Cruise Control Off: Cultural Intelligence For Engaging “Them” Who Are Not Like “Me”

By Gabriela Phillips and Carmelo Mercado

Now that I think about it, it was almost comical. It was the NAD year-end meeting when I observed an older Hispanic pastor trying to engage a young Anglo-American one. As Pastor Luis moved closer, Pastor John backed away. With each step, I could see John's body stiffening and I could almost guess the parallel conversation going on inside his head. It took nearly 20 minutes of “waltzing” in the hall for Pastor Luis to realize that “Anglos” needed a larger personal bubble!

What do you do when you encounter someone who isn’t like you? How do you feel? How do you respond respectfully, remaining true to yourself? Can it really be that some pastors are socially intelligent in their own settings but ineffective in culturally new ones? Can you adapt to the multiplicity of cultures around you without becoming a chameleon? 

It’s at the crossroads of diverse cultures that we can encounter our greatest challenges, greatest self-discoveries and opportunities for growth. And as the world around us becomes increasingly more diverse, only living among people like ourselves may prove to be impossible.

Although some aspects of cultural intelligence are innate, anyone reasonably observant, motivated to experiment, and flexible can attain an acceptable level of cultural intelligence if trained.

Cultural intelligence is related to emotional intelligence, but it picks up where emotional intelligence leaves off. A person with high emotional intelligence grasps what makes us human and at the same time what makes each of us different from one another. A person with high cultural intelligence can somehow tease out the features of a person’s or group’s behavior that would be true to a particular people group.

With training, it is possible to gain some understanding as to how much of Pastor Luis’s behavior was idiosyncratic and how much was culturally shaped; because unlike other aspects of our personality, cultural intelligence can be developed.

So, we are here to help you.

Today we are launching a new three-pronged initiative. On the one hand, we want to expand your understanding, getting underneath the hood, so to speak, of cultural dynamics. On the other hand, we will provide you with field-tested skills for expanding your cultural intelligence and practice for an effective cross-cultural ministry in your local church. And finally, we want to invite you to a transformative journey where God can show you how best to reflect his image (love) across people who are not like you. As you know, cultural intelligence is one of our core competencies. As we develop new content, please send us your questions and stories.

So, what is unique about our approach to developing your cultural intelligence? While secular approaches will offer you a plethora of great tips and info about different cultures so that you learn to navigate them, we trust that God will use the information we share to enlarge your heart. We pray that you’ll be transformed to be able to express love to people from different cultures while remaining true to yourself. Nothing’s wrong with gaining a better understanding of diverse cultures and their dos and don’ts. The problem is that such an approach does not go far enough. How on earth are you to fulfill the divine mandate of "Go and make disciples of all nations," if all you have is a list of how not to become detestable in a particular culture?

Till now, most training on cross-cultural ministry has been geared toward overseas missionaries, and books on cultural intelligence have been written to improve team performance across multinational business. Here at NAD, we believe our pastors should not be left out, so every month you will find biblical reflections on how to view culture and how to engage diverse cultures with a biblically shaped worldview. We will share case studies specifically in the context of churches, showcase working models and bring you stories that will describe the processes operating in becoming a more rounded person.

Ready? Let’s take our first step together. It begins with understanding ourselves. Follow the link and start your self-assessment. 

See you in two weeks!

Gabriela Phillips serves as the coordinator for Adventist Muslim Relations in the North American Division.  

Carmelo Mercado has served in his current role as the Lake Union’s general vice president for 18 years. He is also Multicultural Ministries director for the Lake Union and secretary for the Adventist-laymen's Services & Industries (ASI) Lake Union chapter.

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Here are two books, recommended by the authors above, that teach about cultural intelligence. Click the pictures to learn more about each book.