tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2253529165034405240.post-58339088611715256792008-04-14T23:30:00.000-04:002008-04-14T23:30:00.000-04:00When we first started our church, I'd have to admit that we borrowed a lot of what we saw was working in other places. Some of it translated, much of it didn't (a lot of lessons learned!). Now, doing what we do, each of our churches seem to be rising more out of the culture--that's definitely true with the churches that started with a mix of brand new Christians and unchurched people or totally unchurched people. Still to early to tell, though.<BR/><BR/>I would say the best way to determine what methods work best for the culture your church will be in is to live in it for awhile and be exposed to it--and not just for a couple of months like many "parachute drop churches" seem to do. I'm not sure you can learn and adapt to a particular culture in just a few months. It takes longer than that to get to know people, to learn the area hot spots, what drives the economy, what is important to people, the needs of the community, entertainment choices, etc. Maybe 1-2 years or more before the core group building begins. I don't know... I came back home, and already know the culture (but I still need to be a better student of it).aaronsaufleyhttp://aaronsaufley.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com