Cross-Cultural Partnerships

One of the biggest challenges in global mission work is money?not merely the need for it, but working through cross-cultural differences surrounding how funds are used and accounted for. Cross-cultural missteps regarding financial issues can derail partnerships between supporting churches and agencies and national leaders on the ground. North Americans don?t understand how cultural expectations of patronage shape how financial support is perceived and understood, and Western money often comes with subtle strings attached. So local mission work is hampered by perceived paternalism, and donors are frustrated with lack of results or accountability. How do we build financial partnerships for effective mission without fostering neo-colonialism?Cross-cultural specialist Mary Lederleitner brings missiological and financial expertise to explain how global mission efforts can be funded with integrity, mutuality and transparency. Bringing together social science research, biblical principles and on-the-ground examples, she presents best practices for handling funding and finance. Cross-cultural partnerships can foster dignity, build capacity and work toward long-term sustainability. Lederleitner also addresses particular problems like misallocation of funds, embezzlement and fraud. This book is an essential guide for all who partner in global mission, whether pastors of supporting churches or missionaries and funding agencies.

Mary T. Lederleitner is a cross-cultural consultant with Wycliffe, where she conducts research, writes, creates training programs and provides consulting services to equip those involved in cross-cultural ministry partnerships. Her focus is on helping leaders contextualize and develop processes that will facilitate fruitful partnerships and better cross-cultural relationships. She has traveled extensively throughout the world providing coaching and business consulting to mission and indigenous ministry leaders. She has been published in Evangelical Missions Quarterly and is completing her Ph.D. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.