What is Culture?
Published by Matt Glover September 26th, 2006 in Youth MinistryI’m heading off to the country again on Friday, but this time it’s to help run some training for the leaders of our country youth ministries. The guys and girls that commit nurturing the faith of young people in rural settings are quite amazing. They have to deal with a whole different range of issues to us city people and often do it in isolation.
I feel like a bit of a fraud going up there, because I know that I will learn far more from them than they will from me. Plus, this ‘hit and run’ approach to leader training never sits well with me anyway. Nevertheless, I’m going and hope to be of some help to somebody!
My topic will be ‘Youth Ministry and Culture.’ Basically I will be saying that the best people to decide the most appropriate approach to youth ministry in the country setting are those that are actually doing it. Taking an ‘off the shelf’ model will always means changing it to suit, so why not come up with something yoursef?
To do this, we will brainstorm what some of the characteristics of youth culture in the country are, dream about what ministry might look like in that culture, and then come up with a few things for the teams to work on over the next year or so.
I hope it’s worth the two hours some of them are driving to be there!
Anyway, my question for you is, what actually is culture? Without looking for a dictionary definition, what do you understand culture to be. Is it the language? The dress code? The wealth? Something else or a combination of all?
Leave your thoughts in the comments section and I’ll rip them off for my training session!
Matt: I just found your personal blog. Cool! I also admire people ministering in the rural areas. I’m in/near a large city in Canada, but I began my ministry in a few rural settings, and they are some of the most memorable experiences of my life, nevermind my ministry. I’ve always appreciated the advice to be yourself, because that is the “you” that God ministers through, not some fabricated ideological “you” that you want to be or imagine yourself to be. My dictionary says culture is, among other things, the beliefs, customs, and social dynamics of a particular group. The balance is, I suppose, being recognizable as a member of the culture, therefore a valid spokesperson, while at the same time maintaining a prophetic/missional stance over and against it, but compassionately for it at the same time. I guess the danger for all of us is “going native” and losing our identity as “citizens of heaven”. Just a thought. thus spoke churchpundit!
to me, culture defines your definition of normality. It gets interesting when you switch them, that’s all. (”what!? you mean it’s not normal to greet visitors at the front of the church?”)
have fun on the conference- should be good. Let us know how it goes!
Culture to me is the lens through which we view the world.
Thanks for these.
One interesting thing that I’ve found in my reading is that most people define culture as being something that is passed from one generation to the next. Given that our families are so fractured now, both by divorce and distance, not a whole lot is passed on effectively. Perhaps this is why we find it so hard to define Western culture…?