Stepping into the Unknown

• Posted on 26 Apr, 2024

Stepping into the Unknown

• Posted by
• OMF Australia

Johan and Debbie Linder reflect on over 30 years of service with OMF—from church planting, leadership and training roles in Thailand to leadership of home offices in Australia and New Zealand, their journey has been one of flourishing churches, cultural clashes and serving in multicultural teams. Here’s the story of their journey so far—and top tips for those exploring a life of mission.  

We are Johan and Debbie, and we’ve been serving with OMF for over 30 years. We worked in church planting, leadership and training roles in Thailand between 1993 and 2007. Then God took us back to Australia in where we worked with Thai people in Sydney, and later took on leadership of OMF Australia. For the last two years, we have been leading the OMF New Zealand team.  

We’ve had our ups and downs—from the joy of seeing new churches flourish to the challenges of cultural clashes and misunderstandings. God has been faithful to us, caring for us and our family over all these years. 

How it all began… 

So, how did our journey in missions begin? I (Johan) am from a non-Christian migrant background. I moved from Sweden to Australia at the age of nine. I faced a tough time in school and university, and had to move out of home to care for my siblings for a while.  

It was during this hardship that I found deeper meaning in life as I turned to Christ in faith. As part of that, I was challenged to join a Scripture Union beach mission team. Debbie, too, faced challenges in her early twenties—and we ended up on the same beach mission team.  

Together, Debbie and I learnt about sharing Jesus’ love with others, and it encouraged us to pursue missions overseas. Debbie had a short-term mission experience with Operation Mobilisation in a small Austrian village; mine was among the high rise buildings of Hong Kong and jungles of Papua New Guinea. These trips taught us a lot about ourselves and helped us to make decisions about where we didn’t want to work! 

The search for a right fit 

Fast forward to Bible college and marriage, Debbie and I found ourselves searching for the right mission organization. OMF’s values, particularly those relating to prayer and dependence on God, resonated with us deeply. As we explored options, we felt called to serve in Thailand, a country where many millions have not yet heard the Gospel. Neither of us were experts in Asian culture, so OMF wisely had us spend a year serving as an English pastor in a Chinese church. It was an eye-opener! We learned valuable—sometimes painful—lessons about cultural differences and Asian cultural values that would prove crucial in our journey. 

Learning language and culture 

In October 1993, we left for Thailand. It was overwhelming—the language, the heat and humidity, spicy food and an active rodent population around our first house. We muddled on under the care of our language and training supervisors trying to learn to speak Thai and navigate a new culture. It wasn’t easy making friends, but over time we settled. We enjoyed learning with fellow students from the UK, Sweden, Germany, the US, Australia and New Zealand. 

After intensive language study, we were ready to help start a new church in a central Thailand city.  

Church planting in Thailand: Surprises and God’s grace 

We began working with other missionaries and the pastor of an existing church. It wasn’t smooth sailing. There were conflicts and things got messy, but amidst the challenges we saw God’s faithfulness and lives were transformed by God’s grace. Just a few months ago, I visited the church and was encouraged to see that it’s still thriving under the same pastor and his wife who we worked with a couple of decades ago! 

Then, to our surprise, we were asked to move to Bangkok to manage OMF Thailand’s finances and oversee the office. We committed to this role for 2 years until we left for home assignment, then returned to lead the church planting team in Bangkok—of about 12 different nationalities as well as with Thai Christians and pastors.  

We saw the beauty of unity in diversity of the many different cultural backgrounds as we collaborated to plant churches across Bangkok. During one team meeting, we realized that every member was reading the Bible passage in a different language!  

It was a time of learning and some difficult challenges that took a toll on us personally, but also prepared us for the ministry that lay ahead. 

Mobilizing the church for mission 

After 14 years in Thailand, health concerns called us back to Australia, where thankfully, we could continue ministering to the Thai community in Sydney. After four years, I was asked to lead the OMF team in Australia, and now we are doing the same role with OMF in New Zealand! 

Our current roles involve speaking in churches, networking with pastors and mission leaders, giving direction to our team and mobilizing and training others to share Christ’s love across cultures. Debbie’s passion lies in encouraging young adults to think about missions and mentoring those who are preparing to serve. We have been able to draw on our own cross-cultural experiences and help others prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. 

God’s enduring faithfulness 

Looking back, we are thankful that God has provided for us in miraculous ways—from  unexpected blessings in our children’s lives to the strength we needed during challenging times. We’ve seen lives transformed by the gospel and experienced the joy of witnessing new communities built around faith in Jesus. We’ve faced difficulties, disappointments and moments of doubt.  

