by Andy Johnson

Director of Worker Care; Prayer Coordinator

I work at a non-profit organization called Mission Resource Network (no surprise to you, since you’re reading our newsletter). As you might imagine, culture is a pretty big deal to us here at MRN. We train new workers to learn and honor the cultures of those whom they serve. As we visit workers on site, we frequently travel among cultures not like our own. We equip people for language learning (a huge vehicle for expressing and learning culture) and even engage in it ourselves when it makes sense. We are the kind of people that have extended conversations about the most interesting foods we’ve been served and how to replicate them at home (well, some of them).

In other words, we’ve always been people who strive for and encourage others to aim for cultural competence. We would define this as the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with someone from a culture other than your own, particularly in ways that honor the person and honor our shared Father. Historically, this move toward cultural competency was an important one as cross-cultural workers shifted away from equating the spread of the Kingdom with the spread of their home culture.

Lately I’ve been learning about cultural humility along with cultural competence. Cultural humility, as first defined by Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-Garcia, is made up of three lifelong commitments:

To self-evaluation and critique,
To seeing and addressing power imbalances, and
To developing relationships with people who advocate for others.

If cultural competency is a journey (which it must be – no one ever fully understands someone else’s culture), then cultural humility is the attitude we must take as we walk along this journey with fellow pilgrims. It’s the ability not only to learn about others but also to look inward and deal with your own blind spots, prejudices, and biases.

Fascinating stuff, right?

Maybe. But this is a place where we talk about caring for cross-cultural workers, not training them. Where’s the tie-in?

Whether you work in care professionally, as a volunteer at a church, or as a parent/grandparent/friend to people who serve cross-culturally, developing cultural humility will make you better at what you do. Let’s go back to that three-part definition to see what I mean:

Good care workers evaluate themselves and grow in self-awareness. If you want to be fully present with another person, you must become more aware of who you are in the conversation. You should consider your own blind spots, assumptions, and prejudices about both the worker you’re caring for and the people they serve. Pay attention to how you respond as you serve them and try to find out why.
Good care workers see and address power imbalances. The reality is that if you are a part of a sending organization or church when talking to a worker on the field, they are going to feel that. Work to shift not only the perception that the senders have all the power, but advocate for real change. Help your church and your organization understand what a gift it is to be a part of what God is doing through your sent ones on the field rather than viewing them as working for you.
Good care workers don’t try to do everything on their own nor do they keep good news to themselves. When you reach a place where you could use some help, ask for it. Likewise, when you discover something that works really well, tell someone! We are trying every day to live into the Network part of our name and would love both to serve you where we can as well as learn from you!

You can probably tell by now that empathy is a big part of both cultural humility and of care in general. As author Brené Brown explains, “empathy is not connecting to an experience; it’s connecting to the emotions that underpin an experience.” You will never be able fully to understand the experiences of those you are serving. Let me say that another way: you will never fully understand the people you serve – people made in a creative God’s image are far too complicated for that. However, if you work to develop cultural humility, you will discover that you are forming meaningful connections with your workers that are guided by empathy and an awareness of your own limitations.

Let me wrap up with a few suggestions for developing your cultural humility muscles as you serve workers.

Look for (or even create) opportunities to get to know each other. Understanding is really based on relationship. Ask whether they would like a site visit. Talk to or message with them about more than ‘work’ things. Schedule time with them on stateside visits for listening deeply and for hanging out.
Let them lead the conversation. I know you will have stuff you want to talk to them about; let the ones you serve have a significant voice in shaping the flow of their time with you.
Be curious. Ask open-ended questions. Wonder about them and about their life, and ask about it.
Use what you learn (but only for good!). As you get to know the people you serve, don’t file that information away. Instead, use it to better advocate for and serve them within your church or organization.
Understand your limitations. This applies in multiple ways. Don’t be afraid to seek or suggest outside help. Acknowledge your humanity and own (rather than deny) your reactions and biases in a given situation. Do not overestimate your level of understanding a person or situation. This is particularly important for former cross-cultural workers (or repeat short-term trip participants); your experience, while perhaps useful, is not the same as what they are going through!

May the Father of All People and Cultures bless you as you serve His children in increasingly competent and humble ways!

Cultural Humility and Care