For the Everywhere to Everywhere series of our Missioning podcast , Geoff Maddock sat down with Widya and Simon to discuss the power of multicultural teams , their unique experience as local team members and the diverse future of mission .
Here is an abridged version of their rich conversation .
Geoff Maddock is our VIC / TAS State Leader , and Simon and Widya are preparing to serve with our team in South
East Asia .
Want to hear to the full conversation ?
Head to : www . baptist missionaustralia / Missioning
Geoff : Widya and Simon , great to meet you ! Can you tell me a bit about yourselves ?
Widya : Hi Geoff ! Simon and I were both born and raised in South East Asia . Separately , we came to Adelaide to study , and that ’ s where we met .
Simon : My background is in business and management , while Widya ’ s is in nursing education . We both grew up in Christian families and connected in with the Baptist Mission Australia team in South East Asia . Widya started working at the team ’ s Education Foundation and then after a period of discernment , we decided to join the team … which is what we are preparing for now .
Geoff : Being from South East Asia , how do you see your experience being different to your teammates ?
Simon : Our experience will be both easier and harder for us compared to our Aussie-born teammates . It will be easier in the sense that we do not need visas , which are a big hurdle for intercultural team members . Secondly , as locals we understand the language and culture , and so we can easily blend in .
Widya : Yes , we know the social rules , but this is one way that it will be harder for us . As locals , we have to follow the rules 100 %. Whereas our Aussie-born teammates are given the benefit of the doubt . The locals assume that foreigners don ’ t know any better and that all westerners are Christians anyway , so to a certain degree , foreigners can ‘ get away ’ with more than Simon and I can .
Geoff : Your team is quite multicultural , what do you see as the keys to working together across cultures ?
Simon : To harness the power of a multicultural team , Widya and I believe it is vital to have cultural intelligence and humility to navigate cultural boundaries . Without this , the differences in culture can become a weakness rather than a strength .
Widya : One strength that we ’ ve seen in a multicultural mission team is that we bring different perspectives when solving problems . Of course , any decision will take longer , but when it is done right , we ’ ve seen that our decisions are more complete .
Geoff : As you think about a future of mission where more diverse voices are embraced , what comes to mind ?
Simon : The question for us is , when people from different cultural and religious backgrounds share their unique understanding of God , are we ready to listen to their stories ? Are we open to learning from them ? Having the humility to admit that we don ’ t know everything about God is the start to harnessing the power of the polyvocal nature of polycentric mission .
Geoff : Let ’ s finish with a big one … What is the future of mission ?
Widya : In the future , we will see more multicultural teams where word and deed work side by side . We will see more ‘ disciples of Christ ’ rather than religious ‘ converts ’.
Simon : We will see more business as mission ministry platforms as an identity to share the Gospel . We will see more people building authentic relationships as the foundation of Gospel sharing .
Geoff : A future we can all get excited about ! Thank you Widya , thank you Simon .
RESONATE ISSUE 40 | PAGE 6