Orientation to Cross-Cultural Ministry booklet
The primary focus of this booklet is on how the LCANZ is engaging recent new arrivals from non-European cultures
Cross-Cultural Events
Cross-Cultural Ministry Conference 2023
More than 50 people attended the
Cross-Cultural Ministry Conference, 'Moving into the neighbourhood', on
5 to 6 May 2023. Click here for more information about the conference.
Cross-Cultural Ministry is one of five ministries of Local Mission. Partnering with us in mission are:
Cross-Cultural Ministry
Introducing Heart Talk
A handbook of greetings
Greeting a newcomer to Australia or New Zealand in their first or ‘heart’ language is a wonderful way to make them feel respected and valued. If you would like to welcome a stranger with a friendly phrase in their language and begin to build friendships with people of other cultures, Heart Talk can help. This new 90-page booklet from LCA Cross-Cultural Ministry features greetings in more than 40 languages, along with tips on how to use them, plus helpful information about the countries behind the languages. To obtain your copy, email Craig Heidenreich. The books will be posted out free of charge, but donations towards costs are appreciated.
In recent decades we have seen a significant shift in the ethnic mix of our society, and we now have a new mission field right in our own backyard.
Cross-Cultural Ministry has teamed up with Australian Lutheran College to offer an online training course to help you engage with people of different cultures.
Geared for individuals or groups, the course intentionally addresses the ‘how to’ questions of cross-cultural ministry in order to boost your confidence to start conversations.
The seven training topics can be completed in about 20 hours and cover subjects such as:
- Our biblical mandate to reach out to the nations
- Who are these ethnic newcomers and how do they tick?
- How can we respond as individuals to make new friends?
- Ways to be a congregation that welcomes people from many backgrounds.
We commend this course to you.
For enrolment details and training support, please contact Craig Heidenreich at crosscultural@lca.org.au
Cross-Cultural Ministry fosters congregational engagement with our multicultural society. If you are planning an event or program to reach out, we have small grants available to help cover costs. The Cross-Cultural Ministry Grant Booklet provides details of grant assessment criteria as well as reporting requirements.
About us
Cross-Cultural Ministry exists to nurture an inclusive missional culture throughout the LCANZ and boost the confidence of members to reach out to those of other cultural backgrounds. Our aim is to see new and existing cross-cultural communities developed, strengthened, and integrated into the life of the church.
We support Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) districts in ministering to and with new arrivals in Australia and New Zealand, and we encourage the celebration of cultural expressions of the one faith and the development of culturally intelligent mission-oriented leadership.
What we do
We assist churches to minister across cultures. We work with church leaders and pastors to build cross-cultural understanding. We provide training and mentoring for multicultural communities. In doing so, we aim to further the growth and development of cross-cultural mission and ministry. We also provide cross-cultural grants to congregations that require financial support to begin local cross-cultural ministry.
Why we do it
We are motivated by Deuteronomy 10:17–19 (MSG): ‘God, your God, is the God of all gods … He makes sure orphans and widows are treated fairly, takes loving care of foreigners by seeing that they get food and clothing. You must treat foreigners with the same loving care – remember, you were once foreigners in Egypt’.
Jesus’ command that we go into the world shapes our priorities, and so we ‘go as God’s people’. It is simply about mission, building relationships and seeing all people come to faith in Jesus. We do this because we have been called by the church to ‘support the development and growth of new mission fields which God has already opened to us’ (LCA Strategic Priority 2.5).
We also aim to develop culturally intelligent mission-oriented leadership.
How we do it
We provide encouragement and funding to assist congregations to develop self-sustaining cross-cultural ministries. We walk with cross-cultural communities and church leaders to develop their ministry in our multicultural society.
Cross-Cultural eNews
Community Refugee Sponsorship Program
If you have a concern for refugees and would like to be more directly involved, you might be interested in this new program that the Australian Government is currently trialling, the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP). Essentially CRISP is designed around the idea that a small group of ‘normal people’ can band together and care for a family for the first year.
Publications in other languages
For Luther’s Small Catechism and other publications in a variety of languages, go to the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.
If you would like to support the work of Cross-Cultural Ministry then you might consider a donation. You can donate online by clicking on the donate here button.
