Gospel Communication Project
Gospel Communication Project Instructions
The Gospel Communication Project allows students to apply the principles of Cultural Intelligence to a specific cross-cultural evangelistic encounter. In this 3-part project, students will research cultural elements which will affect a person’s understanding of the gospel message, create a strategy for communicating effectively with a person from a specific culture, and present the story of God through video.
Part 1: Cultural Profile (Module/ Week 3)
This paper will be the first section of an ongoing gospel communication project in this course. For this paper, you should choose someone you know who is from a significantly different culture than your own (look for differences in things like country/region of origin, ethnicity, language, religion, time orientation, etc.). You will write a formal academic paper about the cultural elements of this person. This paper will prepare you to share God’s story with them in an effective way for their culture and worldview. While there is no specific word count or page count for this project, significant effort should be made to thoroughly explore each of the topics below. Most students find that 8–10 pages is sufficient to meet the minimum requirement. Your paper should be neatly formatted and organized, and it should include a cover page, page numbers, footnote citations, proper headings and subheadings, and a bibliography. It should be double spaced and in Times New Roman, 12- pt. font.
Part 1, Section 1: Cultural Background
In this section, you should introduce the person you have chosen to receive the Gospel message. Answer the following questions in a paragraph or two. (Questions in parenthesis are suggestions to help guide you as you describe the person.)
• Give details about their identity (What is their age? Ethnicity? Where are they from? What religion do they follow? What language they speak? Where do they live now? What do they do for school/work, etc.?).
• Provide information on your relationship with the person. (How do you know them? What are your interactions with them? Are they a coworker or neighbor? Do you see them on a regular basis or just periodically?)
• Discuss how their current circumstances affect their cultural practices. (If their family is from a foreign country, but they have grown up most of their life in America, how does that affect their worldview? Do they adhere to all the traditional cultural practices on their parents?)
• Discuss their interest in issues of faith? (Is this person open to hearing the story of God?)
**If you do not know someone from another culture, you may use a fictitious character and make up the cultural background information. The rest of your paper must follow the themes set by this section.
Part 1, Section 2: Cultural Systems
In this section, you should choose at least 4 of the 6 cultural systems from Chapter 4 of Leading with Cultural Intelligence. Discuss each cultural system and identify which ones apply most directly to the culture of your friend. How does that cultural system affect your friend’s way of life, interactions, aspirations, and openness to issues of faith? Aside from interviewing your friend, you should include research from at least 1 outside source to support your arguments.
Part 1, Section 3: Cultural Value Orientations
In this section, discuss at least 7 of the 10 cultural value orientations. Which cultural values are strong in your friend and their culture? How do each of these cultural values affect your friend’s worldview and actions? Use at least 1 outside resource other than interviewing your friend to support your assessment of the culture.