Through it all, God has remained faithful, reminding us that He is always present, guiding our steps and providing for our needs.

 

Pray for Johan, Debbie and New Zealand 

As Johan and Debbie continue to lead the OMF team in New Zealand, connecting people with opportunities to serve in East Asia, pray for: 

• Johan and Debbie’s lives to reflect Christ’s love and that they can effectively guide the team in this new chapter 
• Continued sensitivity and unity as they work together as a team 
• God’s sustaining as they live away from family and close friends  

3 lessons we’ve learned the hard way 

1. We are fallible so we need to have faithful friends praying for us. Sometimes our own plans, expectations or limitations can cloud God’s voice. We have had to learn to surrender our thoughts over and over and have valued the insight of prayerful friends and leaders who have helped keep us accountable
2. Embrace the culture: Learning language and understanding cultural nuances is crucial for effective ministry. Building genuine relationships requires respect, sensitivity and understanding of what others value.  
3. Be patient: Change takes time, especially when dealing with different cultural contexts. We need to trust in God’s timing and learn to wait patiently for His work to unfold.  

https://omf.org/au/stepping-into-the-unknown/

Vaccination Culture

It is important that we make good choices about vaccination. I've had some very interesting interactions with some Christians about vaccines over the last month. It has been so interesting to see how people from different cultures view vaccines and their decision to get the jab. I catch up with Christian people from Thai, Chinese, Swedish, American and Australian backgrounds so I see a cross-section of responses. 

Most Christians from an Asian backgrounds that I have come across have generally been very happy and grateful to receive any dose of the vaccine. They trust that it's a good thing because the medical experts endorse it, and the government is urging people to receive it. Coming from cultures that respect leaders and experts it is easy to see why they are happy to receive a vaccine. On the other end of the spectrum, we have some American Christian friends who are actively advocating on social media that it is part of a world-wide government conspiracy to take control. They claim that more people are dying from the vaccine than from the virus. This is a country where the virus has killed over 672,000 people! (1) It's amazing how different these views are. I wonder if culture has something to do with their responses.

Australians overall seem quite compliant and willing to take the vaccine in spite of our reputation of defying authority. The media and the government have been very open about the rates of vaccination, deaths and ongoing virus transmission. Generally, people feel that our Federal and State Governments have been doing a decent job in keeping people safe. There has been some conflict between our Federal and State governments about the strategy towards getting back to normal life, but overall Australia has done quite well compared to many other countries. We have a low death toll and rates of transmission. None of our medical experts and political leaders question the need for masks, restrictions, and vaccines. The conflicts have mainly been about the timing and how aggressively these measures should be implemented.

I have been observing all this from a Christian perspective and would like to point out the main cultural factors that seem to influence churches the most.

 

Theology

Christians who come from very conservative churches seem to be more resistant to vaccines than the general population. This has to do with emphasis and how literally some churches interpret the book of Revelation in the Bible which warns about a beast coming from the earth and forcing everyone to wear a mark to buy or sell (Rev. 13:16). When our governments talk about vaccine passports in order to travel on a plane or enter into a store or a church then this brings up a reaction that this mark of the beast is being implemented right now. As a result, some church leaders can use this fear to turn people away from becoming vaccinated. All those who choose to be vaccinated are "marked" and walk into a trap designed by the Anti-Christ (2) The rapid development and approval of the vaccines to fight the virus confirms to many Christians that this is all part of a plot to "mark" everyone in the world. This thinking has been around for many years.

When credit cards were first introduced in Australia in the 1970s, the first brand to be launched in Australia was called "Bankcard" with a logo of the letter "b" in three different colours on it. Since the letter "b" looks like the number "6" and it came in three colours, many Christians took that as being the mark of the beast- 666. It seems that every new major development brings up the same old fears and conspiracies, but in a new form.

Politics.

In America we have seen a strong reaction to the imposition of vaccines and masks as a assault in individual freedoms and the right to do what we choose to do. The opposite is true in some Asian countries. Thailand has seen people staging daily large-scale protests (3) against the government for not doing enough to fight virus transmission. They are demanding more vaccines and want the government to be more pro-active. This is in spite of only 12,000 deaths this year which is quite a small number compared to some other countries. It is interesting that in these two countries people are protesting for the opposite reasons. In Melbourne, Australia some people have taken to protesting out of frustration at the duration and strictness of lockdowns. Melbourne has become the most locked-down city in the world with very strict control over peoples' movements and now some people are starting to push back. This does not seem to be driven by any clear ideology or principle. This leads to the next important factor.

