The Joys and Challenges of Multicultural Teams
A growing number of Christar workers are serving on multi-cultural teams! Below, a worker serving in South Asia shares what’s encouraging and challenging about serving on a multinational team, as well as what helps this team serve God in unity.
In the past, my husband and I have worked on teams with Americans, but now our team consists of an Indian couple, Chinese ladies from Hong Kong and my husband and me from Canada—however, we were both raised overseas, so that complicates matters.
So, what is encouraging about working on a multicultural team?
- We see a small glimpse of what the body of Christ looks like: those from every tongue and nation.
- We have learned about far more than just the country and culture of the place where we have moved.
What is challenging?
- The process of team building takes a lot more effort and work; therefore we may feel things don’t move ahead very quickly.
- Expectations, communication and leadership are areas that are valued differently in different cultures, so this may cause frustration, misunderstandings or anxiety.
- As Canadians, we like to be viewed separately from the Americans. Though our cultures are very similar, there is enough uniqueness, especially in values, that misunderstandings can result.
What is helpful?
- Grace!
- Patience.
- Good, clear communication.
- A willingness to listen and learn from each other.
- A willingness to celebrate one another’s cultures.
Related Projects
Help us serve the Body of Christ as its members invest their gifts, skills, vocations, time and resources to mobilize the gospel to the least-reached.
Provide Christian education in English for children in South Asia with few opportunities.
Help a South Asian church finish constructing a building and increase its ability to reach out.
Equip spiritual leaders for planting and strengthening churches in the Arab World.
Help meet the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of refugees and other marginalized people in the Middle East.
Help recruit and prepare workers from throughout the world outside of North America to serve in Muslim communities.
Equip Filipino believers to plant churches among some of the hardest-to-reach people groups in the world.
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Introduce people to Jesus Christ in places where there is little or no Christian witness.
Help mobilize new workers and equip them to share the message of Christ.
Equip Christar workers to provide short-term assistance in the wake of natural disasters or other crises, laying the foundation for future ministry.
Your gifts empower Christar Workers to share transforming hope
with communities around the world.
Enable a Persian to hear the gospel or help train Persian believers for ministry.
Equips South Asian believers to plant reproducing fellowships in small villages and support the ministries of their churches.
Help workers and local believers continue to serve and thrive in hard places.
In a community with no known believers, a new multipurpose building will provide opportunities to grow connections, meet needs and share Christ.
Help Middle Eastern followers of Christ learn how to apply and share biblical truth.
SESaMe disperses bite-sized pieces of the Word of God to least-reached people in a country with little access to this good news.
Help cultivate Christ-honoring transformation through medical care in Albania.
Equipping pathways help prepare aspiring cross-cultural workers for life and ministry in least-reached communities.
Ministry in least-reached communities is hard. Our Member Care team invests heart and skill to help workers serve to the best of their ability.
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