L.E.A.R.N. how to create unity

Bob Whitesel Feb. 22, 2020

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Many churches have grown by adding congregants (and sub-congregations) from different cultures. But oftentimes there is only minor communication, history sharing and differences being addressed.

To help churches create diversity and unity, I’ve created five steps to bridge cultural gaps. These steps can be remembered by the acronym: L.E.A.R.N.

1. Learn

This means that each culture within a church must begin by learning about and understanding the cultures of other congregants. Today diversity among ethnic cultures is growing. But for simplicity, let’s begin with an example about age-cultures (i.e., generations).  

When a church has different age cultures, cultural learning begins when the older members learn about young family members and vice versa. The young family members have very different expectations, needs and expectations of a faith community. And the older members have powerful traditions and memories that influence their decisions about the future. 

Plus, older members often have more influence. Therefore, learning begins by researching the books, stories, blogs and social media of the other culture. Before cross-cultural communication begins it’s important for each side to understand the history, values and aspirations of the other culture.

But as noted above, this does not extend only to generational cultures, although generational cultures are often the easiest with which to start because they are prevalent. Such cross-cultural learning involves all cultures, whether they are ethnic cultures or affinity cultures (e.g. interest groups such as people who enjoy cooking, people who enjoy sports and sports teams, people who enjoy activities such as riding motorcycles or those who enjoy travel). 

The key is to start by researching and learning about the other culture before you undertake in-depth communication with the people in it. This could take anywhere from several weeks to several months.

2. Experience 

The second step is create shared experiences with people of the another culture. This means not just going to lunch with them, but going to the places where the other culture gathers. Christian anthropologist Paul Hiebert, in his book, Cultural Anthropology,defined culture as people who join together because of “shared patterns of behavior, ideas and products.” Thus, you can’t come to know a culture without spending time in its environments where its artifacts, behaviors and ideas will surround you.

For example, attendees of a young married small group could visit a Sunday morning Sunday school class of senior adults. Often in their classrooms senior adults will proudly display mementoes from their history. Asking about these mementoes and learning about them creates understanding about a culture. Next, the older group could attend an event for young families as they begin to understand their culture.

Though generational differences are an easy place to start because most churches have at least two generational cultures, it’s not the most challenging. It’s even more important for experiences to take place between people from more diverse chasms. 

When a church has a congregation that has English as a second language meeting in its building, it’s important that each culture experiences the classrooms, worship services and social functions that the other culture enjoys. Wide cultural gaps can only be bridged by lengthy experiences.

3. Action

This is action in love and unity to meet a community need. Jesus reminds us our “love” is “how everyone will recognize” that we are his followers, saying, “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other” (John 13:35 MSG).

And in John 17:20-21 Jesus prayed his followers would also be known for their “unity,” saying, “The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me” (MSG).

Jesus personally demonstrated that a love toward others can be manifest in meeting the needs of those who are disenfranchised. And he modeled that our goal of unity is not self-serving, but rather so that we can better meet needs of others outside of our faith community.

Action to meet a community need begins by discovering the needs of non-churchgoers. Then it continues by yoking two or more divergent cultures together to meet that need. 

Rubbing shoulders is a great way to get to know one other, but serving those in need is an even better way to get to know those served … and the servers.  In Ephesians 2:10 we are reminded, “He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing” (MSG). Thus, in addition to fellowshipping with people of other cultures, we want to partner with them to serve the needy together.

This is the most often overlooked step, probably because it requires time, commitment and action. But without this step multicultural understanding will not go deep enough. 

I believe it’s very difficult to become united in diversity if we are focused on ourselves and our differences. Rather, we should be focused on meeting those outside our faith community. That process will take the focus off of ourselves and place it on others.

4. Reconcile

Our participation in a ministry of reconciliation can best be understood by looking at 2 Corinthians 5:16-20:

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! … (5:16-18, MSG)

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (5: 19-20, NIV) 

This passage reminds us that God came to earth and immersed himself in our culture in order to better communicate himself to us. And he brought about our reconciliation with the Father because of this. Therefore, “he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV). 

Salvation is the most important aspect of God’s reconciling people to himself, because it bridges our supernatural chasm and creates a bridge to eternity. 

But the ministry of reconciliation also includes reconciliation between different cultures, as we see when Paul (formally Saul), a collaborator with the Roman occupiers against the Jews, is reconciled at the Council of Jerusalem to the Jews he once persecuted (Acts 15). And we see this in the statement, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” (Galatians 3:28, NIV). 

Throughout the New Testament we observe reconciliation between occupiers and the persecuted, women and men, slaves and free, criminal tax gatherers and pharisaical religious leaders. 

Though empowered by love and unity, such reconciliation between cultures only takes place deliberately. It involves sharing hopes and hurts with another culture. And the other culture must take responsibility for any hurts it has inflicted. It has to understand and repent of those hurts and ask the culture that it has hurt for forgiveness.

And, this goes both ways. After one culture has shared how it’s been hurt, the other culture should explain how it’s been hurt. Then forgiveness for each should commence.  

This can go on for many sessions, involving many years. In fact, it should be an ongoing dialogue, because it takes the dialogue deeper into hurts and aspirations. This is crucial for unity among diversity to mature.

5. Narrative

Researchers have long known that if a story is attached, that change will be more likely to happen. We see this exemplified in Jesus’ use of parables to help his learners remember and live out the principles he taught.

Today, allowing conversion stories about reconciliation to take place between God and humans is very important. In fact, researcher Amanda Drury, in the book, Saying is Believing, found that sharing personal conversion stories is one of the most important things a person who may want God to change them can hear.

But narrative sharing also means sharing stories of cultural reconciliation. These can be shared personally in a small environment or in a large gathering via video. The idea is to allow stories to emerge that describe the reconciliation and unity that the Holy Spirit is developing in a faith community.

Finally, sharing such stories and narratives is not a “one and done” event. Narratives must continue on a regular basis for people to see how God continues to work, reconciling people to himself and to one another.

Following these five steps (Learn, Experience, Act, Reconcile and Narrative) is not quick, nor easy. However, it is necessary, especially for a Christian leader who wishes to create not just diversity, but unity as well.

Photo source: istock 

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Bob Whitesel (D.Min., Ph.D.) is a foresight coach, professor, and award-winning author of 14 books. For over 30 years, he has guided leaders and churches to pivot and engage what’s next. He holds two earned doctorates from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches on leadership foresight, church health, and organizational change. His website is www.ChurchForesight.com. Learn More »

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