The Challenges of Multiculturalism for the American Church

Malcolm Webber, Ph.D.

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Introduction

The author owns three world maps. All three are flat, projecting the surface of the globe on a plane. The first map is the traditional kind, with Europe and Africa in the middle, the Americas to the west and Asia to the east, thus revealing how the terms "the West" and "the East" were products of a Euro-centered world view. The second map shows the Americas in the center with Africa, a tiny Europe and half of the former Soviet Union to the east, and with Australia, Asia, India and the other half of the Soviet Union to the west. According to this map, the East is now in the west! The third map, bought in Australia, is similar to the second but upside-down: the south is on the top and the north is on the bottom! Which of these maps is correct? All three, of course! The earth is round and any point on its surface is as much the center of the world as any other. However, all peoples have traditionally considered their country the center of the world, and they act accordingly (cf. Hofstede, 1997, p. xii).

Parochialism means "viewing the world solely through one’s own eyes and perspective. A person with a parochial perspective neither recognizes other people’s different ways of living and working nor appreciates that such differences have serious consequences" (Adler, 1997, p. 10). The American church suffers from parochialism. The cultural values of the United States underlie and have fundamentally framed many of our current models of church structure and leadership. This approach, while yielding valuable models and theories regardin ricans in American churches is, however, quite inadequate for a church landscape that is becoming increasingly multicultural. Moreover, little research yet exists explaining the specific ways in which American-based church organization and leadership theories must be altered to become applicable in a ministry context that is rapidly changing.

The author demonstrates in this paper the implicit parochialism of many current models and theories of organizational leadership in America, while asserting the need – both demographically and scripturally – for models that intentionally embrace the increasingly multicultural scope of Christian ministry in this country. After a discussion of the benefits and challenges of multiculturalism, the author defines culture and values, and deals with the issues of cultural convergence and assimilation. The author then presents Geert Hofstede’s (1980a) famous "4-D model" as an effective paradigm for understanding the dimensions of culture, discusses the consequences of culture for organizational leadership, and concludes with a series of recommendations for American church leaders. The purpose of the author is to encourage church leaders in America to seek a greater awareness of the perils, promises and paths of ministry to the "mixed multitude" around them, all for whom the Lord Jesus died.

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Introduction

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© Malcolm Webber, Ph.D., www.healthyleaders.org.

Reproduced on this web site by permission.