Churches, Cultures and Leadership

What is lacking for leadership in multicultural churches?
When Moses left Egypt he was leading a “mixed multitude.” The first followers of Jesus also soon learned that the Holy Spirit was leading them to cross the traditional boundaries that separated the diverse cultures of their time.
This book focuses above all on the churches of the United States and on the way in which these churches should remain faithful to the calling of God within their current context. We live in a nation that is culturally diverse, and almost all of our cities and our neighborhoods are witnesses of that diversity. That diversity is evident in our mass media outlets, in our shopping malls and in our schools. Even though it may be less noticeable in our churches, it is increasingly visible there as well. In this book, we want to pay more attention, looking with God’s wisdom and faithfulness at the intercultural life that is developing within each church and also at the relationships between the different churches and their neighbors.
We have all grown and developed within a historical context of prejudices and racism. We have these influences in our minds and our hearts, and often these are reflected in our actions, our decisions and our words. The authors believe that the presence of the kingdom of God on the earth, which was introduced in the life, death and resurrection of Christ, is a presence that must be characterized by a ministry of reconciliation. These things are what motivated these authors to write this book. They wanted to encourage church leaders to create an atmosphere in which the initiatives of reconciliation would become more evident within the internal life of the churches, in our missionary work, and within our neighborhoods and cities.