Study Committee Report Inter-Cultural Ministries

INTRODUCTION

                  The 107th Annual Conference resolved that the Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee be directed to continue its work on ethnic church planting within the Bible Fellowship Church (BFC) and report back to the 108th Annual Conference with its progress toward a “MODEL” and MANUAL” for ethnic church planting and a review of the Standards of Worship & Life in light of cultural demands. The 107th Annual Conference also encouraged each BFC to complete a demographic study of its ministry target area and its opportunity to plant an ethnic church.

                  With this charge from the 107th Annual Conference and the appointment of Wayne Clapier to take the place of Charles Snyder on the Committee, the Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee began its work. The Committee considered a fourfold approach: (1) To incorporate interested BFC churches in the work of the Committee and have them do their own demographic survey of their ministry target area (2) To compile a Manual for ethnic church planting as the Committee works with interested churches (3) To formulate a “MODEL” toward the end of the “Demographic Project” (4) To review The Standards of Worship & Life of the BFC, seeking to identify and eliminate cultural bias.

                  A letter was drafted and sent to all BFC Pastors informing them of the Demographic Project and asking them to contact the Committee if they were interested in the Project. The Committee also compiled a list of specific churches for personal contact on the basis of their previously expressed interest.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

                  A list of 10 interested churches was initially established to participate in the Project. These churches were sent a packet which included instructions and helps for participation in the Demographic Project. Each Committee member was assigned to be a specific church’s contact person. A schedule for completing the Project accompanied the packet along with a Commitment Form to be returned to the Committee. The Committee also encouraged the Project Churches to seek ways of following up an ethnic groups they would discover in their survey.

                  When the Committee met on July 30, 1991, it was reported that due to some internal situations and timing difficulties among the Project Churches, no significant work had been accomplished on the demographic surveys. Four (4) churches had remained interested while the others sensed this was not the time for them to pursue involvement in the Project.

                  The Committee resolved that a more personal approach to these 4 churches should be developed. Certain Committee members should go to the churches and present the vision and need to become sensitive to the presence of people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Two (2) other areas of possibility surfaced as target areas during this meeting; the Indian population of the Edison, N.J. area and the Portuguese population of the Newark, NJ area.

CONCLUSION

                  The Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee believes that its work is still a long way from completion. The Committee still hopes to develop a viable Model from among the four interested Project Churches and the two new areas of consideration in Edison and Newark. The Committee also desires to complete a review in the next year of The Standards of Worship & Life and their relationship to cultural bias. Therefore, the Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee recommends the following:

                  WHEREAS, the Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee has work to accomplish yet in completing the tasks given to it by the 106th and 107th Annual Conference, and

                  WHEREAS, the Committee believes that it is the desire of our great God to reach culturally distinct people and aliens in our areas of ministry and plant culturally distinct Bible Fellowship Churches, therefore be it

                  RESOLVED, that the Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee proceed with its goal of establishing an ethnic church planting manual and model, and further,

                  RESOLVED, that the Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee proceed with a review of the “Standards & Worship and Life” in order to identify those which may not express culturally transcendent biblical truths and values in language that is applicable to all cultures without bias, and further

                  RESOLVED, that the Chairman appoint a person to the Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee to replace David Sng who resigned this past year from the Committee.

Recommendation for Churches before coming to the 108th Annual Conference

                  At last year’s Annual Conference the Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee was not able to present its work because of a lack of time available. Therefore, we encourage the churches to reread and consider our report to the 107th Annual Conference, reproduced on pg.144-159 of the 1990 Yearbook.

The Inter-Cultural Ministries Study Committee: Roy A. Hertzog, Chairman; David E. Gundrum, Secretary, Delbert R. Baker II, Carl C. Cassel, Daniel G. Ziegler, G. Wayne Clapier