The Missionary and the Local Church

Before we entered the mission field we were warned about the culture shock that would inevitably occur after the honeymoon period of new surroundings. I am pleased to report that we have not experienced a tidal wave of uncertainty, confusion and anxiety regarding our host country. Instead, it has been those small cultural oddities that have been occasionally jarring to our experience of Madagascar. Sometimes these quirks have combined simultaneously to frustrate us and intensify feelings of homesickness (we miss our families terribly). However, there is a growing concern for our family around a crucial aspect in the life of a cross-cultural missionary, namely, one's relationship with the local church.

A small note on attending the local church

It is sadly too commonplace for missionaries to forego attending and joining a local church. Many excuses have been cited for this. Some are valid and require God's wisdom for how to proceed. For example, one may be unable to effectively assemble with Christian brothers and sisters, because one serves an unreached people group who are perhaps isolated in remote areas. However, a prevailing view (whether stated or unstated) is that cross-cultural work does not necessarily require the biblical command of "not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some" [Hebrews 10:25], instead opting for a kind of Wild West mission field. This post is not focused on this issue, partly because there is overwhelming biblical evidence for exhorting all Christians, as ably as they can, to attend, join and submit to a local church (there are excellently constructed biblical cases to this issue that I have linked below). But our particular circumstances as a family in regards to the local church is more nuanced.

The Problem

Currently, we attend a faithful, healthy local church a stone's throw from our house in Antananarivo. Yet, despite the lead pastor being of a Western background, the services are completely in the heart language of the indigenous people. As well they should be! But for us, our family's worship of God corporately with local believers is hampered by an insurmountable language barrier. On this issue, we have been given some advice, all of which has been helpful, but at times conflicting. For example, during our orientation before arriving on the field, we were encouraged to attend indigenous churches because it provides "a ministry of presence". Certainly, our presence as white British missionaries at the local church is well regarded by nationals, and we have been warmly received and thanked for sharing in their language and culture. It has been a joy seeing how the Malagasy worship the Lord and we feel privileged to be a part of the congregation.

But on an individual level, we cannot presently understand much of the prayers, nor comprehend the Word preached, nor even have meaningful conversations with others. Constantly translating in your mind is tiring work, and Sunday morning should not feel like a language class. We also run a great risk of experiencing spiritual dearth, which puts what we have been called to do here by God in jeopardy. Furthermore, I have been very challenged by a recent Missions Talk podcast regarding the importance of a local church. The contributors encouraged fresh-faced, eager missionaries like myself to find a church that speaks "a language that the missionary can understand", wherever possible, because "church needs to be meaningful to us" and it is "pretty difficult to 'one another' with people that you can't communicate with".¹ There is so much to commend from this perspective.

There just so happens to be another church within our vicinity which has services in English, which many of our fellow missionaries attend. Surely problem solved! But it is not as simple as that. As we visited the English congregation, we found a number of important deviations between our convictions and the church's. Differences in doctrine, ethos, vision and much more. In fact, the primary thing that united us was the same language. So what happens when the healthiest church you see in your local area is in a different language?

"Missionary" Churches

When we were serving a local church on a council estate in the East Midlands of England, I had heard about an evangelical Bulgarian church that worshipped nearby. I thought I would visit one Sunday morning to see if a partnership could be developed for evangelism on the estate. As you would expect, the entire service was culturally and linguistically Bulgarian - I couldn't understand a word! I left wondering what the reasons and merits were for establishing monocultural, homogenous churches like this one in the UK, and whether they are missing out on other opportunities for the sake of their own comfort. Similarly, whilst some missionaries eschew the local church completely, others prefer to congregate together - as in the case of the other church with the English service. Even if they have lived in the local area for years and have a good command of the language, a church which speaks their language is their refuge. But there are other reasons as well:

• Cross-cultural work during the week is a tiring business, and there is a perfectly acceptable comfort to worshipping in their heart language.

• To be vulnerable and honest around fellow missionaries who may have a greater insight in the difficulties of being a foreigner in a different country, they can empathise more easily and pray more specifically for those letting off steam.

• As expressed in the Missions Talk podcast, it is difficult to "one another" with those of a different context, and it takes hard work.

• Whilst a crass generalisation, churches in the Global South may not yet be as considerate or equipped to cater interculturally (although this is certainly true in Western contexts as well!)

Considerations for the Missionary

The missionary should have a high ecclesiology when on the field, and we must prize the local church, regardless of its various cultural iterations, by encouraging her growth and health in the Lord. None of the issues discussed above should be taken lightly for new missionaries deciding on joining a church. As a family, we are still prayerfully seeking God's wisdom for our own decisions in this regard. Below I have detailed several points of prudence which have definitely aided this process.

Be patient

We should always be intentional in seeking and joining a local church, but that does not mean that we can't take our time in doing so, and allowing for prayerful contemplation for where the Lord calls us. The missionary needs all the support they can muster whilst on the field, and the right local church with effective leadership, solid biblical preaching and caring members can be a strong buttress. In the same way, a local church that has a firm evangelistic focus and a heart for mission can hone the activities of the missionary.

For those joining an indigenous church, be spurred on to learn the language...

