Three guys have gathered for the big event. The table is ready with hot wings, chips and salsa, and of course, favorite beverages. It’s Super Bowl Sunday!

After the big game, they ask, “What was your favorite thing about the game?” One starts laughing as he recalls the beer commercial that premiered during the game; another mentions the “Hail Mary” in the third quarter; the third guy starts humming his favorite song U2 performed during the halftime show. Three guys, one event, three different meaningful aspects. Whether it’s Paris, France or Paris, Texas, life is a crazy combination of work, play, family, friends, joys, and heartaches. Regardless of where we live, the overall themes are the same. The big difference comes in what matters to us in the midst of our lives. The people in your culture may represent the commercial guy, the sports nut or the halftime show fan. Before the Gospel can be shared effectively, you should take some time to discover the values of the culture and the cultural elements that can serve as bridges to the Gospel. Why use bridges? In the natural world, bridges serve to effectively cross over an obstacle which makes passing either difficult or impossible. Bridges serve the same purpose with the Gospel. For example, in the United States, we can ask someone about their past church experience or their personal experiences, and this can lead to meaningful conversations. So how do we determine these bridges and cross over in another culture? 1. Develop relationships with both the culture and people. Textbooks and Web sites can be helpful, but coffee shops and other “third places” usually offer a much truer insight into what really matters. Relationship-building may be skipped or hurried through in a passionate rush to share the Gospel, but if it is, the Gospel is often met with rejection. Going back to the Super Bowl analogy, I may know every stat of both teams by heart, but if I don’t know the halftime set list as well, I’m not going to connect with the halftime show fan. The message isn’t being rejected by that person as much as the failure in delivery is. 2. Listen – not only to the culture, but also to the individual. What matters to the culture as a whole, and what matters to the individual? For example …

• Is the person religious?
• Does the culture value organized worship?
• Does the person have a hobby, passion, gift that you can connect with?
• How does he or she determine the course of his or her life?
• What matters to them?
• Does the culture value guilt/innocence or shame/honor?

This is where the importance of studying the culture comes in. If we don’t know the broadstroke values of the culture, then it could be that we’re talking about music with the sports guy, and we’ll miss the point and fail to connect. 3. Study and develop. If the culture shares faith stories with us, build off of these. Share the stories from each perspective, and go further by sharing the impact of the story on your life. If you and a friend share a passion, do it together. This is a radically different approach then most evangelism programs in the United States, in which a “pitch” is studied, memorized and presented from memory. This approach takes time to study and understand how people view the world and how we can meaningfully connect with them. The beauty of the “bridges” approach is that it keeps the Gospel organic. It’s not about a method or a slick presentation. It’s about learning a culture and a people and what they value. It’s not about changing the message; it’s about tailoring the approach to fit naturally within the culture and the relationship.