Insights on Multicultural Leadership

As we seek to engage Gen Z, the most diverse and global generation in history, we must continue to grow as multicultural leaders and organizations. I recently read a research study by international church planter, Mark McKinstry, that provided some powerful encouragement on multicultural leadership from the Bible. The following is an excerpt from Mark’s Thesis on how the leaders and church at Antioch modeled multicultural leadership:

Musvosvi (2010) wrote, “The church at Antioch was as close to being a model as one gets in its ability to understand and constructively deal with multi-ethnic situations” (p. 48). If this is the case, what did the leadership and membership look like?

Some of our best clues are found in the words of the Bible. Luke, the author of Acts, describes the leadership team of the Church of Antioch, “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul” (Acts 13:1). Based on this, we know the Antioch Church leadership team was formed out of a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-class group of people.

Barclay (1957) explains the diverse team further, 
       Barnabas was a Jew from Cyprus; Lucius from Cyrene in North Africa; Simeon was also a Jew but his   
       other name Niger is given and, since this is a Roman name, it shows that he must have moved in Roman
       circles; Manaen was a man with aristocratic connections, and Paul himself a Jew from Tarsus of Cilicia
       and a trained rabbi. (p. 115)
 Regarding the leadership team, Steel (2018) commented, 
      Paul and Barnabas were both Jewish but had been raised outside Palestine. Both were fluent in Jewish
      language and customs, but they also spoke Aramaic and Greek. Then there’s Manaen, a man who grew
      up with incredible opportunity and education within the household of Herod Antipas. Next there’s Lucius
      of Cyrene, from North Africa, who may have been one of the initial evangelists who arrived amid
      persecution and began \ reaching out to Greeks. And last but not least was Simon called Niger, who
      was most likely a black African. (para. 12)

The unity of this diverse leadership team became a powerful symbol to the membership of the church and to the city where they lived (Steel, 2018). Additionally, the membership of the Church of Antioch was a reflection of the leadership team. The members were made up of multiple cultures, language groups, ethnicities, and social classes.

When I interviewed Mark on my podcast, I asked him what lessons leaders today can take from the life of Barnabas, one of the key leaders on the multicultural team in Antioch. He encouraged:

• Be a listener.
• Slow down, take time with people.
• Prioritize people, meet them where they are at.

In conclusion, Mark made a powerful statement that can encourage us all as we lead a diverse generation: “Here’s what happens when we as leaders dare to embrace the discomfort of being around people not like us, or listening to people that maybe we disagree with, I think we grow and become better. And when we grow and become better, our organizations grow and become better.”

Good questions for each of us to ask ourselves include, “How am I actively engaging those who are different than me or who disagree with me?” “How can I embrace the discomfort and learning that can come with diversity?” “How am I developing and encouraging a multicultural team around me?”

Barclay, W. (1957). The letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. Westminster John Knox Press.
Musvosvi, J. (2010). Race, ethnicity, and tribal conflicts. Journal of Adventist Mission Studies,6(1), Article 5.
Steel, D. (2018, July 25). What the diverse Church in Antioch can teach us today. Retrieved from 
      https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/diverse-church-antioch-teach-today/

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