Abstract

This paper investigates the interplay between contextualized theological education and transformative cross-cultural communication within the framework of contemporary Christian missions. The core objective of missions, disseminating the Gospel message, is often challenged by cultural discrepancies between missionaries and their target audiences. Consequently, effective cross-cultural communication becomes paramount in this context. Inadequate communication skills can significantly impede the message's efficacy and receptivity.Therefore, mission-oriented theological education must be contextualized to equip future missionaries with the requisite skills to foster transformative cross-cultural communication. Employing a descriptive research approach, this study explored the dynamics of contextualized theological education, aiming to facilitate the accurate and meaningful transmission of the Gospel in cross-cultural settings. The findings revealed that transformative cross-cultural communication in missions necessitates a theological education grounded in context, linguistically adept, and attentive to diverse worldviews. Consequently, theological education, serving as the "labour chamber" for missionaries, must be contextualized to equip them with the necessary skills for transformative cross-cultural communication, a cornerstone of successful Christian missions.