If there is a topic I’m experienced at talking about and teaching, it is Baptism. Specifically, infant baptism. I know the verses. I know the arguments. I know how to weave Romans chapter 3, Psalm 51:5, and Romans 5:18 into an airtight argument for a baby’s need for Baptism. I have a whole pocketful of verses to talk about the power and blessing of Baptism. I’ve had good and bad conversations. I’ve learned from my experiences.

Or so I thought.

A little while back I was talking to Marco. He’s an eager, new student and we had just covered a bit of the sacraments in class and he wanted to chat more. He said he had some questions. “Ah, yes,” I thought, “It’s going to be about infant baptism.” As we talked, Marco shared that, indeed, infant baptism was the issue. I was happy. I readied my babies-are-sinful argument.

But before I could get too far down the conversation path, Marco surprised me.

“Oh, I believe babies are sinful. I just don’t like infant baptism because of my family.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, every time my Catholic family has a baptism they have a party where everyone gets drunk.”

Oh.

Marco did not like infant baptism but not in the way I was expecting. He had a different background than I do. He was thinking through issues in a different way than I do. At that moment, I needed to listen. I needed to observe carefully. I needed to change my approach. I needed to do cross-cultural ministry.

These types of surprising conversations happen often. There are new things to consider and new learning opportunities for everyone. How can we prepare teaching materials to anticipate the diverse people we serve and the surprising conversations they bring? Here are three suggestions:

1. Consider your ministry as cross-cultural.
2. Write your Bible study so you are a curious, active participant too.
3. Focus on the skill of listening.

Consider your ministry as cross-cultural

Some places are clearly multicultural. You just open your eyes. Your community is like going to a large international airport. Tons of people. Tons of places. All in one spot. And God has called you to minister to them all!

Other multicultural places are not as easy to recognize. Maybe your city is not going to make the list of the top 20 multicultural cities in the US. But is it really monocultural?

• Do you have people from different generations in your congregation?
• Do you have people born in different states?
• Do you have people of many different occupations in your group?
• Do you have people who went to different schools?
• Do you have people from different political stances?

If so, welcome to cross-cultural ministry! This realization is key to help frame your lessons and goals for your Bible studies. But even if you still think your group is monocultural, it’s wise to ask yourself how you are preparing your group for when it won’t be. If you approach your group as monocultural, it stands to reason that it will remain that way.

Write your Bible study so you are a curious, active participant too

As much as possible, design Bible studies with questions so that you are a curious learner as well. These questions are often open-ended questions. They will build your relationship with your students. You will also learn important information so your class will better serve your students’ needs. This approach of curiosity can help you . . .

. . . during the introduction.

• In what ways do people from your culture address conflict?
• What sort of costumes did your family have growing up during holidays?
• What was (blank) like where you went to college?

. . . during the “chewing on the text” part.

• How would you say (blank) where you are from?
• What are some of the objections in your family or community to Baptism?
• What key words of this section strike you as important?

. . . during the application part.

• What sort of ways could you talk about Baptism with your family this week?
• What parts of the lesson are hardest for you to put into practice?
• What are some of your favorite ways to encourage someone to do (blank)?

Focus on the skill of listening

You can also take one more step to help your students and your congregation to develop the skill of listening. God willing, many people from many different backgrounds will come into your congregation. A diverse community of believers needs a mature ability to listen—to the Bible and to one another. After the Bible information class, are the members ready to live as part of the congregation? Is the congregation ready to live and work as a diverse group? An essential skill to living cross-culturally is listening. Already in your Bible information class you can start building that skill.

Active listening is a whole set of skills. We summarize thoughts and invite more information. We identify emotions, control our own emotions, ask questions, and more. Why not start working on those skills right away in the Bible information class? From the list of the activities below, which ones could you try?

• Case studies: Try to make them reflect the lives of members in the congregation.
• Practice in pairs: How can you respond if someone says something that is not doctrinally correct?
• Reflection and brainstorming: How can you react if someone says something that hurts you?

God’s blessings on designing your Bible studies. May they help you connect with your students and teach them God’s Word. May they prepare your group to listen and grow as a unified congregation with the skills to work together!

This article in Devote Yourself was contributed by the team that previously created and distributed the e-newsletter, Teach the Word. For nearly ten years’ worth of archived teaching-related articles, tips, and advice, visit nph.net/teach-the-word.