All believers, regardless of giftedness or abilities, are called to engage culture. This journey is for everyone. Even high-level leaders focusing on developing leaders or multiplying movements can never leave this first journey behind. I call it “The Missional Journey,” and expand on the concept in my book of the same name (hardcopy and e-book formats).
All missional ministry—however large in scale—starts with individuals deciding to live incarnationally within the culture around them. No one is exempt and no one can lead where they haven’t been. Engaging the culture is foundational to the rest of the missional journey. When we lose touch with the culture, we lose the right to speak into it.
Set an example. If you won’t do it, they won’t do it. If you’re in a position of leadership, people will look to you to see what you value. Expect people to pay much more attention to your actions than to your words. The beginning of helping others engage culture is us engaging culture. Without that foundational piece in place, any broader impact won’t take hold.
So consider: What are you doing personally? You don’t have to be great at it—you just have to be living it and modeling it. A few years back I was in a mountain biking group with people who weren’t followers of Jesus. Mountain biking is something I do anyway, but I chose to do it intentionally alongside people who weren’t believers. That may be a small example, but that’s the point. In this arena, even the small things matter a great deal.