Building Cultural Intelligence In Church And Ministry

Revd Osoba Otaigbe has written a comprehensive guide for helping the church more effectively relate and serve across cultural borders. Whether youre welcoming a community of refugees, travelling on a short-term mission experience, befriending an expat family, or simply interacting with an increasingly diverse society, this guide will help you love your neighbour. The book is packed full of insights about cultural intelligence and brings them to life for Christians. The case studies and discussion questions are particularly useful for making the theoretical ideas immensely practical. As both a cultural intelligence researcher and a Christian, it gives me great joy to commend Revd Osoba and his work to you. David Livermore, PhD., author of Leading with Cultural Intelligence and President of Cultural Intelligence Centre USA Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry is a timely contribution to our understanding of the way varied global and local cultures can be nurtured to offer a rich and meaningful engagement in our lives and in work. It draws on a wide range of scriptural and practical examples that makes it an easy to read and understand study guide for various audiences. The guidance on how to develop cross-cultural competence, in particular, makes the book a must-read, one that promises to equip the reader with the much required understanding, appropriate responses, and management of diverse cross-cultural engagements in both missions and ministries. Dr Maureen Ayikoru, Senior Lecturer, Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom In our rapidly changing society it is really important that we all develop greater cultural intelligence. If we are to become the vibrant Kingdom community of all nations that the Bible envisages we need much greater understanding and appreciation of those who are different from ourselves. This book, and the assessment and workshops that go alongside it, will be particularly helpful for leaders, churches and groups who want to grow in this area. Relating the concepts of cultural intelligence to passages of Scripture, it will certainly encourage some great discussion, learning and reflection for discipleship and mission. Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry is a worthwhile work with important things to say and to give perceptive and practical guidance Prof David Dunn-Wilson, Honorary Research Fellow, Cliff College, United Kingdom Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry book has done a marvelous job of integrating scriptural basis and reference points in the exploration of the cultural intelligence factors as they relate to ministry and mission. This being interspersed with practical and real world scenarios and examples is very helpful. The reflection/study guide questions are also well written and will provide for deeper learning, discussion and application. There is a considerable amount of information and detail to work through and I would suggest that people work through the book at a steady pace so that they can fully digest that immense learning and insights that this book will give. Adrian Kistan, Principal Consultant, Intercultural Solutions, Australia More than ever, cultural intelligence is a much-needed competence to grow, develop and nurture. Current fears and conflicts on the global and in local contexts, and not the least in churches, underscore this. Through this timely volume, Osoba O. Otaigbe brings his expertise as a cultural intelligence researcher, and years of experience working in cross-cultural and diverse contexts to offer an invaluable resource for churches. Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry draws on a variety of scholarly sources, biblical texts, and practical examples to provide readers with helpful insights and questions for reflection on developing cultural awareness, intelligence and competence. A welcome resource for ministerial/missional formation and both denominational and local church leadership! Michael N. Jagessar (Revd Dr) Global and Intercultural Ministries, United Reformed Church (UK)

An intercultural ministry expert demonstrates the necessity of Cultural Intelligence for effectively serving an increasingly diverse church and world.

The United States is currently undergoing the most rapid demographic shift in its history. By 2050, white Americans will no longer comprise a majority of the population. Instead, they'll be the largest minority group in a country made up entirely of minorities, followed by Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans. Past shifts in America's demographics always reshaped the county's religious landscape. This shift will be no different. Soong-Chan Rah's book is intended to equip evangelicals for ministry and outreach in our changing nation. Borrowing from the business concept of "cultural intelligence," he explores how God's people can become more multiculturally adept. From discussions about cultural and racial histories, to reviews of case-study churches and Christian groups that are succeeding in bridging ethnic divides, Rah provides a practical and hopeful guidebook for Christians wanting to minister more effectively in diverse settings. Without guilt trips or browbeating, the book will spur individuals, churches, and parachurch ministries toward more effectively bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News for people of every racial and cultural background. Its message is positive; its potential impact, transformative.

