One of the hardest thing a church planter has to do is to CRACK the CULTURE CODE of the people he is trying to reach BUT if you get to crack it – you might be on the verge of a spiritual tipping point.

You will never know when the tipping point comes – it is the work of the Holy Spirit but what we have to do as pastors is to learn the culture, love the culture and let go of our own cultural bias.

LEARN THE CULTURE – dive in to the culture. Listen to their music, watch their moveis, listen to their problems, know their needs, know your city, study the values of the people you are trying to reach. Visit homes, interview successful pastors, watch the concerts – do whatever it takes to research the culture – that is our job as church planters.

Successful church planters think like missionaries.

LOVE THE PEOPLE – genuine crazy love. It is not about you but about the people you are trying to reach. Love the food they eat, love the music they listen, love the culture, blend in, adapt. Show genuine concern to the people you encounter. Some might take long but be patient – love is patient. Love as Christ loves you.

LOSE THE BIAS –  you might have a certain way of doing church that is not culturally relevant or sensitive to the people you are trying to reach, let go of that. You can’t be bias. You can’t be who your people are not. Don’t force what you like but think about ways on how to communicate the gospel that would be relevant and applicable to your target people group.