It’s easy to assume that what works in one place will work anywhere. But just as a plant won’t grow in any climate, so too, our ideas don’t always transfer. Learning the value of context is essential.
In his book, Bruchko, Bruce Olson recounts his story of relocating to the Colombian jungle as a teenager. Desiring to reach the indigenous population there, Olson left the United States with only a few dollars. Without the support of a mission organization, he chose to learn the language in Colombia and eventually ventured into the Andes Mountains alone.
Upon encountering the Indigenous population, he was shot with arrows and imprisoned, but later, after developing relationships, found a way to live with the Motilone-Barí tribe. He learned their language and customs, connecting with them in a way they could understand. It’s an inspiring story that highlights the importance of contextualization.
A key moment in the book was when Olson learned that the Motilone tribe, deeply rooted in ancient traditions, believed in a prophecy foretelling the arrival of a fair-haired man bearing a banana stalk that would guide them back to God. Sometime later, a pivotal moment occurred when a young Motilone, in frustration, split open a banana trunk, revealing an internal structure reminiscent of a book. Olson saw the similarity to the pages of his Bible. “This is God’s banana stalk,” he shared, as he opened his Bible. That was the beginning of him sharing the story of Jesus with them.
It’s a much larger story than I can convey here, but I share it to offer a point of reflection. Olson could have dismissed the prophecy as ridiculous or even evil. Instead, he found a way to contextualize the gospel to their story.
The Bi-Product of Colonialism
Unfortunately, history is filled with examples of Western missionaries who caused significant harm to indigenous cultures. By imposing their own cultural norms and practices, they equated superficial forms (i.e. style of music, attire, formalities of meetings) with the essence of Christianity. This often led to the erosion of rich, cultural traditions and spiritual beliefs.
For instance, in my Inca heritage, the condor is a sacred messenger between Earth and Heaven. Rather than recognizing the shared spiritual connection of a bird (Holy Spirit) as a bridge to introduce the gospel, Spanish conquistadors like Pizarro imposed their own religious beliefs and suppressed indigenous practices to exploit Peru’s wealth. This colonial approach prioritized economic exploitation, not genuine spiritual transformation. What if Pizarro had different motives and means? What if he had said, “We too know of a great bird, called the Holy Spirit, given by a man named Jesus to connect us with God.”
Alan Hirsch wrote in a blog article: “A missionary is essentially a messenger obligated to deliver the message in a way it can be received. This means we must speak meaningfully into a culture, but to do so, we must examine a given culture seriously for clues to what God is doing among a people.” Bruce Olson embodied this approach. How can we apply these practices in our own lives, work, and communities?
Expert Stance vs. Humble Reliance on the Holy Spirit
Whenever I work with company leaders to design a leadership development program, there’s an assumption at the start of the relationship that I’m an expert. But I have to work hard to establish that they are the experts in their company culture or field of work, not me. I’m a learner at the start.
The same is true for coaching church leaders and everyday disciples. As a leader, you may be seen as having all the answers. But sometimes the best thing you can do is to acknowledge your limitations and affirm reliance on the Holy Spirit as the one who can guide them into all truth (John 16:13).
Great coaching is like great missionary work. It’s helping people embrace their context rather than trying to tame or control it. By encouraging questions like, “Where is God working?” and “How can I affirm what’s already happening here?,” we empower people to recognize the presence of Jesus in their lives.
This is what it means to guide people to drop the expert stance and adopt a more humble, open-handed approach, aware of the contextual influence and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Universal vs. Local Place
In his book, The Road to Eloheh, Dr. Randy Woodley, a retired seminary professor and Cherokee wisdom keeper, highlights how Western culture emphasizes a universal way of viewing things, vs. viewing things within a local context. He writes, “Empire replaces local place with universal place, and corporate empires train consumers to value sameness and predictability.” This statement can help us understand the shift currently happening in the US towards engaging people of different ethnicities and beliefs with less and less grace.
But what if we didn’t need to tame and control our cultural context? What if we learned to embrace the people who surround us as our neighbors and friends, even those with a different background or values or beliefs? This is what it means to be place-oriented.
Why does this matter? In our context, many of us lost our indigenous identity to become American. But, as I’m discovering, healing can come from the medicine of our stories—this means our ethnic stories and immigrant stories. We all came from somewhere, but by losing our roots, we lost the idea of having a place. Without a sense of rootedness, we’re left searching for our identity, often feeling adrift and disconnected from our past and future.
When my daughter was in high school, I’d often take her friends to the Hiwassee River and ask if they knew the significance of it as the border that once divided the United States of America from the Cherokee Nation. They usually didn’t. “You need to know the stories of those who preceded you on this land,” I’d add. “There is so much wisdom to learn from those who came before.” Not knowing your land’s history leads to a life disconnected from story–and being disconnected from your story can lead to lack of self-awareness about the reasons things are the way they are. Without a sense of belonging to the land, we struggle to find our identity, feeling lost and disconnected from our history and context.
Are you aware of the history of the place where you live? The indigenous people who came before you? The stories of those who settled there? What is the dominant narrative? What is good about it that can be affirmed and learned from? How does the good news of the gospel speak to the longings and needs of the cultural context?
Understanding your context, as a church leader or individual, most importantly, as a disciple of Jesus, can make all the difference. Not only will you learn the larger history to which you belong, but your example may help those in your circles become more humble, curious, and open to those around you.
The bottom line is that one-size-fits-all approaches just do not adequately reflect the example of Jesus, who took on a human body, a culture, and a way of life that allowed Him to connect with the people of His time and with us today. Whether you’re a missionary, a church leader, or an everyday disciple of Jesus, understanding your specific context is key. By listening deeply, asking humble questions, and embracing your local context, we can avoid creating a lot of the damage that an “expert” mindset can cause. What if, instead, we learned to be curious about our differences, learn from each other’s stories, and together, create a world where the gospel takes root in the unique soil of every heart and culture?
This is Part 5 of the Coaching for the Missional Church series. Other articles from the series can be found here:
- Part 1: We Need a Paradigm Shift by David Achata
- Part 2: Drawing Out What the Spirit Has Put In by Todd Engstrom
- Part 3: Catalyzing Transformation Through Questions by Todd Engstrom
- Part 4: When Leaders Feel Stuck by Justin Westcott
Do you want to grow as a leader? We want to support you on your leadership journey. Check out Saturate’s Coaching Cohorts or One-On-One Leadership Coaching and learn more about what coaching could mean for your leadership.
