Mission people, because they have lived in multiple spaces and belonged to multiple groups, because they are meaningfully connected to a number of communities but not deeply connected to any one primary group, and because they bring outsider objectivity to all their groups, are natural cluster busters.
I take this term from Michele Phoenix’s excellent new book on the Missionaries’ Kid/Third Culture Kid experience, Pieces of Purple: The Greatness, Grit and Grace of Growing up MK. Lambert explains that Cluster Analysis reveals that “birds of a feather flock together.” Kids at high school, employees in the workplace and Christians in church automatically and naturally form groups with like-minded people, and these groups become their locus of belonging.
Cross-culturally-wired missionary people, however, can find it hard to meaningfully belong to any one group.
“We’ve spent our whole lives in multicoloured flexibility, and the thought of being confined to just one cluster feels diminishing to us. Not to mention claustrophobic.”
As a result, we have an instinct to hover on the outskirts of certain circles, to bridge different cliques, and to exercise multiple belongings. We are cluster busters.
“What Edge Dwellers offer to stagnant clusters is priceless. It’s expanded viewpoints, innovation, diversification, and rich networking across cultural divides. It’s a huge, often-over-looked strength we derive from the chronic ‘unbelonging’ that plagues us.”
That’s why, within the Unreached Network, we seek to create spaces where like-minded people can connect, understand from each other, learn from each other.
That’s why we’ve named our new Charity structure The Hummingbird Trust, because we see the value and the beauty of cross-cultural cross-pollination.
That’s why, in my book Made Flesh: John’s Gospel, Mission and the Global Church, I sought to bring together global theological reflections on John’s Gospel, busting and enriching our usual theological silos.
That’s why our Margins2Mic podcast promotes voices from across the Newfrontiers family and from around the world.
Jesus was a cluster buster. He was constantly bringing together groups of people who did not naturally trust each other.
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew 9:10-11.
Two groups who, in the normal course of things, would never mix, in the presence of Jesus found themselves in the same house. This is a theme we see repeated throughout Jesus’ ministry.
If you are an edge-dweller, not really deeply belonging in any one group rejoice, and be a cluster buster.
If you are a restless soul with mission in your veins, find spaces of connection with like-minded people.
If you are a returner who is struggling to adapt to your passport culture, don’t restrict too much of who you are in your desire to fit in.
The world needs cluster busters. The Church definitely needs cluster busters. Your multi-lingual, multi-belonging, multi-experience personality and skills are precisely the order of the day!
