Reading Your Context Great Commission Initiative

Reading Your ContextGreat Commission Initiative

To read and know your context means to understand current reality. To do this, you must account for the past. Once done, you can begin to imagine the future.

What’s a People Group?

“An ethno-linguistic group with a common self identity that is shared by the various members.” -Dr. Orville Boyd Jenkins

Factors for identifying a people group: Language Ethnicity Common self-name Sense of common identity Common history Customs Family and clan identities

Worldview

Determine Your “Context”

What area can you effectively minister to?

What is your theological area of responsibility?

What people do you already know? What can you realistically research

with excellence?

Tools

Current reality can be understood through a variety of means:StatisticsStoriesPicturesExperiences

AWAREA– analyze W– watch A– ask & listenR– read E– experience

What do you know already?

Good research is done without bias, which means at every stage of the process we must always check our assumptions.

To check your assumptions, start at the beginning…

Current Reality -- Harris County

Growth Population shift

U.S. Census Figures—Harris County

1960 1970 1980 1990 20000

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

8073.9

69.2

62.6

54.2

42.1

19.8 20.1 19.6 19.2 18.2

69.9

15.3

22.8

32.9

0.3 0.8 2.14.1

6.5

Anglos

Blacks

Hispanics

Asians/Others

U.S. Census Figures—Texas (Counties by Race) 2006 American Community Survey Estimates

Bexar-2006

Dallas-2006

Tarrant-2006

Harris-2006

TX-20060

20

40

60

80

100

33.6 37.2

57.2

37.849.4

7.1

20.7

13.7

18.611.6

57.237.7

24.838.2 35.7

2.1 4.4 4.3 5.4 3.3

Asians/OthersHispanicsBlacksAnglos

Current Reality

Growth Population shift Diversity

ImmigrationLanguageCultureReligionWorldview

Houston is…

the 4th largest city in the nation

home to 305-345 people groups among 139 nationalities

home to 209 spoken languages

home to the most numerical growth from 2006-07 and second

most since 2000

Harris County is…

home to 41% of people who don’t speak English at home

home to 956,000 foreign born (200,000 have been added since 2000)

home to 25% of Texas’s international population

Los Angeles New York

ChicagoSan Francisco

What is your current reality?

Who are your people groups?

A worldview can seem to be a confusing mix of factors…

EPG

Race

Geographic Origin

Language

Ancestry

Culture

Religion

EPG

An EPG is found at an intersection of worldview influences

Race

Geographic Origin

Language

Ancestry

Culture

Religion

Where to start…The US Census

NationalityRace

Asian Hispanic Native American

Foreign Born Language Ancestry

Potential Issues

(Vietnam vs. China)(Cuba vs. Mexico)

(Korean vs. Spanish)

(German vs. Vietnamese)

US Census (www.census.gov)

Statistical Sources

Online sources and professional reportsUBA Research Links (see next slide)People Groups.infowww.city-data.com Refugee resettlement agenciesChambers of commerce, schools,

realtors, etc.

www.ubahouston.org

http://imb.org/globalresearch/downloads.asp

Stories & People

Personal InterviewsListen to the storiesLook for anecdotal “nuggets”Ask simple, open ended questions

“What’s the best thing about this community?” (and conversely…)

Surveys / Formal instruments Community websites / Blogs

Pictures

Experiences

Windshield surveysAnthropological observation

Products

Worldview “Profile” Lists Spreadsheets & databases Maps

Non-Christian religious institutionsSpiritual/ psychographicCommunity markers (schools,

churches, police, fire, etc.)**Map locations with GPS coordinates**

Census Demographics

Ethnographics

51,737 Asian Indian (Single race)1.1% of PopulationFor all census tracts on map

Fort Bend BrazoriaGalveston

Waller

Montgomery

Liberty

63,723 Vietnamese (Single race)1.4% of PopulationFor all census tracts on map

Fort Bend BrazoriaGalveston

Waller

Montgomery

Liberty

1,335,500 Hispanics29% of PopulationFor all census tracts on map

Fort Bend BrazoriaGalveston

Waller

Montgomery

Liberty

State of the Church in Houston

75,000+ Asian Indians … 1 40,000+ Filipino … 5 70,000+ Vietnamese … 6 60,000+ Chinese … 10 25,000+ Koreans … 13

UBA Churches

Reporting- Who Do You Trust?

Identify trustworthy sources online Network with trustworthy sources in

the community People of influence (leverage): leaders Other organizations/ partners

Only gather what you cannot trust to others (don’t reinvent the wheel)

Publish and disseminate only to trusted people

1. Security is key– for them and for you.

In today’s environment, no one is really excited about answering questions concerning their ethnicity, immigration status, etc. The best way to assuage concerns is to build relationships. If that is not possible, be patient. Learn a little at a time. Become familiar to them. Look for ways to build bridges.

Things to Remember…

2. Research is not the goal. Don’t gather more than you need.

You probably don’t need to know the location of every Pakistani store owner in your area of study. If you don’t gather it, you don’t have to worry about it being leaked or hacked from your computer. For every person that intends to do something good with information you provide, someone intends to do something harmful with it.

3. Be aware of your language and appearance.

Your initial research should cover the communicative customs of your intended people group. Know when it is appropriate to shake hands, cross your legs, etc. Also be wary of using the word “profile,”- these are highly sensitive times in regards to that word.

4. Be wary of too many handoffs.

Suspicion can be raised among people groups if one individual establishes contact, several others conduct interviews, and yet others follow up on those interviews. Interview enough people within a group that an accurate assessment of the group can be gathered, but use the same interviewer for all interviews if possible. Relationships are key to people group research at all levels.

5. Be patient.

Not all cultures share our Western/American view of time. An interview or meeting scheduled for 3pm might not start until 5pm, and only the American would be offended. That being said, the American must still hold themselves to ideal social standards; i.e. don’t be late, even if you know they will be.

6. Understand relationships that exist between people groups.

From the outset, some groups will be able to worship/interact/socialize with other groups, and some will not. Don’t try to broker the peace before God leads and enables.

7. Be loving and be teachable.

Showing interest out of the genuine love of Christ is the only way to reach unreached peoples. Remember that not everyone is ready for the gospel presentation, and indeed witnessing to one person too early can alienate the entire group. Anything they choose to share with you is a show of trust; building on that trust is the way to spread Christ throughout their people group.

Josh EllisUnion Baptist Association

2916 West T.C. Jester, Suite 200Houston, TX 77018

joshellis@ubahouston.org713-957-2000