Principles for Healthy and Respectful Intercultural Engagement in Church Communities

The journey toward becoming an intercultural church is both a spiritual calling and a practical challenge. As part of the ongoing development of the Intercultural Tool Kit, several foundational resources have been identified to help congregations move from a "multicultural" presence to true "intercultural" engagement.

One such resource is “Principles for Healthy and Respectful Intercultural Engagement in Church communities". These 6 principals help churches ground their intercultural work in our faith and love for the God in Jesus, and help us love our neighbours in respectful and thoughtful ways.

Principles for Healthy and Respectful Intercultural Engagement in Church Communities

1. Intentional Faith-Based Endeavour in Cultural Contexts: Interculturality requires a deliberate, faith-rooted effort to engage with diverse cultures. It is about seeing faith as deeply connected to cultures, where the coming together of different cultural groups presents opportunities for growth and understanding, rather than problems to be fixed.
2. The Challenge and Divine Aspiration of Interculturality: Engaging interculturally is a challenging yet sacred process, fundamental to creating an inclusive society where no single cultural group prevails. It goes beyond mere techniques, demanding active learning, adaptation, and a commitment to develop the necessary skills and character formations.
3. Fostering Dialogue and Shared Vision: Essential to intercultural engagement is the fostering of diplomacy, compromise, dialogue, and a common vision. These elements are key to inspiring and maintaining collective efforts, helping to bridge cultural understandings and encouraging the formation of new, respectful, and value-driven relationships.
4. Exploration and Integration in Unfamiliar Domains: This involves venturing into new cultural territories, identifying points of divergence and convergence among different cultures while actively rejecting elements that dominate or oppress. It is about ensuring inclusivity, where all voices, irrespective of cultural background, are heard and valued.
5. Embracing Change with Humility and Critical Reflection: Acknowledging the limits of one's own cultural perspective is crucial, as is the willingness to embrace change and consider that other cultural views might offer more comprehensive understandings of reality. Engaging in intercultural relationships necessitates a humble approach and openness to reevaluate personal interpretations of reality and faith. 
6. Bridging Cultures Through Self-Reflection and Interconnection: Intercultural engagement calls for using one's cultural and social location as a bridge towards others, not as a barrier. It involves critical thinking about personal biases and the dynamics of power in intercultural relationships, always mindful of the tendency to exert dominance or impose cultural norms.

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