What follows is the description for the Doctor of Ministry degree in Cultural Engagement at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. This program emphasizing cultural engagement reflects New Wine, New Wineskins’ approach to theology of culture and particular approaches to ministry arising from it. We are excited about how this program reflecting New Wine’s values will serve a new generation of Christian leaders in their various spheres of kingdom impact in and for Christ.
The Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins is about a theology of cultural engagement, not disengagement. This Doctor of Ministry track reflects New Wine’s commitment to bearing witness to Christ in contemporary culture.
The Cultural Engagement track is designed to hone the skill set of ministry outreach leaders in such spheres as the local church (community outreach and missions pastors, for example), church planting, chaplaincy, campus, relief work, and neighborhood and community development domains. These locales are increasingly multicultural in their contexts here and abroad. Like the Apostle Paul, such ministry outreach leaders are ambassadors for Christ and his church. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
Ambassadors are guests or even prisoners at times in other lands, just like Paul, who was often an ambassador in chains! (Ephesians 6:20). Even so, these ambassadors function as diplomats and as advocates for Christ and his kingdom wherever they go. They are concerned for building “vertical” bridges between God in Christ and the surrounding cultures as well as “horizontal” bridges between Christ’s church and the communities in which they serve.
The image of ambassadorship involves many associations. As noted already, ambassadors for Christ are diplomats and advocates. They must also be concerned for cultural literacy and the people of their host country. For example, those who are culturally literate in a given culture understand the underlying values, verbal and non-verbal forms of communication, cultural taboos and forms of civility, rites of passage, power dynamics, pecking orders, and how best to call for Christ-honoring confrontation, affirmation, and transformation. Paul was culturally literate in a variety of cultures, as reflected in the various accounts in the Book of Acts. His fundamental aim and relational flexibility are conveyed in his claim that he becomes all things to all people so as to be an effective bridge builder to reconciled life with Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
Further to the reference above, Paul speaks of ambassadorship in 2 Corinthians 5:20. As an ambassador, Paul had a ministry of reconciliation. Of course, he was committed to people being reconciled to God. Still, he was committed to reconciliation betweenpeoples, too—first and foremost through the church, including Jew and Gentile, male and female, and slave and free (Galatians 3:28). Given that we live in the 21st century, and not the first century when the church was in many contexts largely unknown, Christian ambassadors sometimes have reconciling work before them in righting wrongs that the church—whose people are called to be God’s “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9)—has committed in the past and present.
Ambassadors of countries are often ministers of good-will who seek to make and keep peace. Christ-honoring ambassadors serve Christ and the church by being truly diplomatic. They are truthful and noble in character; there is no hidden agenda as they engage transparently and graciously those to whom they seek to promote reconciliation and build lasting bridges for Christ’s sake.
Ambassadors are also advocates for justice. Christian ambassadors advocate on behalf of Christ’s kingdom values and policies in “other lands”—whether across the street, the other side of town, or across the globe, where there is an abuse of God’s standards and human rights.
Such ambassadors need to be culturally literate in terms of how to mediate conflict, as well as to understand how people of other cultures think, what they value, and how theyresolve conflict and build community. Effective ambassadors that are truly literate are sensitive to power dynamics and how to present themselves in an appropriate posture for the sake of sound, just, and peaceful relations. Paul was so culturally literate and alert to power dynamics that he recognized that the overwhelming power of the gospel was best communicated through his weaknesses, even to the point of ministering God’s amazing power while in chains. Such a display of power is so disarming, so winsome, so humble, and so anointed. Ambassadors for Christ will present themselves like Paul did. They will also be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, as James said (James 1:19).
It is important for effective ambassadorship that Christ’s nation, which Christ’s ambassadors are called to represent, is truly holy. Otherwise, it is very difficult to advocate on behalf of Christ’s values and policies in other lands here and abroad. So, Christ’s ambassadors must show concern for how the church—their country of origin—is responding to God’s love and living out Christ’s word. If Christ’s people are not just, it impacts negatively their witness to other peoples. Moreover, how people are treated in Christ’s holy nation in one way or another affects how people are treated elsewhere. As the saying goes, we live in a global village. Injustices toward women in the church impact how women are treated elsewhere. The same goes for people of diverse ethnicities outside the “dominant” culture, children in need, and the poor.
Our multicultural context in this global village extends beyond categories of ethnicity and the like to include the vast spectrum of religions and spiritual traditions co-existing locally, regionally, nationally and overseas. We need to learn how to deal with various forms of Buddhism and Islam, as well as other paths here and elsewhere in multi-faith societies, as Christian ambassadors concerned for effective diplomacy and advocacy for Christ’s sake. Truthful and gracious diplomacy will emphasize hospitableness, as we share meals and storied life with people. As one can see, ambassadorship as an image is wide-ranging and involves various components, especially in our multi-faith, multicultural context here and abroad.
Here is how we will likely frame the six classes for this D. Min. track:First class: Introductory Overview—an introduction and overview where the biblical, theological and cultural foundational values are put in place for effective ambassadorship toward a watching world.
Second class: Cultural Literacy—an analysis and development of themes related to key qualities of spiritual formation pertaining to Christian ambassadorship (vulnerability and humility as well as charity and discernment are required, among other qualities, for one who serves as a guest in “another land” here and abroad), skills in conflict resolution that account for structural as well as individual-relational dynamics, and hermeneutical sensitivities of appropriate suspicion regarding power dynamics and how to side strategically and redemptively with those who are oppressed in service to Christ’s kingdom values and policies. Effective ambassadors are aware of these various dynamics and seek to embody the appropriate qualities and necessary skill sets in service to their mission.
Third class: Unity—here the focus is on Christian unity. If we are not reconciled people within the local church context and within Christendom as a whole in our regions and beyond, we cannot serve as effective ambassadors to the watching world here and abroad. Here we will deal with such matters as race, class and gender unity in the body as well as ecumenical unity. Ambassadors can only serve effectively, if their own country’s or church’s house is in order. We must be Christ’s “holy nation” as the church.
Fourth class: Diplomacy—here the emphasis is on how we become effective diplomats in engaging various religious traditions beyond Christendom as well as civil authorities. As it pertains to engaging other religions, we need to develop global witness that is sensitive to matters of the common good. This will have a bearing on the church’s own engagement with the state. We will need to be sensitive as to how to be good evangelistic, missional witnesses who are viewed as hospitable and agents of shalom in “other lands” here and abroad.
Fifth class: Advocacy—here the aim is to attend to matters of justice and injustice, including such matters as the treatment of women and children, the poor, and others who are vulnerable. Hopefully, one can see a progression from the first class to this point. As we put in place the appropriate foundations, as we put our own house in order as the church, as we become culturally literate, as we are viewed as agents of shalom and the common good who speak prophetically on behalf of justice for the city and state in a global context, our work as ambassadors will make an increasing impact for good in service to Christ and his kingdom.
Sixth class: Capstone—here the emphasis will be on bringing all of the learning and skills acquired to bear on how it enhances the students/ministry leaders’ work in their own context here and abroad. Here all the members of the cohort will work together to sharpen one another and help one another on a collective ministry project or individual ministry projects that will bear on their lifetime calling to service in their particular vocations as ambassadors of Christ and his church, God’s kingdom community.
©2012, Paul Louis Metzger, Ph.D.
D. Min. Track Supervisor
Multnomah Biblical Seminary/Multnomah University
