What Makes an International Church
Knowing we will soon set out to communicate the power and impact of International Church ministry to our current and future partners in American churches, it seemed important to process and articulate the variety of things that make international church ministry, and ministry in IES in particular, unique and impactful. This is particularly important for communicating where some may have never lived outside of their cultural context or even their immediate community. Around the time I finished my frist draft of ideas for this series of short articles I was made aware of an article in the MICN website, by Andrew Lupton, entitled Who Attends International Churches.
MICN is Mission International Church Network, an association of International churches that have developed out of a passion to see these IC's, as we call them, flourish wherever they may be planted. I share this here, right off the top, so that you know we're not the only ones thinking about this. In fact Internationl Churches have a long history and are having expanding impact in most major global cities and many second and third cities as well. IC's are a growing global phenomena and a powerful context for ministry impact.
My IC experience started when our family moved to Tehran in 1978. We started attending the Tehran International Assembly as soon as we arrived and were quickly absorbed into the community. Though we were there only 10 months, before the upheaval of revolution, the church community and impact of it's ministry have continued through out my life.
Subsequently my wife and I have been part of international churches in Indonesia and the Philippines, both as attenders and ministers. We pastored a church in the US for 13 years. The church, Whatcom New Life Assembly in Ferndale, Washington became a very multi-cultural, if not international church, even though it is located in a relatively homogenious community. I feel this array of experience gives me a perspective on what makes the IC ministry quite important, unique and even a model for healthy churches.
An IC is not your average church. Some are small, our church in Baguio City Philippines, at Camp John Hay, rarely had attendance over 60 in the time I attended. Some are large, with several having multiple thousands in more than one campus. In those IC's that thrive with health and long term impact, be they large or small, there are some common threads.
Typically a thriving IC is marked by diversity in many forms. This is evident in the range of ethnicity represented in the congregation. Most thriving IC's will grow to be very multi-national in nature, even if they start out with just one culture group. When you bring people from many countries together there is a diversity that requires intentionality for unity and growth. Different cultures in the church bring difference of expectations, religious experience and expression.
How all this diversity comes together is what makes IC's unique. This uniqueness has a great power to impact all involved. In an international church, we see and begin to value different approaches as we value the community we worship with. Things we may have looked ascance at or never considered in a more homogenious setting are now viewed up close. Properly handled, an IC becomes a place where all participants will assess where their culture ends and faith begins.
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This openness to accept differences begets an openness to growth. I have always seen spiritual growth happen at a much faster pace in IC's than in churches with homogenous congregations. People come for the fellowship but are touched by God because they are open to the changes He is initiating in their lives. We've seen more than one individual who claimed to be Christian come to faith in Christ in the our IC's.
Elements That Make IC Ministry Impactful in Missions
The articles that follow are a look at different aspects of IC life, particularly as we live it here at IES Jakarta but are representative of the unique and impactful nature of IC's in a general sense.
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IC's are for foreigners too.
IES is proud to be a church for all nations and ethnicities with representatives from all the continents.
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IC's Develop Ministers and Ministries.
IES is always in ministry development mode, new people are continually raised up and those who are raised up are often sent off to other great ministry endeavors.
IC's Reach Neglected and Unreached People
When we think of the unreached we often think of distant people in small villages, but IC's in cities have a tremendous capacity to reach and develop believers who are from neglected or uncreached people groups.
IC's Connect With Compassion Ministries
Where IC's are surrounded by great need they becomes a great tool to impact comunities through compassion ministries.
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Great Opportunity To Share Faith
The variety of cultures and ethnicities in IES and other IC's give us a great opportunity to share faith, because we're so obvioulsly different.
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A Church For All Ages.
As with most IC's, IES is intentionally a Church for all ages where all are recognized as the Church.
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IC's Are Local Churches That Share Resources With Local Churches
IC's are an asset to the Church of their nation. Through connections, experience, education, resources and a desire to see God's Kingdom grow, international churches and their people desire to partner in ministry.
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IC's Gathering All Kinds of People
IES like other ICs is a church made up of hundreds of different kinds of people from different places, backgrounds, traditions and expereinces.