by Christine Paterson
If I’m being honest, I struggle to read the news these days. I find myself quickly depressed at the apparent increase in fear, suspicion, and aggression towards anyone who is ‘other.’ It seems to me that a common wall of separation is culture. National culture, political culture, sociological culture — all contribute to these conflicts.
The church is called to be a model of unity, love, and truth across cultural boundaries. But to be effective in doing this, whether we’re crossing borders or welcoming people from many nations into our local church, cultural intelligence—the ability to understand, honour, and bridge cultural differences—is not optional, it’s essential!
A Gospel for All Nations
The Great Commission, given by Jesus to the whole church in every age, is unambiguous: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). From the beginning, the gospel was never meant to be confined to one culture.
At Pentecost, God made His intention clear when people from every nation heard the good news in their own languages (Acts 2). Heaven itself will be filled with “a great multitude . . . from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Rev. 7:9).
Yet, cultural misunderstanding can easily become a barrier to people receiving the gospel. We can unintentionally distort the message through the lens of our own cultural assumptions. How do we love people well when we don’t understand how they receive love or know what makes them feel valued and seen?
Cultural intelligence is not about diluting truth or compromising the gospel. It’s about embodying Christ’s love in a way people can understand. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” This is not hypocrisy; it’s humility. It’s the willingness to learn, adapt, and serve others above our own preferences.
Jesus, Son of God, stepped into our world, language, and customs. He walked among the people, understanding their context and speaking to their hearts. If “the Word became flesh and moved into our neighbourhood” (John 1:14 MSG), we too are called to enter into other people’s worlds — not just to be heard, but to understand and be understood.
Mission at Home and Abroad
Mission is not only about ‘going’; it is also about ‘receiving’ the nations that are coming to us. In churches around the world, especially in urban centres, congregations are becoming more culturally diverse.
Welcoming people from different backgrounds requires more than good intentions. It requires cultural intelligence: listening well, learning from others, avoiding assumptions, and making space for everyone to bring their whole selves into the Body of Christ.
Churches that lack cultural sensitivity can unintentionally alienate those they’re trying to welcome. On the other hand, communities that intentionally grow in cultural awareness become beautiful reflections of the Kingdom, where every voice matters and collectively all cultures are transformed to reflect Kingdom culture.
If you are on the field or are supporting those who are, you probably have some idea of what cultural intelligence is. But you may have connections ‘back home’ who would never have thought of their own need to get to grips with this concept or why it would even be relevant to them.
However, we believe that training in cultural intelligence is indeed relevant for sending churches, both to better support you in your cross-cultural challenges and within their congregations so that all are better equipped to reach their other-culture neighbours.
A Path to Healing in a Divided World
The world is increasingly polarised — politically, racially, and culturally. In such a context, the Church has a vital opportunity to model a better way: the kingdom way! Cultural intelligence helps us resist stereotypes, listen with empathy, and build authentic relationships. It’s a key tool in pursuing reconciliation and justice, grounded in the truth that all are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27).
The Church’s unity across diversity is not a side issue; it is the very evidence of the gospel’s power. Jesus prayed that His followers would be one, “so that the world may believe” (John 17:21). That unity doesn’t come from pretending we’re all the same. It comes from learning to love across our differences, the way Jesus taught us.
The unfamiliarity of different cultures often causes people (on all sides) to want to separate and build protective walls of belonging with ‘others like us.’ But culturally intelligent people will want to do the opposite. They will lean into the differences, show curiosity, spend time asking questions and listening to often heartbreaking stories. They will want to tear down what the Bible calls “the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph 2:14) and build instead a bridge of mutual understanding.
(For useful steps in how to do that, try watching this engaging Tedx talk from former Ugandan refugee to the UK, Faith Locken.)
That is surely our quest as we seek to tell a different story as we are bombarded with political rhetoric and social media. For many cultures, including in the Bible, hospitality is a huge value, and it isn’t just one way. So, we might invite the newcomer (perhaps a refugee across the road or a scholar from a ‘closed’ country) to our home, but then we must also accept their hospitality and eat their food — or maybe make food together.
In short, we do life with them, which will be costly in time but pay dividends in terms of connection. In time a bridge might be built into their community and ours.
How Can We Grow in Cultural Intelligence?
At FieldPartner we have recently released a course aimed at enabling anyone to grasp the fundamentals of what it takes to grow in cultural intelligence. The process begins by realising the extent to which we have been shaped by our own culture and how that can get in the way of our functioning effectively in culturally diverse settings. In the words of business leader and leadership guru Julia Middleton, “In a cross-cultural context, the culture most of us are least aware of and least coming to terms with is our own.”
We invite you to come on a journey of healthy introspection, where we reflect on how we all acquire our own culture, the baggage that comes with it, and how we can choose to change for the sake of greater cross-cultural understanding. Even better, there is an option to join a cohort with five or six other learners, where you can go through the content in your own time, then come together for discussion and sharing of perspectives and experiences, which makes the learning process that much richer.
Until May 23, 2025, we are offering a 30% discount for acquiring this course, which has been written and presented by our dean of studies Ben Gilbert and his wife Shiyani. It’s open to anyone in a local church who is aware of cultural dissonance, especially if their local community is experiencing an influx of other cultures. It is also applicable to those working in multicultural organisations/NGOs or to anyone interacting with other cultures.
We invite you to engage with the process of learning cultural intelligence. It is all about positioning ourselves in humility, so we are able to accept that we don’t always have the answers, adapt quickly to mistakes, and be teachable at all times and at all levels.
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Christine Paterson, together with her husband Ross, has served in the Chinese world over many decades. Ross first went to Asia in 1969. Over the years they have been involved in campus ministry, literature and radio work, placing of professionals across China, humanitarian projects in minority areas, and recently in cross-cultural training. Christine has a degree in linguistics, a diploma in theology, and is certified as an intercultural coach. Her passion is to see those who serve in other cultures thrive and be resilient for the long haul. Ross and Christine have five daughters and eight grandchildren. You can contact her with comments and suggestions at christine@fieldpartner.org.
