The main idea of this book originated from pastoral concerns about church leaders in New Zealand, who were struggling with leadership challenges in parish ministry.
They are defined as “transcultural leaders” who speak English as a second language and minister to the parishioners of European descent. Being mindful of the challenges which include language barriers, cultural differences, theological diversity, and colonial mentality, the book introduces a model of leadership that was developed through literary review on multi-cultural leadership as well as leadership in general, biblical exegesis and examination, and a case study. Emphasising a lifelong leadership development, this book attempts to help transcultural leaders enhance leadership competences and bring out the best in themselves.
Chapter One explores the ministry context of a suburban parish—Crossway Community Church—in Christchurch, New Zealand, where transcultural leadership has been exercised for the last sixteen years. A brief history of two congregations—Presbyterian and Methodist—is introduced, and the specific circumstances caused by the Christchurch Earthquakes 2011 are described, under which the parish practiced its collaborative leadership in response to a natural disaster. The description includes the post-earthquake ministry, strategic planning, a public-private partnership project with the Christchurch City Council, and a multilateral partnership project. The chapter closes with the story of youth worker appointment.
Chapter Two begins with exploring the contemporary culture that has a strong influence on the lives of people. A better understanding of the current culture is critical for church leadership in that it has formed the cultural context of parish ministry. Being aware of the external context that surrounds the church and of the challenges that church leaders of color are facing, the chapter explores transcultural leadership, which includes its definition and characteristics, and clarifies the target context that this project aims at in the development of a model of transcultural leadership. The chapter also points out the challenges and potentials that contemporary culture brings.
Chapter Three attempts to identify biblical principles for leadership in general, and for transcultural leadership specifically, as well. The parable of “The Prodigal Son” in Luke 15 is studied in search of a new leadership paradigm for church leadership in the contemporary ministry context. It also explores the stories of six leaders in Scripture who exercised transcultural leadership—Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Esther, Mordecai, and Paul—in the hope to identify leadership principles for the contemporary church leaders who are, or will be, engaged in the transcultural ministry.
Chapter Four establishes a model of transcultural leadership by introducing a Transcultural Leadership Window that comprises a rectangular pane and the four frames that illustrate five transcultural leadership components. As part of the development, a new leadership paradigm is introduced, which is undergirded by two biblical leadership principles—sharing compassion and valuing spontaneity—that were identified in the previous chapter. The chapter also expounds colonial mentality, which is believed to be the greatest obstacle for transcultural leaders. Finally, the chapter presents the implications for the ministry challenges in the life of the Methodist Church of New Zealand.
