This week–and next–I have been taking the Army Basic Instructor Course here at Fort Lee, VA.
I volunteered to take this course to improve my teaching capabilities and to move my career forward. In the Army, there is a certain way instruction is delivered–as in every organizational culture there is a seperate set of rules regarding how instruction is delivered. So, in order to be the best I can be in front of Soldiers, I need to learn to speak the language of the culture. Next week, we practice delivering the classes we have prepared this week.
It has been a rewarding experience, being able to understand the basics of Army Instruction.
I heard once that we are all “Cross Cultural Missionaries”. However, we are not “of” this world–we are to think differently and act differently. In that, we are to learn the language–find where we can adapt–without conforming to the world. The Army has taught me how to organize my thoughts through the approved lesson plan. This structure of my message does not violate the content of the message. But, the structure may improve the reception of that message.
We need to constantly adapt the structure of our message without compromising the message of the gospel that our world so desparately needs to hear.