A Brief Review

Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples of all

the people of the world while they journey through life (cf.

Matthew 28:19-20). The Scriptures are replete with examples

of carriers of the message of God crossing cultural dividers in

order to express the good news. History is replete with

examples of carriers of the message of God inadvertently

sending the wrong signals through well-meaning, but

unevaluated, methodologies. Writing from the perspective of one who has and continues to

struggle with the blessing and burden of serving cross-culturally, Elmer understands the hidden

issues in the hearts of most Westerners as they approach and enter into other cultures. By

bringing these issues into the light of God’s grace and human understanding, Elmer seeks to

illuminate his readers in the perils associated with ministering cross-culturally.

This book review, then, offers an evaluation of his success in presenting not only the

issues but also potential solutions, which results in the spread of the Gospel and expansion of the

Kingdom of God through “every nation, tribe, people and language”.1 Specifically, this review

is divided into three sections: an explanation of Elmer’s thesis and development of that thesis, a

critical evaluation of this thesis and development. Closing this review is a section on application

in this writer’s ministry context.

Thesis and Development

The first issue Elmer addressed is the need for this kind of writing. He listed common

ideas that mask superiority:

1 Revelation 7:9. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the New International Version (2011).

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1. I need to correct their error (meaning I have superior knowledge, corner on truth).

2. My education has equipped me to know what is best for you (so let me do most of the talking while you do most of the listening and changing).

3. I am here to help you (so do as I say).4. I can be your spiritual mentor (so I am your role model).5. Let me disciple you, equip you, train you (often perceived as “let me make

you into a clone of myself”).2

This writer had to admit: guilt has settled through thinking, saying, and acting with these

superior attitudes masked as noble efforts to “help”. Elmer uses his own experience in

establishing the need for his thesis: an examination in “the process of becoming a cross-cultural

servant”.3

The very first issue with which one must wrestle is the desire to imitate Christ. Coming

as a servant, Jesus chose to don the towel and serve the disciples by washing their feet (cf. John

13:1-17). This act was the most obvious of Jesus’ desire to serve, nonetheless, everything He did

was in service to those who could not help themselves. Yet, in His desire to serve, He did not

have a spirit of superiority, but “rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a

servant”.4 Consequently, anyone wishing to imitate Christ must suppress their desire to be

regarded, revered, or respected (cf. Matthew 16:24-25). This need is even greater in cross-

cultural ministry. Carrying one’s cross for Christ is the definition of humility and “humility is a

mandated attitude for all believers everywhere”.5 According to Elmer, humility expressed in the

life of Christ’s followers, is the foundation for the process of cross-cultural servanthood. Filling

the majority of the pages in Cross-Cultural Servanthood, the author develops his process of

2 Duane Elmer, Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 17.

3 Ibid, 19.

4 Philippians 2:7.

5 Elmer, 33.

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creating cross-cultural servants through six critical steps: openness, acceptance, trust, learning,

understanding, and serving.

Following the development of the six critical steps, the author proceeds into his final

section. Beginning with the subject of leadership, Elmer reminds his readers, “the Bible speaks

much more about being a servant than it does about leadership”.6 Using this and other basic

premises of Scripture, the author defines a leader’s responsibility before Christ and before those

whom he or she serves. In a challenging statement Elmer writes, “I am deeply disturbed by

leaders who isolate themselves in their study for most of the week, spending little time being

with people, and then deliver exegetically correct and rhetorically powerful sermons that are

irrelevant to the person in the pew.”7

Elmer continues his development of leadership through eyes of Scripture through an

examination of servanthood and power. He concludes with the struggle of walking through the

fog of uncertainty while attempting to serve in a Christlike manner. His final chapter is a case

study in the life of Joseph and how he practiced the six critical steps of openness, acceptance,

trust, learning, understanding, and serving while having to balance leadership, power, and living,

at times, in the fog of life.

Having established the thesis and basic development Elmer’s concepts, attention turns to

an evaluation of these principles.

Evaluation

Elmer speaks as someone trying to change the direction of a mighty river. While he

certainly cautions against proceeding in integration without a proper Christ-centered framework,

6 Ibid, 156.

7 Ibid, 164.

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if that framework is in place, this book becomes an extremely practical pedagological text in

becoming a servant to other cultures.

