Criteria and predictors of missionary cross-cultural competence in selected North American evangelical missions

Abstract

The purposes of this study on missionary competence were three-fold: first, to do an investigation of the correlation of missionaries' education and training for mission with self-perception and national/missionary-colleague perceptions of effectiveness in the multi-varied skills needed for intercultural adaptation, acculturation ("process in time" including culture and language-learning levels and socialization depth), and ministry (such as personal growth, ministry growth, spiritual dynamics, and contextualization of work); second, to identify predictors and criteria measures of cross-cultural ministry effectiveness, out of these developing a profile of missionary competence; and third, to explore definitions and current concepts of competence as they pertain to cross-cultural adjustment, acculturation, and ministry.

A sample of 120 missionaries who were in their Ist, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th terms (of 4-5 years each) in Brazil with six different evangelical missions (New Tribes Mission, Southern Baptists, UFM International, Christian Missions to Many Lands, Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, and the Christian and Missionary Alliance) filled out a questionnaire with 13 instruments which included 1) general background and education, 2) personal growth, 3) ministry skills growth, 4) FSI language proficiency, 5) acculturation, 6) capacity to contextualize ministry, 7) spiritual dimensions, 8) adjustment, 9) personal expectations, 10) personal satisfactions, 11) Hawes and Kealey's personal dimensions, 12) social involvement, and 13) an acculturative problem-solving scale. Corroboration of the data gathered on the 120 missionaries was through cross-check instruments filled out by missionary co-workers and national colleagues.

Statistical analysis procedures included item statistics, factor analysis, regression analysis, discriminant analysis, split-end profile analysis, and for reliability, T-tests and Inter-rater Reliability (IRR) measures. The theoretical hypotheses and sub-hypotheses of the study which appeared to be empirically verified postulated 1) that there is a significant Positive relationship between ministry effectiveness and the extent to which ministry knowledge and skills are contextualized, 2) that contextualization is affected by the extent to which the missionary identifies with the culture and the people (acculturation), 3) that missionaries who demonstrate higher levels of "spiritual dynamic" in their ministries are more competent in ministry, 4) that cross-cultural interaction skills are influenced by personality characteristics (traits), 5) that missionaries who are actively involved socially with the people are better acculturated and better able to contextualize their work, and 6) that cross-cultural ministry is sufficiently complex to make general predictors of crosscultural ministry competence also diverse, complex, and difficult to utilize.

The highest general correlates to missionary cross-cultural competence were found to be first, spiritual dynamics, second, personal characteristics, followed by involvement social with the people, and then, only incidently, prior education and training. A Profile of "the competent missionary" was developed out of the predictors and criteria of competence derived from the data. Based on predictors and criteria of competence derived from the data, a profile of "the competent missionary" was developed along with a brief discussion on the implications of competence-oriented training for missionary education.