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CHALLENGES OF DEVELOPING A CROSS-CULTURAL CHURCH CLOVERLEAF, TEXAS A THESIS-PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY ESTHER F. OSBORN MAY 2018 Copyright © 2018 by Esther F. Osborn. All Rights Reserved. This thesis is dedicated to the Church of God of Prophecy leadership and the emerging leaders they mentor. Go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News to everyone. ― Mark 16:15 CONTENTS ABSTRACT ix 1. CHAPTER ONE: PROBLEM AND SETTING 1 A HOMOGENEOUS CHURCH IN A MULTI-CULTURAL SOCIETY 1 Introduction 1 Not an Isolated Problem 1 Spiritual Formation of a Homogeneous Church 2 Beginning the Uncharted Journey 7 SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES IN THE CLOVERLEAF COMMUNITY 9 Rapid Cultural Change 9 Densely Populated 10 Crime in the Community 10 Property Protection - Police Involvement 11 Housing - Homeless and Hopeless 13 SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES WITHIN THE CHURCH 14 Creating a Welcoming Environment 14 Cultural Beliefs that Influences the Church 16 Summary 18 2. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 20 FACING PRESENT REALITY WITH RESPECT FOR THE PAST 20 Introduction 20 Feeling the Effects of Structural Change 21 PENTECOSTAL SPIRITUALITY 24 v Discerning the Pentecostal Spirituality of Cloverleaf 24 Ancestral Influences That Impact Spirituality 26 Pre-Hispanic Filipino Religion in the Philippines 27 Pentecostal Spirituality in South Korea 28 ENGAGING WITH THE CULTURE 30 The Challenges of Systemic Change 31 Sending Missionaries into the Community 33 THINKING GLOBALLY BEYOND THE "BOX” 35 A Calling within a Calling 36 Making Disciples - Mentoring Leaders 37 Globalization Has Come to Cloverleaf 38 Summary 38 3. CHAPTER THREE: BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION 40 THE GOSPEL FOR ALL NATIONS 40 Introduction 40 Qualifying Factor - "Holy Spirit" 41 SPIRITUAL WITNESSES OF THE GOSPEL 42 PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN MINISTRY 45 SEEK THE PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF THE CITY 46 Seek the Peace of Cloverleaf 48 The "Good News of Spiritual Peace" 49 A Call for Justice 52 Standing in the Gap 53 vi CONNECTING IN THE KINGDOM - THINK GLOBALLY 55 A Homogeneous Church in Transition 55 Spiritual Discernment - True or False 55 True Pentecostal Spirituality 57 Cultural Barriers Destroyed Through Christ 59 4. CHAPTER FOUR: PROJECT DESIGN 62 DEVELOPING A CROSS-CULTURAL CHURCH IN CLOVERLEAF 62 Introduction and Purpose 62 Rationale 63 RESEARCH METHOD OVERVIEW 64 DATA COLLECTION METHODS 64 Method #1 - Documents Information 65 Connect with the City to Accept the Challenge 67 Method #2 - Observation 68 Educational Needs 70 Cleaning up Cloverleaf 72 Good Deeds Carry "Danger Ahead" Signs 74 Food for Hungry Stomachs Instead of Landfills 75 Method #3 - Focus Groups 77 DEVELOPING “CHRIST-CENTERED” STRATEGIES 80 SUMMARY 81 5. CHAPTER FIVE: OUTCOMES AND CONCLUSIONS 82 RESEARCH SUMMARY 82 vii Objective 82 Contributing Factors 83 A Paradigm Shift 85 Spiritual Discernment 86 Methods – Documents, Observation, Focus Groups 87 Interrelated Ministries 88 RESULTS OF FINDINGS 90 Not an Isolated Problem 90 Training Workers 91 Connecting to the Community 91 CONCLUSION 93 RECOMMENDATION 93 BIBLIOGRAPHY 94 VITA 98 viii ABSTRACT Challenges of Developing a Cross-Cultural Church - Cloverleaf, Texas is a thesis-project written for the Doctor of Ministry degree at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. This written work addresses the challenges of revitalizing one local church functioning within the infrastructure of an international organization. Some of the problems encountered in this case were traced back to historical events that had ministerial praxis impact in other places where the Church of God of Prophecy has presence. A paradigm shift in exclusivity ecclesiology determined the path from closure to engaging with the community, and being an expression of Christ. The focus shifted from maintaining the status quo in a survival mode towards partnering with other like- minded organizations for the benefit of the citizens. Within my sphere of ministry, there are other local congregations facing similar conditions presented here. Hopefully, the qualitative data gathered for this study will benefit the emerging leaders who accept the responsibility of revitalization. The challenges could not be met alone, God's kingdom goes beyond the institution. Practical ministry crosses every cultural barrier to the "Good News", and the "Cross of Christ" gives life to all peoples, in every nation. ix CHAPTER ONE: PROBLEM AND SETTING A HOMOGENEOUS CHURCH IN A MULTI-CULTURAL SOCIETY Introduction A Pentecostal church established in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area was faced with possible closure after more than seventy-five years of Christian ministry. The Cloverleaf Church of God of Prophecy, hereafter noted as COGOP, had historically earned a reputation within its governing infrastructure for being a good place for pastoral appointment, and an effective Christian service within the community. However, a slow decline in ministry effectiveness and attendance gradually led towards a critical point of disbanding the local congregation. Being geographically located in a high-crime area threatened the loss of property, so an option to sell was under consideration. By the time my assistance was requested in December 2011, other religious groups were already inquiring about the facilities. A handful of members remained without qualified pastoral leadership, nor sufficient financial support for maintaining the property, so the situation challenged the very existence of the local church. Not an Isolated Problem Cloverleaf, was my third pastoral appointment in Texas, the first being in Kingsville (1986), and the second in Bacliff (1997). At the times of appointment, each of these local congregations was struggling to survive. The similarities in their ecclesiastical ethos are worthy of note: Elderly members faithfully maintained the facilities with minimal resources; they shared the same ecclesiastical background with its societal 1