A Summary...

A book I read today and wrote a summary of...

In reading Cross-Cultural Connections by Duane H. Elmer, I found a well-written, concise, and spiritually moving work of art. Elmer, who is a professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has taught cross-cultural training in over seventy countries, discusses what to expect when going into a new culture, whether it is across the street ministering to a new neighbor or across the globe. He also provides wisdom that is beneficial once at your destination for effectively ministering and, finally, how to re-adjust upon arriving home. Three insights Elmer shares that successfully sum up his message are: (1) “It doesn’t matter where [you serve] as long as you use your gifts (p. 18), (2) “…to accept others is to love them” (p. 97), and (3), “…to realize that the people you’re coming home to have not had the experiences you have...therefore instead of thinking that they have changed and get frustrated because of it, realize that you have changed and are the better for it” (pp. 193-4, 201). This book prepares you to have an incredible journey; get ready to change the world by cross-cultural connections!


Elmer, Duane. Cross-Cultural Connections. Downer's Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002.