Misinformation

I have been shocked to see some of my Christian friends being influenced by vaccine misinformation that is being fuelled by social media. There are people out there who benefit in sowing confusion and distrust about COVID vaccines. Some of them do it to make money from selling alternative remedies and others do it to obtain political power. They will feed into the fear and uncertainty that some people feel about receiving the vaccine and actively promote lies in order to convince people not to get vaccinated. Much of this misinformation seems to have traction in the USA where people are already distrustful of the government and pharmaceutical companies. When this is combined with end-times theology and individual rights mentioned above, Christians and churches can be drawn into a toxic brew of anti-vaccine sentiment that can be very hard to stand against.

The Christian Response

Christians have important decisions to make, and those decisions need to be in line with principles that are given to us in the bible.

1.  Life is God given and precious – we should act in a way that protects the health and welfare of others. (4)
2. We should make informed decisions in these information-loaded times so that we don’t cause unintentional harm. Evaluate what you read on social media with some scepticism and check the facts from a trustworthy source before you share it with others
3. We live in community; our actions affect others. Will our “freedom” to choose adversely affect others? Will it mean that others are at risk? (5)
4. We should live generously, considering the needs of the poor/disadvantaged as well as ourselves. This is a time when the church can actively show love and generosity to others in need.
5. Our attitude, words and actions should reflect Jesus’ love to those around us

For Christians, it is important to be aware of the cultural factors that influence people's views around vaccination. There are people around us who are going to have strong views either for or against vaccines. Understanding the cultural forces that influence people can help us to evaluate the information available to us and then respond appropriately. 

References:

1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention "COVID-19 Mortality Overview" for Week ending 18th September, 2021 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/mortality-overview.htm

2.Scott Gleeson Asha C. Gilbert "Some say COVID-19 vaccine is the 'mark of the beast.' Is there a connection to the Bible?" USA Today, 26th September, 2021 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/26/covid-vaccine-mark-beast-what-book-revelation-says/8255268002/

3. Muktita Suhartono and Hannah Beech "Thai Protesters Are Back, and Angrier, as Government Fumbles on Covid" New York Times, 5th September 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/05/world/asia/thailand-protesters-covid.html

4. Matthew Jacoby "Are you entitled to your Opinion?" 18th September in Eternity Magazine https://www.eternitynews.com.au/opinion/are-you-entitled-to-your-opinion/

5. Patrick Parkinson "COVID Vaccine and the Common Good" 8th September, 2021 in Eternity Magazine. https://www.eternitynews.com.au/opinion/covid-vaccination-and-the-common-good/

The Mission Field on our Doorstep

This is an article I wrote which was published on the Missions Interlink Australia website in February 2021.

I live in an area of Sydney which is becoming more multicultural every day. More than 30% of the people living around us were born in Asia. When I visit my local shopping centres and schools, I see Asians and Europeans mixing all the time. Our workplaces also bring many different cultures together in the same place. When I look at the local churches, however, I see a very different picture where Asians and Europeans do not mix much at all. Many of the churches are dominated by people from European descent and then there are separate churches for people from Korea, China, or India. They might use the same building, but they meet at different times and only with their own culture. I see very few congregations which are intercultural where people from many different cultures and nations come together and worship together.

Why this is so? Is it because these newer arrivals to Australia do not speak English? That might be true for most Korean and Chinese people, but it is not true for people who come from India and Pakistan where the use of English is widespread. Is it simply because Christians want to feel comfortable worshiping and relating to others of the same culture and background? Could it be that our reluctance to reach out to and embrace people from other cultures into our church is preventing us from receiving the blessings of God that comes from mixing with diverse people from different backgrounds? When we step out of our comfort zone and mix with other cultures, we experience so many new things- different foods, different styles of worship and preaching, different ways of belonging to the people of God. We begin to see the beauty of the kaleidoscope of the church that God is building in our world, and a foretaste of what heaven will be when we worship God together:  

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.” (Rev 7:9-10)

