Our family had been in our host country for less than six months. We were attending our first formal banquet. I had one job: introduce my family. I stood with nervous confidence and said, “Let me introduce you to my family. My name is Cris. This is my eggplant, Dena.”

Yep! That’s a cross-cultural misstep. This mistake wasn’t my first, and it certainly wouldn’t be my last.

If you’d like to improve your cultural intelligence and avoid the worst mistakes, we’re hosting an event just for you.

The chances of cross-cultural missteps are pretty high in a city as diverse as Houston.

A Multicultural City

What are your chances for cross-cultural missteps? You might think it only happens overseas, but cross-cultural interactions happen all the time in Houston. We encounter an amazing diversity of people in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and restaurants daily.

The chances are pretty high in the church, too. Increasingly, we find ourselves in fellowship with believers from a wide variety of backgrounds as we worship, attend small groups, and serve on ministry teams or church staff.

An Age-Old Struggle

Cultural missteps are nothing new.

Peter and the other apostles had to make sure that Jewish believers in Jerusalem didn’t overlook Greek-speaking widows in the daily distribution of food. Paul had to correct Jewish believers in Galatia who insisted that Greeks become Jews first, then followers of Christ.

These were more than simple missteps. The unity of the church was at risk in Jerusalem, the essence of the gospel was at risk in Galatia.

The deeper we go into cross-cultural relationships, the greater the danger of our missteps causing lasting—even eternal—harm.

Cultural blind spots can cause believers to miss open doors for the gospel with neighbors and co-workers. What we see as an interruption in our schedule, might be an invitation into a genuine relationship.
Similar words or gestures different cultural contexts can easily miscommunicate the gospel.
Immigrant and refugee families can experience stress when the children, growing up in American culture, clash with their parents and grandparents.
Cross-cultural missteps can wound believers, break fellowship, and render any multicultural staff ineffective.
Cultural misunderstandings can turn church planting partnerships into shallow, contractual agreements that have little hope of weathering the challenges of kingdom advance.
Cross-cultural missionary teams, a growing phenomenon in international missions, suffer when one culture dominates the others.

How can we sharpen our skills to be more effective in cross-cultural interactions?

A workshop to grow your CQ

We want to help grow in your ability to relate and work cross-culturally, so we’re hosting the Cultural Intelligence [CQ] Workshop.

Cultural Intelligence was developed by David Livermore, who has a background in cross-cultural ministry, a masters in systematic theology, and a Ph.D. in sociology. His industry-standard training is offered in more than 100 countries to equip businesses and nonprofits to work together with those from different backgrounds.

Hal Cunnyngham from the International Mission Board (SBC) will lead our workshop. The workshop combines the insights from Cultural Intelligence with the servant leadership of Jesus to help believers, families, churches, and organizations understand and serve one other better. Though designed for international missionary teams, this workshop will help anyone who wants to work more effectively in cross-cultural settings.

Tuesday, May 13 from 9am - 3pm

Faith Center, 8009 Long Point Rd, Houston, TX 77055
$20 per person - price includes lunch and the Cultural Intelligence assessment
Registration is limited.
Please register by April 1. This will allow you time to complete the assessment and pre-assignments.

Register Here

C. S. Lewis once remarked, “Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction.” I would add that two cultures are better than one for the same reason.