The six steps to becoming a cross-cultural servant are treated with a great amount of

detail. Elmer leaves no doubt to his meaning of each of these terms. Never departing his goal of

helping his readers become the servants Christ modeled, the author is quick to remind his

readership of the goal of spreading the Gospel using methods that make it applicable to the

receiving culture. Elmer stresses, for example, “serving people is not just doing what seems

good in our culture but seeking out the knowledge of the people, learning from them, knowing

their cultural values and then acting in ways that support the fabric of the culture to the degree

possible”.8

Space does not permit a critique of every issue Elmer presented; however, he approaches

issues such as ethnocentrism with the direct, piercing approach needed to make the reader

evaluate their own perspectives on others. After all, even Jesus “did not come to be served, but

to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”.9 Even the leaders in Christ’s church share in

the responsibility to live a life of servanthood in order to imitate Christ before the world.10

The issue continually encroaching to the forefront of this reviewer’s mind, is the issue of

cross-cultural servanthood within the confines of one’s own geographic area, in this writer’s

case: the Western United States. There are very few places in this country where there are not

multiple cultures represented all around its citizens. Even generalizations like “people from the

Western civilizations” are misnomers as they imply the West is homogeneous. Although Elmer

8 Ibid, 114.

9 Mark 10:45.

10 Elmer, 161.

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does not say it is, his thrust is from the perspective of international missions and one does not

need to look internationally to find other cultures.

Furthermore, one might draw the assumption that these principles are only applicable in

international settings. This would, of course, allow Westerners (geographically speaking) to

remove the responsibility of reaching across cultures unless they find themselves in international

settings. In a time when the world has grown smaller due to the availability of transportation and

the Internet, “the world” is all around every “Westerner”.

That being stated, the methods and challenges presented in Cross-Cultural Servanthood

would serve anyone from the geographic West in serving anyone from any other geographic

region. Moving from the evaluation of these principles, there are incredible opportunities for

application of Elmer’s process.

Application

As stated in the introduction, Elmer writes what he knows. Apparent at a casual glance,

this is a pathway he has spent a lifetime walking. Upon further interaction, the insights recorded

in Cross-Cultural Servanthood would serve anyone in an incalculable way if properly applied to

one’s life in Christ.

This reviewer finds himself on the West Coast. In Modesto, California, there are plenty

of cultures represented. The indigenous culture represents one very similar to parts of the

country where cattle are raised for food or dairy products. There are also people from San

Francisco who moved to Modesto to escape the incredibly high cost of living with the trade-off

of long commutes. There is also a large Hispanic population of recent immigrants, some legal

and some not. Even the differences in legal standing separate the culture within itself with

different values and dreams. In addition, Modesto is home to a Pacific Island population of

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native Hawaiians. Further completing the cultural mix are Native Americans from the southwest

United States. Clearly, Modesto, California has a mix of cultures and ministry to this diverse

people often proves difficult.

The need for openness to the different cultural expressions is critically important. The

old expression serves as a great reminder, “no one cares how much you know until they know

how much you care”. The willingness to value these expressions of culture tells these different

people that the Gospel does not demand them to become “white, middle-class Americans”.

This openness is complemented by acceptance. It is not enough to merely express a

verbal openness; it must be accompanied by a true willingness to allow the people of different

cultures into one’s space and life. This is accomplished by tailoring events and terminology

which lend themselves more to their home culture. The indigenous “cow town” people have

grown to love fish tacos. Strange as it might sound, this is a blending between Hispanic and

Pacific Islander cultures. Acceptance is sometimes built, it seems, through cuisine.

Trust takes a long time to learn and is still being developed in this area. Even through the

churches, it often proves difficult to not automatically expect these people of these cultures to

immediately adapt and become “like us”. The pull of one’s home culture is very strong and as

Elmer constantly reminds the readers, the service is based on the ones receiving the service not

giving it.

Since trust is slow in coming, learning is happening at a very slow rate. It is not as if

there is tension between the cultures, there is simply, usually, nothing. There is no

communication, no outreach, and very little cross-cultural expressions. As trust is continually

built, learning will become easier.

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Understanding, based on learning and trust, is expressed in pockets of the city but not

widespread and not expressed in the churches, yet. Understanding, learning, and trust are most

readily apparent in those who have grown up in this mix. With the younger generations, there is

more of an ability to see through the eyes of the other culture.

Serving has been an interesting exercise in futility at the church at which this writer

serves. In an effort to reach out to the Hispanic community (which represents the second largest

psychographic in the entire state and in Modesto), attempts have been made to provide venues

with a music style more to the taste of this community. It was intended to be an effort to serve

them. The result has been abysmal failure. It is Elmer’s book that provided why it was a failure:

the church served based on its own culture and not theirs. The Hispanic culture, for instance, is

very family-centric. This writer has been welcome wonderfully by dear friends from this culture

as a family member. Since they value family first, ancillary issues like music are not a priority

until the family aspect is addressed. Again, serving is based on the culture receiving it and not

the one giving it.

Final Thoughts

Elmer’s book, Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility, has

opened the eyes of this writer to many arrogant and sinful presuppositions. Furthermore, it has

challenged the “conventional wisdom” of short-term and long-term mission endeavors. Through

the extension of application, it has also provided a framework to serve the rainbow of culture all

around everyone living in the United States. The challenge of this book is an expression of the

words of the Master: “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have

commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”.11

11 Matthew 28:19-20.

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BibliographyElmer, Duane. Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility. Downers

Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006.