Be encouraged to work diligently at the language so that your praises may be joined with the other members. Immerse yourself in many situations where you are exposed to the language. Read the Bible in the local language alongside your English translation. Translate their hymns. Learn to pray in the language, however simple those prayers may be. Before we arrived to Antananarivo, we were told that it would be fruitless to join a Malagasy speaking church because our language wouldn't improve through attending. We have found that this is, comprehensively, not the case. Every Sunday the message gets clearer, the hymns become more familiar and our dialogue with church members improves.

...but find language relief

Missionaries often work in the local language during the week and, as we have found, continuing this into Sundays is exhausting. But if you feel called to join an indigenous church, there is no harm in allowing for occasions when you worship elsewhere on Sundays in order to find relief from the language. This may mean, therefore, a compromise in other areas is in order. In addition, it might be possible to supplement your attendance at an indigenous church with worship meetings and bible studies in your own language during the week. This is not designed to "get around the issue" but to alleviate one difficulty from the countless others that a new missionary faces when arriving on the field.

For those joining a "missionary" church, make sure you actually join!

This point is uncomfortable and controversial for a lot of missionaries, especially if their work is quite fluid and involves a lot of travel. For many missionaries, the church can be a place of refreshing, rather than a place of service. But wherever the Lord has called us, he has not called us away from local churches. All Christians are mandated to assemble as believers, and a major part of that is to serve one another in prayer, in love, in acts of service and a whole host of other ways. Do not think that what is going on in your local church is merely supplementary or even secondary to your ministry on the mission field. As people from all walks of life and professions are obligated to join local churches in membership and service, so to is the missionary.

For those joining a "missionary" church, ensure you remain open to indigenous churches.

There is a risk that with comfort comes a castle-like mentality. The ability to worship with fellow missionaries may feel like great relief from the day-to-day work of ministry among the nationals, but this should not encourage any tribalism. There is a danger of missionaries "letting off steam" to fellow workers through gossip, negativity and prejudice towards the indigenous population. Instead, these "missionary" churches should strive to communicate regularly with native churches and even partner with them in the gospel. Despite linguistic and cultural differences, much more common ground will exist between these churches than not. I would also exhort those who become proficient in the local language to consider moving on to indigenous churches. It certainly means a great deal to Malagasy nationals when foreigners speak their language and attend their churches, they welcome the sojourner with open arms!

Encourage greater interculturalism within the church

It is not our role as missionaries to crowbar our language and culture into the indigenous service, or enforce any expectations that the local believers should adapt to our personal needs. But consider the myriad issues raised among Christians of different cultural backgrounds in the early Church (Acts 6 or Paul's letters to the Romans and the Corinthians, to name a few examples). Or the churches in the West whose pews are now being filled by a multitude of cultures and people groups. It is not the place of this post to debate the various iterations of multicultural church, but encouraging greater interculturalism within local churches is a noble and important aim and all churches need to deal with the issues and questions that arise from our cultural differences.

Perhaps there are ways to encourage greater interculturalism within indigenous churches that doesn't compromise the indigenous worship of the church, or worse, promote any colonial agendas. Can you be informed of the hymns to be sung on Sunday and translate them beforehand? If your preacher uses a transcript, can you have access to it ahead of time? Are there missionary companions with a greater grasp of the language who can assist you with translation? Perhaps the local pastor/elders may be able to provide good counsel for how you can become more involved. Likewise, for "missionary" churches, are there ways to include local believers into the worship service without jettisoning the cultural forms of worship that you cherish?

In eternity, the worship of Christ from his bride will not be divided into "indigenous" and "missionary", but "a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages" [Revelation 7:9]. But this is something that the Church must strive for in the here and now, albeit not to perfection.

Allow for Christian liberty

"For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also" [1 Corinthians 14:1].

These words of Paul weigh heavy on my mind and heart. We may yet change our minds regarding where we worship on Sundays, and which church we want to commit to as members in the long term. But I would argue that Paul is not being prescriptive in this passage as to worshipping in a different language context. Paul is not arguing for building mono-linguistic churches. In fact, alongside normative biblical principles for establishing a church, Holy Scripture also allows for great Christian liberty for believers in where and with whom they assemble as a local church. I do not believe it is inherently wrong or sinful to assemble with believers who do not speak the same language as you do. But in some cases, as I found in the Bulgarian church in England, it may not be prudent. Similarly, judgement should not be passed on missionaries who forego indigenous churches, even if they have mastered the local language, for the sake of worshipping together in their own heart language. But again, this may not always be wise. It is here where we must lean into God's wisdom and fall upon His grace to enable us missionaries to follow Him faithfully, to whichever local church he calls us to.

¹ Missions Talk., On Why the Local Church Matters in Missions (with Chip Bugnar, Andy Johnson, and Scott Logsdon). A podcast by 9Marks and Reaching & Teaching International Ministries, Episode 10 (March 2023)

Other excellent resources on the Missionary and the Local Church:

Folmar, John., "Should Missionaries Join a Local Church?" Desiring God (March 2023). https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/should-missionaries-join-a-local-church

Logsdon, Scott., "Why Is It Essential for Missionaries to Join a Church Where They Live?" 9Marks (May 2022). https://www.9marks.org/article/why-is-it-essential-for-missionaries-to-join-a-church-where-they-live/

Rhodes, Matt., "How Should Missionaries Relate to Local Churches Overseas?" 9Marks (May 2022). https://www.9marks.org/article/how-should-missionaries-relate-to-local-churches-overseas/