Review of "Cross -Cultural Servanthood" by Duane Elmer

Duane Elmer. Cross-Cultural Servanthood. Downer’s Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2006.

In Cross-Cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer addresses practical ways which the cross-cultural minister, whether a short-term or long-term missionary, can effectively and humbly serve the people in the host country. Elmer emphasizes that one must be careful to contextualize one’s expressions of servanthood so that they are culturally relevant and beneficial. The author examines the basic perspectives of servanthood, the process by which one can become an effective cross-cultural servant, and the challenges of serving cross-culturally. Elmer authoritatively provides the reader with memorable illustrations of each of these stages by citing examples from his own and others’ cross-cultural ministry and scriptural and theological foundations of incarnational ministry. This book successfully provides a model for serving cross-culturally and should be read by anyone who is interested in serving as a short-term or long-term missionary.

The book is organized into three sections. The first section serves as an introduction to the basic perspectives of servanthood in a cross-cultural setting. An important aspect of this section is recognizing that others see actions, not motives. “Missionaries will need to learn the local cultural patterns so that their desire to serve will be seen as serving and not be misinterpreted.” (28)
The second section, which is the largest of the three, provides the process of determining local patterns so their attempts at servanthood will not be misinterpreted. Elmer provides a progression of six steps toward becoming a cross-cultural servant. Each step, according to Elmer, is dependent upon the previous one. The following excerpts provide the rationale for the process of servanthood and the core pattern of this section:

“You can’t serve someone you do not understand…. You can’t understand others until you have learned about, from and with them…. You can’t learn important information from someone until there is trust in the relationship…. To build trust others must know that you accept and value them as people….Before you can communicate acceptance, people must experience your openness…. Openness with people different from yourself requires that you are willing to step out of your comfort zone….” (p. 38)

Each of these steps, Elmer explains, is an ability which, when practiced, causes improvement.

The third section addresses some of the challenges of servanthood. Here Elmer examines the popular phrase “servant leadership,” noting that since all are called to serve and not all are called to lead, effectively serving with humility should be our primary objective.

Cross-Cultural Servanthood suggests several possibilities for cross-cultural servanthood. Elmer successfully presents the reader with potential pitfalls facing the missionary wishing to minister with a servant’s attitude, while also suggesting practical ways to overcome these obstacles. One of the points to which Elmer frequently returned is the point that the missionary must contextualize servanthood in ways which are truly serving the people, and not just imposing one’s own cultural norms of servanthood. This is where his six step process is helpful for determining whether one is truly serving the people. Western cultural norms of servanthood are not necessarily norms in other cultural contexts.

Another possibility presented by Elmer is how to overcome the potential pitfall that missionaries face of ethnocentricity and perceived Western superiority. Elmer relates these concepts beyond textbook definitions to actual thought processes. He points out practical ways which Westerners can practice treating indigenous peoples with equality as brothers and sisters in Christ. Practical ways to avoid ethnocentrism, according to Elmer, include ceasing to compare the new culture to one’s home culture and practicing perspectivism, or seeing as the locals see. It is also important to realize that it takes time for all the “puzzle pieces” of a foreign culture to begin to form a recognizable picture. However strange the behaviors and practices of a people may seem to the missionary, their culture makes sense to them. If there are areas which need correcting, it must be done in ways which respect the nationals. These guidelines provide readers with the necessary information to assess their own level of ethnocentric thoughts and attitudes and take steps to adjust them to be more accepting of others.

Elmer acknowledges the unavoidable fact that Westerners are taught to be superior to the rest of the world and often enter a new culture with multiple levels of power. Rather than try to change these facts, he is concerned with how Westerners use that power, so as to serve God by serving the people and not to use it in order to serve or exalt themselves.

An important insight Elmer provides is that he grounds servanthood in the imago Dei. Persons must be treated with dignity. When a missionary (or anyone else) fails to honor each person as a sacred being bearing our Creator’s image, that person is being profaned, or treated in a worthless manner. Conversely, when one treats persons with dignity and extends God’s grace to them, it is as if one is touching God himself.

Elmer provides helpful insights into the learned cultural tendencies of the Western missionary. One of these is tendencies is to dichotomize and judge approvingly on persons are “like me” and disapprovingly on those who are “unlike me.” This judgmental attitude infiltrates one’s subconscious decisions, forcing the missionary to intentionally suspend judgment and think in shades of cultural gray-ness.

Elmer’s theological background is evident in his chapter on learning about cultures. He writes extensively about common grace, a term used by Calvin and Luther referring to the grace God has given to reveal glimpses of himself in the natural world. This common grace was given by God in order to keep fallen humanity civil. Elmer uses common grace to illustrate the point that Christians can find valuable information about a culture from its non-Christians. A Wesleyan understanding, however, would state that preventing (or prevenient) grace goes before and with persons, leading to saving grace, whereas common grace does not relate to salvation. This theological difference does not undermine Elmer’s point that Christians can benefit from non-Christians in a culture. A Wesleyan understanding would state that God is already active in the lives of the non-Christians, although they do not yet acknowledge God.

Elmer’s six steps are presented in a linear fashion, yet he acknowledges that they may not necessarily occur in that order. Illustrating the point that one must adapt to fit the cultural norms of another society, Elmer re-presents his steps in a circular model, with service in the middle and each of the other five steps pointing to one another and to service. Even though Elmer holds to his linear model with logical steps, he recognizes that not every culture (or person) thinks in this way.

During the eighteen months I spent in Romania over a three and a half year period, I can relate to Elmer’s six steps: openness, acceptance, trust-building, learning, understanding, and serving. While I may not have experienced them in this linear order, I appreciate the theory that each stage is built upon the foundation of the previous one. In my experience, though, I have found the circular model to be more applicable; as each of the abilities are improved upon, one is able to serve in a fuller ability. One never completes one stage to move to the next but is constantly learning how to improve each ability in order to serve the people better.

Cross-Cultural Servanthood is a valuable resource for missionaries, addressing how to minister effectively as a Christlike servant in another culture. Using biblical and theological foundations and illustrations from his own experience, Duane Elmer presents the skills that one must cultivate in order to serve in Christlike fashion. After identifying common mistakes of Western missionaries, Elmer identifies ways to avoid these mistakes. This book provides practical wisdom for those serving cross-culturally in virtually any context. Whether serving for a short or long-term, any missionary will benefit from Elmer’s insights on how to minister with a servant’s attitude in a cross-cultural setting.