; prove they\u2019re worthy of investment, knowing their company is more than willing to drop them if they disappoint and find another rising star.<\/p>\n The cost is heavy: feeling used and exhausted, dislocation from your culture, from familiarity: loss of a sense of place, a sense of home and loss of everyday normalcy. Distance from good friends, from family, from the church you grew up in. Thrust into a work environment where your spouse is usually left on her own, where your children may struggle to adjust to their new life. Where any friendships you have are weakened by the short-term nature of it all and the commitment to work. Globalization has encouraged millions of people into this expatriate life, a life that ultimately exposes our humanness, which puts us in touch with loss and need, which can make the mighty vulnerable. It\u2019s not uncommon for these driven people to begin to see their family unravel, to begin to make ethically compromised decisions, to see their own morality slide; and in this become vulnerable. Into this darkness we Christ followers can bring the light and grace of the gospel.<\/p>\n Into this world the international church (IC) has a role that restores a sense of home for the expatriate. ICs can provide an environment for families to adjust and even thrive. ICs can remind highly influential people that their significance isn\u2019t in what they do but whom they belong to. ICs can show the affluent how their resources belong to God, and how they can release those resources of His purpose. The extreme life of expatriates wooed by globalization makes them vulnerable, and in that they\u2019re open to meeting with a gracious, loving God. One whose love isn\u2019t based on performance, one who doesn\u2019t believe His children are disposable; the world can be constantly changing but He doesn\u2019t change. Globalization is a ministry opportunity!<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Anthony Elliott,\u00a0Contemporary Social Theory: an Introduction<\/em>, 2 ed. (New York: Routledge, 2014), 10.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Ibid, 309.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Richard Sennett, The Corrosion of Character: The Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism. <\/em> (New York: Norton, 1998), 146.<\/p>\n