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Churches, Cultures, and Leadership: A Practical Theology of Congregations and Ethnicities
We live in a culturally diverse society. As the church continues to heed Christ's call to reflect the multiethnic character of his people, pastors and lay leaders need to gain skills and competencies to serve in multicultural contexts, both inside and beyond their congregations. With this book, Mark Lau Branson and Juan F. Martínez equip leaders to create environments that make God's reconciling initiatives apparent in church life and in missional engagement with their neighborhoods and cities.
Drawing on courses they've taught at Fuller Theological Seminary, Branson and Martínez take an interdisciplinary approach that integrates biblical and theological study with sociology, cultural anthropology, leadership studies, and communications. The result is a rich blend of astute analysis and guidance for the practical implementation of a deeper intercultural life for the church.
Case studies, Bible studies, and exercises for personal and group reflection address real-life challenges and opportunities that arise in multiethnic contexts. Churches, Cultures, and Leadership offers not a static model but a praxis of paying attention, study, and discernment that can lead to genuine reconciliation and shared life empowered by the gospel.
This new edition is updated throughout to address current trends and sources, particularly emphasizing the continuing power of racism and how churches should respond.
Drawing on courses they've taught at Fuller Theological Seminary, Branson and Martínez take an interdisciplinary approach that integrates biblical and theological study with sociology, cultural anthropology, leadership studies, and communications. The result is a rich blend of astute analysis and guidance for the practical implementation of a deeper intercultural life for the church.
Case studies, Bible studies, and exercises for personal and group reflection address real-life challenges and opportunities that arise in multiethnic contexts. Churches, Cultures, and Leadership offers not a static model but a praxis of paying attention, study, and discernment that can lead to genuine reconciliation and shared life empowered by the gospel.
This new edition is updated throughout to address current trends and sources, particularly emphasizing the continuing power of racism and how churches should respond.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2011
78 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 5, 2025
After reading this book over the last few days, I’m in agreement with many of the other 2-3 ⭐️ reviews. The second edition of Churches, Cultures & Leadership has a number of issues but in my mind the worst is the poor handling of Scripture (particularly Acts 6). There are points here that I found helpful but the broad and generic application found at the end of the book is indicative of the whole.
Originally 3 ⭐️ and marking it down to 2 ⭐️
Originally 3 ⭐️ and marking it down to 2 ⭐️
August 10, 2024
3.0 // I read about 2/3 of this book for a seminary class. Overall this book gave me a lot to think about, and is challenging in a helpful way as I consider what it means for me and those with whom I partner in ministry to pursue the Great Commission in ways that reflect God’s heart for all peoples. And I do think the praxis cycle that Branson and Martínez set out here is important—especially the reflection and evaluation components, which I think can be sorely lacking.
The parts that I read, however, sometimes seemed to paint with too broad a brush, and there were a few of the Bible studies that I think missed the mark. For example, the claim that the choosing of men for the serving of widows as distinct from those who preach in Acts 6 goes against what the Spirit wanted… is this a common interpretation? It felt bizarre and forced as I read through their view. Things like this make me hesitant to recommend it fully.
The parts that I read, however, sometimes seemed to paint with too broad a brush, and there were a few of the Bible studies that I think missed the mark. For example, the claim that the choosing of men for the serving of widows as distinct from those who preach in Acts 6 goes against what the Spirit wanted… is this a common interpretation? It felt bizarre and forced as I read through their view. Things like this make me hesitant to recommend it fully.
October 23, 2023
This book started and ended well. It began with thought provoking theology and ended with helpful practicals. The middle was a difficult read but the end made it worth it!
July 30, 2021
There are just enough generalizations of ethnicities and cultures that I can’t recommend anyone read this. As a Chinese Taiwanese American, I was uncomfortable with parts and offended in one particular instance. Using the adjective ‘Oriental’ to describe a mind, is unacceptable. And the generalization given following this was just that. A generalization. An unhelpful one at that. At the end of the day, if you want to understand other cultures, you have to be willing to immerse yourself in it. There’s no short cut by reading a book.
September 30, 2018
Branson and Martinez offer an elaborate read on important matters of leading multicultural congregations. I think the text offers many important lessons about different styles of leadership and decision-making, but it reads a little dates and general. I'm unsure, even as an Arab, of how universal their principles lie. But I do think it awakens readers to the fact that different people favor different things. The collaborative, pluralistic leadership they describe is best caught rather than taught. So a book about might undermine it. I also wonder how accurate their descriptions are, and in our globalizing world, how relevant will they be in a decade or less? I wonder what a study of millennial immigrants would turn up. Most millennial first-generation immigrants I know don't fall into the categories listed by Branson and Martinez.
December 15, 2023
Churches, Cultures, and Leadership was originally published in 2011 by InterVarsity Press and authors Mark Lau Branson and Juan F. Martinez. The authors are both professors at Fuller Theological Seminary and have experience in cross-cultural and multicultural ministry. Branson is white, of Scots-Irish descent, and has a connection to the Asian community through his Chinese-American wife and has previously served in a primarily Black Christian college. Martinez is the Director of the Center for the Study of Hispanic Church and Community. This second edition contains updated references and stories, a reworking of the book’s structure, and the hope is for it to appeal to a new generation of pastors and seminary students. Since 2011, the United States has undergone a seismic shift in the conversation on racial justice and this new edition is meant to reflect that.
While Churches, Cultures, and Leadership is informative and comprehensive, it didn’t feel—to me—like a book written to address the current racial/cultural/ethnic trends within the church. It felt very dated in its some of its approaches and many of its anecdotes come from a previous generation. The book is structured more like textbook. Branson and Martinez have surveyed the literature—albeit older literature—well, and often reference or rely on these sources rather than bringing their own independent thoughts. This is all well and good for an academic context, but limits the accessibility in a pastoral or practical context.