To preach effectively in today's world, preachers need cultural intelligence. They must build bridges between listeners who come from various denominations, ethnicities, genders, locations, religious backgrounds, and more. Experienced preacher and teacher Matthew Kim provides a step-by-step template for cross-cultural hermeneutics and homiletics, equipping preachers to reach their varied listeners in the church and beyond. Each chapter includes questions for individual thought or group discussion. The book also includes helpful diagrams and images, a sample sermon, and appendixes for exegeting listeners and for exploring cultural differences.

Twenty-first-century society is diverse, and Christians must be able to understand other cultures and communicate effectively between and among them. Following up on the bestselling Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers, this new addition to the Youth, Family, and Culture series explores the much-needed skill of Cultural Intelligence (CQ), the ability to work effectively across national, ethnic, and even organizational cultures. While rooted in sound, scholarly research, Cultural Intelligence is highly practical and accessible to general readers. It will benefit students as well as guide ministry leaders interested in increasing their cultural awareness and sensitivity. Packed with assessment tools, simulations, case studies, and exercises, Cultural Intelligence will help transform individuals and organizations into effective intercultural communicators of the gospel. EXCERPT What do you do when you encounter someone who isn't like you? How do you feel? What goes on inside you? How do you relate to him or her? These are the kinds of questions we want to explore in this book. Few things are more basic to life than expressing love and respect for people who look, think, believe, act, and see differently than we do. We want to adapt to the barrage of cultures around us while still remaining true to ourselves. We want to let the world change us so that we can be part of changing the world. And we want to move from the desire to love across the chasm of cultural difference to the ability to express our love for people of difference. Relating lovingly to our fellow human beings is central to what it means to be human. And when it comes down to it, Christian ministry at its core is interacting with all kinds of people in ways that give them glimpses of Jesus in us. The billions of us sharing planet Earth together have so much in common. We're all born. We all die. We're all created in the image of God. We eat, sleep, persevere, and care for our young. We long for meaning and purpose, and we develop societies with those around us. But the way we go about the many things we have in common is deeply rooted in our unique personalities and cultures. So although we have so much in common, we have as much or more about us that's different.

Short-term mission trips are great ways to impact the kingdom. Yet they can lack effectiveness because of mistakes or naiveté on the part of participants. In this insightful and timely book, David A. Livermore calls us to serve with our eyes open to global and cultural realities so we can become more effective cross-cultural ministers. Serving with Eyes Wide Open is a must-have book for anyone doing a short-term mission or service project, whether domestic or overseas. Foreword by Paul Borthwick.

Sticky Faith delivers positive and practical ideas to nurture within your kids a living, loving faith that lasts a lifetime. Research indicates that almost half of high school seniors drift from their faith after graduation. Struck by this staggering statistic, and recognizing its ramifications, the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) conducted the "College Transition Project" in an effort to identify the relationships and best practices that can set young people on a trajectory of lifelong faith and service. This easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to actively encourage their children’s spiritual growth so that it will stick with them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith. Written by Fuller Youth Institute Executive Director Dr. Kara E. Powell and youth expert Chap Clark--authors known for the integrity of their research and the intensity of their passion for young people--Sticky Faith is geared to spark a movement that empowers adults to develop robust and long-term faith in kids of all ages. Further engage your family and church with the Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, Sticky Faith curriculum, and Sticky Faith youth worker edition. Sticky Faith is also available in Spanish, Cómo criar jóvenes de fe sólida.

This book reformulates Christian education as an interdisciplinary and interdenominational vocation for professionals and practitioners. It speaks directly to a range of contemporary contexts with the aim of encouraging conceptual, empirical and practice-informed innovation to build the field of Christian education research. The book invites readers to probe questions concerning epistemologies, ethics, pedagogies and curricula, using multidisciplinary research approaches. By helping thinkers to believe and believers to think, the book seeks to stimulate constructive dialogue about what it means to innovate Christian education research today.Chapters are organised into three main sections. Following an introduction to the volume's guiding framework and intended contribution (Chapter 1), Part 1 features conceptual perspectives and comprises research that develops theological, philosophical and theoretical discussion of Christian education (Chapters 2-13). Part 2 encompasses empirical research that examines data to test theory, answer big questions and develop our understanding of Christian education (Chapters 14-18). Finally, Part 3 reflects on contemporary practice contexts and showcases examples of emerging research agendas in Christian education (Chapters 19-24).