The early Christians in the book of Acts had to overcome many obstacles. There was great hostility from the Roman rulers, Jewish leaders and people who had worshipped idols for centuries. There were many external threats to the growth of the church. But that was not the biggest threat. The greatest threat that we see was inside the church itself as it struggled with different cultures worshipping God together. Some Jews in the church were arguing that the non-Jews (Gentiles) had to adopt Jewish customs and ways. It was not until the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 that the question was resolved once and for all that Gentiles did not have to adopt Jewish customs. They were welcome into the church if they abstained from worshipping idols and avoided sexual immorality (Acts 15:20). The Apostle Paul spends a lot of time in his letters arguing and explaining that the church should not impose Jewish customs on Gentile believers. The embrace of diversity and inclusiveness of all cultures allowed the church to grow and become very missional. As a result, it was able to expand far beyond its Jewish beginnings to eventually transform the Roman Empires and many of the nations beyond it to become almost exclusively Christian. As the church became more of an institution rather than a missional community, the desire to include other cultures and nationalities gradually faded away.

This began to change with the modern missionary movement which began in the mid-19^th century with William Carey travelling from England to bring the good news to India. Western Protestant churches have been supporting the missionary endeavour ever since by supporting and sending people to other countries to share the good news of Jesus with people who have not heard it before. The modern missionary movement has had a huge impact, but the world today is very different to what it was almost 200 years ago. People have migrated and moved around the world in numbers that we have never seen before. There are over 200 million migrants in the world today and many of them live in our own Australian suburban neighbourhoods. Some of these are refugees, some are students and others are highly educated professionals. Some have never heard of Jesus and others are already mature believers in the Lord Jesus and ready to become leaders in the church. There is a great plurality in our neighbourhoods that a local church could benefit greatly from. The question is whether our local churches are ready to benefit from that plurality by embracing people from other cultures and backgrounds?

Now that we have unreached migrants living right next door to us, we need to change our mindset about mission. No longer can we leave it to overseas missionaries to be sharing the good news across cultural and language barriers. Local Australian churches need to be working at sharing Jesus Christ cross-culturally in their own neighbourhoods. We need to understand and respect our Hindu, Confucian and Buddhist neighbours and be prepared to share the good news of Jesus in a way that they can understand.

This can be a difficult process but is necessary for a church to grow in its ability to reach across cultures. All the different aspects of a church culture need to be examined and questioned so that it can become more effective. Missionaries and cultural advisors can help to identify blind spots and overcome resistance to the changes that are needed.

When we evaluated our own church’s readiness for cross-cultural ministry, we realised that we needed to implement several changes. The first was to look at the outreach activities of the church and how comfortable people felt in coming along. We had to make changes in the food we served to make sure that it is Halal. We needed to learn how to greet people in a good way and use body language that was appropriate. This was especially important in mixed gender settings to avoid misunderstandings. We also needed to help people mingle outside their immediate group of friends from the same country and build relationships across cultures.

Then we needed to work at sharing the good news of Jesus in a way that was engaging to the people who came along, using stories and illustrations rather than propositional talks. For those who struggled with English we needed to make changes in the way that we communicate so that those who come can understand clearly what is taught, and also to get feedback on how the teaching is received.

The next step was to improve how we welcome people into the church building on a Sunday. Instead of waiting for people to come through the door we took the step of welcoming first-time visitors in the car park as soon as they step out of the car. It can be very daunting for someone from another culture to walk into a church full of white Anglo people, so we need to make people feel welcome as soon as they arrive regardless of their ethnicity or background.

As we explored this further, we learnt how important food is to many cultures in forming friendships, so this brought changes into how we provide morning tea and lunches. Structures for providing hospitality to newcomers needed to be put into place so that they felt accepted into the fellowship of the church.

As we went through the process, there also a growing realisation that our leadership is very “white” and that the pastoral team and leadership teams needs to reflect the diversity that we are working towards in the church. More non-white people were included in leadership as well as worship, bible reading and sharing. When this is done consistently it sends a message the church is inclusive for all cultures and nationalities.

The way that volunteers were found for different ministries also had to change. Our leaders learnt that non-Anglo people needed to be asked to do a role or a job more than once, instead of expecting them to come forward and volunteer of their own initiative when a general announcement was made. This was a change in thinking that took some time to see changes in the way things were done. Once the leaders understood this dynamic it became easier to recruit non-Anglo people to step up and for them to become contributing members of the church.

The Australian church needs to change the way that it engages with people from other cultures. The plurality of our modern society demands that we are able to communicate God’s love to people from other parts of the world who live in our neighborhoods. My passion is that local churches all around the country will embrace diversity and become inclusive of people from all different cultures and nationalities. We will then be a true reflection of the image of Christ’s body and the kaleidoscope of people that belong to it.