Have you ever had the weird experience we call "culture shock"; that odd feeling you get when you step off the plane into a totally alien environment, surrounded by people that look different, conduct themselves differently, and speak a language you don't understand? If you have, then you'll know it can be an overwhelming experience.

Student Culture
Yesterday, I was talked into handing out flyers at a student freshers' fair, promoting the local church and the student initiative I work for. The place was absolutely heaving with bright eyed, bushy tailed 18 year olds. These were people who looked and behaved very different from me: the language, the sounds, the DJ blasting out 'speed garage' tunes, created a very different environment for my regular place of work place. I didn't feel comfortable; I think I experienced a little "culture shock".

Actually, it's only three years since I graduated from university, but this story illustrates my point: culture is not static. It is helpful to understand culture as a fluid thing, evolving and diversifying at a rapid rate, as our environment shapes and is shaped by our values, ideas, beliefs, customs and language.

Reaching Students
I believe that this has massive implications on how we 'do' church. What does a church look like that engages, reaches out to, and disciples what we might call the "Post-modern Person"? Does it look like your church? This is essentially an issue of how we express age-old values of Christ-centredness, community and Christian witness within an apparent foreign context.

We've been learning some important lessons as a church in reaching students in Liverpool. We found that when we began to encourage grass roots initiative and entrepreneurialism, something began to emerge that was a natural reflection of student culture. This required leadership to think from a down-up perspective, and required a lot of letting go! The whole thing is more natural, more organic; and it works! We are beginning to see community established, Truth communicated, and believers discipled; but the whole thing looks very different from what I was told church looked like at Theological college.

Gospel Values
Of course, leadership is vital; but for us it's more about mentoring grass roots leaders and seeing students outworking gospel values for themselves. In the past, churches have often seen the students that go along to their services as the 'object' of their ministry, or worse, we've sucked them out of student life and into all kinds of kids work, youth work, and worship leading. Today, we see students are the primary vehicle through which we can advance God's kingdom in our universities.

Looking back to yesterday, I don't think a little bit of culture shock was such a bad thing. After all, it reminds us that we engage in cross-cultural mission as much on our own doorstep as we do overseas, when building church amongst cultures that are different to our own.

Originally from Yorkshire, John now lives in Liverpool, with his wife Kirsten, an RE teacher. He graduated 3 years ago with BA (Hons) in theology and works for Frontline; a large, inner city cell church in Liverpool as student pastor, overseeing the student fusion cells.

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