Cultural Baggage: What we bring with us as we engage in Mission

This Friday I have the privilege of being one of the panelists for a Presbyterian Church webinar focusing on “Cultural Baggage: What we bring with us as we engage in Mission.” You may be asking yourself: “What exactly IS cultural baggage?” If you google it, the following definition appears on Wikipedia.


"The term cultural baggage refers to the tendency for one's culture to pervade thinking, speech, and behavior without one being aware of this pervasion. Cultural baggage becomes a factor when a person from one culture encounters a person from another, and unconscious assumptions or behaviors can interfere with interaction. The "baggage" imagery implies that cultural baggage is something that one carries at all times and that it can be burdensome, hindering freedom of movement (i.e. hinders intercultural dialog)."


Exploring cultural baggage is something that happens a lot at DOOR. When we engage in mission we are given great opportunities to experience other cultures while building relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. This is certainly our hope for all our participants in Atlanta, whether they come for a week or a year. But what happens when our own cultural baggage gets in the way of building relationships? Are there ways we can minimize our cultural baggage? Is all cultural baggage bad? What can/should I bring on my mission experiences? If these questions interest you, please join us for the webinar on Friday, April 9 at 1 p.m. (EST). To sign up please follow this link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/291887578. One of the best ways to address cultural baggage is by being aware of our own culture and the cultures with which we engage in mission. To learn more about how to do this, please join us on Friday. If you are unable to join us this Friday, the webinar will be taped and available online. I’ll post a link once it is available.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director