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Understanding the Challenges of Cross-cultural Workers from China

A New ResearchShare Paper


Tabor Laughlin, a contributor to ChinaSource and someone who has spent many years serving in China, received his PhD in intercultural studies from Trinity Evangelical School. His dissertation, China’s Ambassadors of Christ to the Nations, was published in 2020 by Pickwick Publications, an imprint of Wipf and Stock, as part of their Evangelical Missiological Society Monograph Series.

The website description of the book reads:

Maybe you are familiar with the growth in recent decades of “majority world” missionaries being sent all over the world from non-Western countries (i.e., countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Middle East). This book focuses on missionaries sent from one non-Western country, analyzing the experiences of Chinese missionaries on the mission field. The missionaries interviewed were sent from house churches in mainland China, have served overseas for at least two years, and are ministering cross-culturally to non-Chinese on the mission field. The first research question relates to Chinese missionaries’ successes and difficulties in cross-culturally building relationships with locals, learning the local language, and adjusting to the local culture. The second research question analyzes factors that have contributed to the Chinese missionaries remaining on the mission field. This included how pre-field preparation and on-field support contributed to their retention. Also analyzed were other challenges and needs the missionaries had on the field. The interviewees were serving in countries in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

Recently Laughlin told us that his dissertation has been translated into Chinese with the title, 影响中国跨文化工人 文化调整和留任工场的因素. It has been read and well received by many within Chinese mission circles. To help get it into the hands of others who might benefit from his research, he has made it available to ChinaSource readers through our ResearchShare section.

To download and read the Chinese translation of the paper, go to China’s Ambassadors of Christ—Chinese version.

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ChinaSource Team

ChinaSource Team

Written, translated, or edited by members of the ChinaSource staff.          View Full Bio


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