Minorities in Missions: When You’ve Never Fit in Anywhere

Leslie Lesher suzanne.pearson • Dec 18, 2019

¡Lea esta publicación en español aquí !

Recently, I was at a missions conference where I joined a seminar on Latina women in leadership. One of the participants, a first-generation American with Hispanic background made a comment that struck me.

She said, “ I feel called to go serve in Japan, but if I don’t fit in here in America where I was born because I’m a minority, how much harder will it be to fit in, in a different country?

As a missions coach , I have a list of different reasons why people choose not to go overseas: fear of the unknown, student debt, not being good at language learning, not wanting to leave family, etc.

This one was not in my repertoire.

So, I talked with some of our missionaries to hear about their experiences. I found out that being a minority in missions comes with a set of challenges — but it also comes with real advantages . Here’s what our missionaries had to say.

Facing Your Fears

“As an African-American, minority woman with a husband with European roots and three biracial children, I was fearful about how we would be accepted into a church planting team in Germany ,” says TEAM missionary Beth Chadwick

But in the midst of her fear, Beth thought of the Israelites. God continually encouraged them to remember what He had done for them and how He had provided . Likewise, Beth had to remember past times when she had this concern and how the Lord faithfully reassured her that “ God is writing my family’s story and I could trust His good hand and kind heart.

“There have been times when I and my children have not been treated well in the general public or in their schools because of our skin color, and those have been hard times and hard conversations to have. The truth is, injustice and prejudice exist throughout the entire world.” says Beth

Over time, Beth has learned to shift her perspective to realize that even in those hard times, God is at work. It’s taken a lot of prayers and tears for that perspective shift to happen. But she’s started noticing that when someone is rude to her or her kids, within that same day, God will send someone to do or say something unexpectedly kind. “Sweet reminders that He moves the heart of men and He is sovereign.”

Beth also suggests thinking back on your story and how God has used your status as a minority to tell His story. “Keep a journal so that you can remember when it gets hard,” Beth says.

Jorge Diaz, Hispanic missionary to South Asia says, “I had to learn to be secure in my identity. Knowing that I am loved by God and that God has a purpose for me has really helped.”

But, Jorge says, it will be a process of getting to know God, growing your identity in Him, dying to self and learning how to use the special gifts God has given you.

Growing up as a minority can trigger a lot of insecurities and fear, but remembering who God is and who we are in Him helps missionaries steadily overcome fears about going overseas as minorities.

Three friends stand and talk.

Going to the mission field can bring up insecurities for a lot of people, but even more so for people who have always been made to feel like outsiders.

Advantages of Minority Missionaries

Joe and Meli were born in Korea, moved to America when they were children, and now serve as missionaries in East Asia. They believe the experience of being a minority actually gives a tremendous edge when it comes to cross-cultural missions.

“A lot of the things that had to be taught to others, such as acuteness to cultural differences, are merely instincts for those of us who have assimilated from one culture into another,” Joe says

Jorge says growing up as a Latino in America taught him how to live in a state of not belonging. But growing up in two cultures also taught him to love all places, languages, foods and cultures.”

Jorge believes minorities are like third culture kids : “We really are not part of one culture, but we have learned to function in all of them.”

Growing up as minorities teaches missionaries how to interact well with different cultures from a young age. And it sometimes even allows them to grow up speaking two languages.

These skills carry on to the field, which allows for better assimilation of the new culture and faster learning.

Living Like Our Faith Ancestors

Ultimately, Meli says, “People who have been minorities have the first-hand experience of what it is like to live like our forefathers of faith lived, not only in theory but in real life.” She recalls Hebrews 11 , saying, “Our faith ancestors have lived their whole lives ‘admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth, … longing for a better country — a heavenly one.’ After all, all citizens of heaven are minorities on this earth.”

We have to remember that this world is not our home, and that God is sovereign over all, even our ethnicity. He created all of us uniquely and He will use all of who we are for His purposes.

¡Lea esta publicación en español aquí !

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
Share by: