Culture, Diversity and Inclusion in Church Planting

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 Culture, Diversity and Inclusion in Church Planting.

During the 2019 Church Planting Conference, Pastor Norton Lages described diversity in Canada in this way: “Canadian culture treats other cultures like an abusive husband who sends his wife to counselling expecting her to change”. Although we claim to be an inclusive and egalitarian society, Canada, Lages contends, is abusive at worst and patronizing at best.

Like a domestic violence situation, it is a messy and at times hopeless situation which requires a brutal change. Lages uses the word ‘brutal’ intentionally. Such change is hard and painful. It requires great self-awareness and humility on the part of the abuser (majority cultures) and great self-awareness and courage on the part of the abused (minority cultures). He goes on to outline what is needed for true gospel inclusion:

1. Brutal Simplicity

Inclusion requires sharing the simple things of life with one another: meals, coffee, the precious commodity of time. All the things you do with those ‘‘like’ you seek to do with those unlike yourself.

2. Brutal Transparency

Inclusion requires real conversation. We must be honest with one another. It requires an unveiling of the deceitful things in your heart and a constant challenging your own conceptions in order to reveal the real reasons for discomfort when it comes to engaging other cultures.

3. Brutal Humility

Lages is a multi-ethnic man living in Quebec. After recognizing the touchy subject of Quebec nationalism, Lages argues that humility is needed in inclusion. Our way of doing things is merely one way amidst a garden of God-given cultural narratives. In particular, our way of doing missions, usually imbued with imported western concepts, is not necessarily the best way.

4. Brutal Gospel

All in all what is needed is the gospel of Jesus Christ, in whom there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free. For all are one in Christ Jesus.

Such begins our discussion on culture, diversity and inclusion in church planting. This section of the church planting manual will explore socioeconomic diversity. Though distinct from other forms of diversity, we hope this section will also be beneficial when considering other forms of diversity such as ethnicity, gender, age, ability, etc.