St George’s, Hurstville has welcomed its new rector in an induction service run in three languages, mostly at different times in the service.

The Rev Brian Tung, formerly of St Paul’s, Chatswood and now the senior minister at Hurstville, says the decision to run various parts of the service only in a given language was done to communicate that all cultures and languages would be equally valued.

“I was very conscious, because the event was so symbolic and important for the whole church, that we didn’t want to have any culture or language appear to be dominant,” Mr Tung says. “I think if we’d conducted the service in English and just had translation in Chinese dialects or vice versa, that would communicate dominance or preference for that culture. So what we wanted to do, very consciously, was basically to disadvantage everyone.”

This meant that large portions of the June 15 service were conducted in only one of the three languages at Hurstville – English, Cantonese and Mandarin – without translation, in order to connect as closely as possible with each of the language groups. However, Mr Tung says that, for specific sections of the service, proceedings were conducted in each of the languages.

“In the significant parts of the service, we tried to slow things down and do things in all three languages,” he says. “So when I would make promises, or articulate what my role would be, I would slow things down and make sure everyone can truly hear what I’m promising and what I’m planning to do. I would use all three languages at those points, even though it made things less efficient.”

Part of the reasoning for this method, according to Mr Tung, is the idea that people will often best hear and take to heart what is said when it is communicated in their native language. Communicating in this way can help with unity and personal growth.

“Language is a significant barrier to relationships and ministry,” he says. “Even when people can speak in another language, they often talk of ‘heart’ language. A person from a non-English speaking background might hear the gospel in English in a local church, but my own experience is often, for that person to grow and mature, they will gravitate towards congregations and ministries in their own heart language.

That’s not always true... but as a general rule that seems to be the case.”

This heart language also carried over to the induction service’s music, with the lyrics of traditional Mandarin and Cantonese hymns, with their own particular melodic styles, translated into English, allowing language groups to engage in the singing at some level in their native culture.

However, Mr Tung also says that while the symbolic conduct of the service was important, he does not intend regular Sunday services to function in this way.

“Basically, you just can’t do it,” he says. “It’s the kind of thing you can do in occasional services, or combined services, which we are planning to do, but it’s difficult to do weekly.

“This was really more about establishing the architecture of how decisions are made, if I can put it that way. I work very hard to include all stakeholders in decision-making processes, and so when we communicate... we want to make sure people hear each other as well. Sunday to Sunday is hard to do in this way, but in less visible ways, in decision making and things like that, we want to make sure people truly hear.”

Mr Tung says it is also possible to foster this kind of cross-cultural and cross-lingual engagement in prayer and participating in ministry. He notes, by way of example, that the majority of leaders at Hurstville’s English congregation Sunday School are actually from the Chinese congregations.

“I’m just so thrilled to be here,” he says. “The induction was great, and I’m told some people were in tears because of the feeling of inclusion in the process. It was the first induction they’ve gone to where they’ve heard things in their heart language. I was also really heartened by people from St Paul’s, Chatswood who came along.

“For me, there was a sense I was being released for this, and others were telling me there was just a real sense of fellowship between the congregations and churches on the day. There are great people here, it is a great church of people who love Jesus and who are keen to move forward.”

Photo: For all: the Rev Brian Tung gives the final blessing at his induction service. (James Li)