Cultural resourcing for church communities
As SU Australia’s Cultural Innovations and First Nations team continues to walk alongside cultural congregations here in Australia, we have found that one of the biggest opportunities to support the local church is through resourcing.
The Vietnamese church communities, especially in Victoria, have been encouraged to see that practical resource materials are readily available for use in congregational settings, especially those developed for discipleship and evangelism.
Our Group Manager for Cross Cultural Innovations, Tim Fawssett, recently visited SU Vietnam and witnessed how the movement globally has been growing towards equipping young leaders to engage more fruitfully by using readily available resources within church settings. It also has provided new ways to envision how the diaspora will be able to effectively engage in the future, especially as the Vietnamese church community continues to grow here in Australia.
In Australia, Vietnamese communities are in the midst of exploring local mission engagement, without neglecting supporting the “homeland” mission.
Our Cultural Lead, Sarah Do, based in Melbourne, remarks that it has been an encouragement to see her home country of Vietnam developing locally made and contextually relevant resources to support church ministries in Vietnam, and is excited to see how these resources can be helpful for Vietnamese diaspora ministries in Australia as well.
Supporting growing cultural congregations here in Australia is one of the biggest needs that has become evident in connecting with churches across the country. It’s also a need that our Cultural Innovations and First Nations team is seeking to address in practical ways.
Beginning the conversation with our shared cultural understanding of the long-term needs of the church, we have also started to take steps towards identifying common ground, supporting local leaders, and finding ways to collaborate as we ‘spur on one another towards love and good deeds’, as did the believers in the early church (Hebrews 10:24).
The future of the global church looks promising indeed, and we are excited to share in its growth and potential, not only as a movement but also as local supporters of God’s greater mission as we discover life in His story, together.
About the author:
Joseph serves as part of the SU Australia’s Cultural Innovations and First Nations team. He loves sharing his heart for young people with those in his local community, and especially over a South Indian meal. In his spare time, he serves in his local church and writes of his travelling tales for a number of publications.