Be intentional.
If you’re not, you won’t see the people around you and relationships won’t happen.
Be a learner.
Let people teach you about their culture.
Expect to make mistakes.
They know you will make mistakes, so give yourself grace in that area. It’s great to acknowledge that and humbly ask them for patience as you learn.
Work the bridges of God.
He already has social networks in place to help bring people to Himself. Make new friends, then meet their friends and family.
Prioritize along receptivity lines.
Don’t withhold the gospel from people who are resistant, but begin with those who are receptive. Spend the most time with those people.
Understand cultural and generational differences.
A person who is a second-generation immigrant will likely be very different from a first-generation immigrant.
Contextualize your methods.
Share in a way that makes sense to them and their culture.
Practice evangelism that results in new churches.
Aim to start churches among groups of new believers by sharing in a person’s social networks.
Keep things simple and highly reproducible.
We as believers are the representation of Christ that they will see. Teach and disciple them in a way that they can reproduce what they learn with others.
Avoid paternalism.
Don’t disciple them in such a way that the work is dependent on you. They won’t be able to spread it, and if you leave, it will die. They have the Holy Spirit — teach them to rely on Him and to teach others as they learn.
(Source: J.D. Payne)
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