Introduction
Considering the escalating ethnic and cultural diversity within America, it is becoming increasingly important for leaders to understand and implement effective intercultural leadership techniques and cross-cultural approaches to communication. Such contemplations are especially necessary to Christian pastoral and missional efforts, as leaders attempt to communicate the gospel message, provide counseling, and offer an apologetic within a multicultural context. Fittingly, this paper will examine Leading Cross-Culturally: Covenant Relationships for Effective Christian Leadership, identifying definitive concepts of the publication and identifying their practical application value within the context of Christian ministry, while demonstrating …show more content…
Accomplishing this goal occurs as Lingenfelter elucidates specific characteristics of effective cross-cultural leadership, including building trust within a relational community, outlining a compelling vision for life, stepping out ahead (i.e., leading by example), and calling and empowering others to follow you. Employing numerous case studies during this process, Lingenfelter continually underscores the intrinsic challenges to multicultural ministry operations, while simultaneously emphasizing the practical application aspects of the discussion …show more content…
Lingenfelter puts it this way, “Leading cross-culturally is inspiring people who come from two or more cultural traditions to participate with you in building a community of trust and then to follow you and be empowered by you to achieve a compelling vision of faith.” Accordingly, leaders must look past project-focused leadership models, actively seeking to develop a culture of covenant community leadership. Such models divert authority away from the arbitrary rules of a governing individual, rightly recognizing Jesus as our ultimate authority. Lingenfelter comments, “This binding together is a three-way agreement of relationship—between people and people, and between people and God. Because God plays a central role in these relationships, people become accountable to standards of moral and ethical behavior that are centered in God.” Additionally, such efforts reinforce the organization vision, as derived from the Scriptures, thereby refocusing individual and organizational endeavors on Christ and His kingdom rather than institutional leaders. While building trust within a relational community requires significant investment, dedication, and vigilance, it provides a more biblically faithful model, while proving more effective in the