Taylor University introduced the Intercultural Studies (ICS) major during the 2020-21 school year to intentionally prepare students for impactful cross-cultural ministry, requiring only 47 credit hours.
The Department of Biblical Studies, Christian Ministries, Intercultural Studies and Philosophy had previously offered an ICS minor, but developing existing classes into the major allowed for further study.
Jenny Collins, associate professor of intercultural studies, oversees the major and said that often people don’t understand the importance of training for missions. Without proper preparation, navigating cross-cultural issues can create unexpected challenges to the gospel.
While Intercultural Studies and Global Studies both seek to develop international and cross-cultural understanding, the two degree paths differ.
Global Studies primarily looks at geography, history and world politics, while intercultural studies programs are often synonymous with missional studies.
“Most Christian colleges do call their missions programs Intercultural Studies. It does indicate that it's bigger than just ‘Here's how to do missions,’ and more about how to think critically about global service as well as do it effectively,” Collins said. “Probably one of the other main reasons is because of the concern with having missions in a diploma or degree name for getting into a lot of the countries that don't welcome missionaries, even though you can get in and do amazing ministry in those countries, so it's a little bit more generic as a title.”
While many can serve as missionaries or global workers cross-culturally without ICS training, and many sending organizations visit Taylor to recruit students, Collins said mission agencies welcome the academic backgrounds students receive. This may mean that students have less future missionary training to complete.
“Mission agencies welcome students having academic training in crossing cultures in the biblical foundations in the history of missions, so that we can think about past strategies and approaches and ensure that we're finding what was good and effective and leaving behind what wasn't,” Collins said.
Collins said the Acts and the Early Church course is appreciated because it focuses on what the church did in mission, as well as classes like intercultural communication.
For students interested in learning more about cross-cultural missions, Collins recommends doing a mission trip with the Lighthouse program or, for upperclass students especially, taking classes like Foundations of Christian World Mission, Preparation and Strategy for Christian World Mission, or the two World Religions courses.
Collins said previous ICS students and other Taylor graduates report that opportunities like summer internship-type programs help prepare students.
She said students commonly report appreciation for missions theory from both the Old and New Testaments and an understanding of the balance between word and deed, as well as appreciation for experiences of entering other cultures and learning that way.
“They have found that for when they're actually doing something and recognizing the importance of sharing spiritual support along with the service that they're doing and how many people are really hungry for that and vice versa, too,” Collins said. “Maybe it was a more discipleship or evangelism-oriented experience, and then they realized how much the service part, (the) holistic need service is important (too).”
Collins said she thinks a barrier to students joining missions is the idea of raising support.
“I think that we as Christ followers need to pray for that full surrender and a biblical understanding that support raising is valid. We have many examples of it in Scripture that it actually can become a huge blessing to grads who serve in missions, because they have like this whole team behind them who cares and gives and prays.”
In reality, receiving support as a missionary is very similar to how churches pay their staff salaries, and in recent years, mission agencies have stepped up to ensure that missionaries have benefits like retirement plans set up.
To younger students feeling a tug toward missions and who are interested in the major or the minor, Collins said not to put it off.
“I think if students are feeling God's tug toward global service that has a ministry component, then it's a great major or minor, and the minor is not hard to add to most majors at 17 hours, and it is good preparation.”
Collins suggests people pray that students will seek first the kingdom and trust the Lord will provide.
To get involved in the work God is doing around the world, Collins recommends downloading the Operation World app or getting the Operation World book, which gives daily prayers for different people groups. For those looking for more mission resources, she recommends “Let the Nations Be Glad” by John Piper and “Symphony of Missions” by Michael Cohen.
