By David Young Summary: To be a diaspora Christ-follower is a liminal experience with all of the tensions of being in-between, inherent instability, and heightened levels of stress. It’s common for such people to seek stability, or a place of cultural adjustment, for their own well-being. ICs need to understand their context—not necessarily to bring […]
Summary: These unique characteristics (mobility, diversity, leadership vacuum) can be approached as problems for pastoral staff and leadership. For example, research on high turnover of congregants in ICs showed that the transient nature of the congregation resulted in relational, emotional, and ministry fatigue for pastors. However, these challenging characteristics can be perceived through a different lens—a paradigm […]
Summary: This oasis/nurture mindset—with its primary inward focus on member care and shepherding—is inadequate for making disciples of this highly mobile, diverse, accomplished group. By making room for apostolic leadership and switching to a missional paradigm, the IC can change from an oasis mentality to that of a strategic launching pad into God’s purposes for […]
In October 2006, I moved my family, my wife and two elementary aged daughters to Bangkok, Thailand. We had taken an assignment with an international church to be their lead pastor. This would be our first overseas assignment; and while the initial agreement was three years, we completed five years. In this transition we left […]