Transcultural Effectiveness & the Missionary Enterprise
Speaker: Dr. Denis LaClare, Porterville College
Bio: Denis LaClare is Professor of Education at Porterville College. He grew up as the
youngest of 9 kids in an observant Roman Catholic ranching family. His parents were
francophone, and he is part of the Canadian Métis Nation. Prior to entering the world
of academia, Denis served in cross-cultural student ministry in Canada, Uruguay, and
the USA. His PhD dissertation on transculturality explores those attributes and practices
that lend themselves to effectiveness in living and working in multicultural contexts.
Title: Don't Stop Believing? Transcultural Effectiveness and the Missionary Enterprise
Description: Denis' research identified three attitudes, three experiences, and nine behaviors
that constituted the work of effective transcultural missionaries. Does "doing all
the right things" justify their truth claims? Many people have stopped believing in
part due to the insensitive, obtuse, harmful, and destructive ways of missionaries.
What can we make of those who "get it right"? Or do they?