Further, their content ends up being very generic. For example, in the final chapter “Leading Change,” their practical suggestions for leaders are things like “prioritize conversations,” “ask personal and family stories,” “be present and engaged in the neighborhood,” and “learn from other churches.” This advice is all well and good, but is general enough to apply to any leadership context. Individuals seeking specific advice or knowledge for a particular cultural context will not find it here. In attempting to build a broad practical theology of congregations and ethnicities, Churches, Cultures, and Leadership loses any specificity for a particular context. The authors go as far as to say in the introduction that because of this general focus, “we can’t avoid a certain degree of stereotyping.”
A third criticism I have is the integration of what Branson and Martinez term “Bible studies” within the text. In the introduction, they write that these sections have been reworked from the original edition because readers “did not engage these materials as thoughtfully as we hoped.” These sections are reworked to fit into the chapter as a subsection, but they still aren’t well integrated into the text and now no longer create a cohesive Bible study. They retain the terminology of “Bible study” but what they really mean is that they will select a portion of Scripture to then relate to the chapter’s theme. It does not feel like a Bible study, but nor does it feel integrated into the rest of the chapter.
Nonetheless, there are some bright points to the book. I don’t feel like Churches, Cultures, and Leadership gives bad information, I just don’t know that given the explosion of literature in this field over the past decade, that this book measures up to the level of detail, specificity, and engagement that other books have given. This book is best used as part of a seminary course on multicultural leadership, as where it excels is in laying the general philosophical and biblical foundations of multicultural ministry. But overall, there are many books that accomplish the same goal as this one in much more passionate, engaging, and specific ways.
While Churches, Cultures, and Leadership is informative and comprehensive, it didn’t feel—to me—like a book written to address the current racial/cultural/ethnic trends within the church. It felt very dated in its some of its approaches and many of its anecdotes come from a previous generation. The book is structured more like textbook. Branson and Martinez have surveyed the literature—albeit older literature—well, and often reference or rely on these sources rather than bringing their own independent thoughts. This is all well and good for an academic context, but limits the accessibility in a pastoral or practical context.
Further, their content ends up being very generic. For example, in the final chapter “Leading Change,” their practical suggestions for leaders are things like “prioritize conversations,” “ask personal and family stories,” “be present and engaged in the neighborhood,” and “learn from other churches.” This advice is all well and good, but is general enough to apply to any leadership context. Individuals seeking specific advice or knowledge for a particular cultural context will not find it here. In attempting to build a broad practical theology of congregations and ethnicities, Churches, Cultures, and Leadership loses any specificity for a particular context. The authors go as far as to say in the introduction that because of this general focus, “we can’t avoid a certain degree of stereotyping.”
A third criticism I have is the integration of what Branson and Martinez term “Bible studies” within the text. In the introduction, they write that these sections have been reworked from the original edition because readers “did not engage these materials as thoughtfully as we hoped.” These sections are reworked to fit into the chapter as a subsection, but they still aren’t well integrated into the text and now no longer create a cohesive Bible study. They retain the terminology of “Bible study” but what they really mean is that they will select a portion of Scripture to then relate to the chapter’s theme. It does not feel like a Bible study, but nor does it feel integrated into the rest of the chapter.
Nonetheless, there are some bright points to the book. I don’t feel like Churches, Cultures, and Leadership gives bad information, I just don’t know that given the explosion of literature in this field over the past decade, that this book measures up to the level of detail, specificity, and engagement that other books have given. This book is best used as part of a seminary course on multicultural leadership, as where it excels is in laying the general philosophical and biblical foundations of multicultural ministry. But overall, there are many books that accomplish the same goal as this one in much more passionate, engaging, and specific ways.
December 11, 2023
Fun(ny) fact(s): I think the person who had this book before me was only required to read a few chapters of this because they heavily marked those up, but left the rest of the book untouched.
Favorite quote/image: "Leadership is about shaping environments in which the everyday people of the church find that their own imaginations can be engaged by God's initiatives for them and their neighbors...leaders do not need to know the way–we just need the capacities to encourage and guide connections, to link Scripture and context, to engage neighbors and members, and to sanction questions and insights and innovations." (pg. 231)
Honorable mention: "Congregational life is often the crucible in which we face ourselves, name those beliefs and behavioral patterns that harm others, and experience the grace of God that makes us a new creation. Reconciliation with God is always linked to social reconciliation–this is the grace and work of congregational formation, and it requires competent relational leadership." (pg. 63)
Why: This was an extremely boring book that felt very repetitive. However, some of their points about cross-cultural work (especially in a church context) were very interesting, and I appreciated how many practical case studies they provided.
Favorite quote/image: "Leadership is about shaping environments in which the everyday people of the church find that their own imaginations can be engaged by God's initiatives for them and their neighbors...leaders do not need to know the way–we just need the capacities to encourage and guide connections, to link Scripture and context, to engage neighbors and members, and to sanction questions and insights and innovations." (pg. 231)
Honorable mention: "Congregational life is often the crucible in which we face ourselves, name those beliefs and behavioral patterns that harm others, and experience the grace of God that makes us a new creation. Reconciliation with God is always linked to social reconciliation–this is the grace and work of congregational formation, and it requires competent relational leadership." (pg. 63)
Why: This was an extremely boring book that felt very repetitive. However, some of their points about cross-cultural work (especially in a church context) were very interesting, and I appreciated how many practical case studies they provided.
April 14, 2023
This is a great resource for multicultural churches and a practical theology of how and why churches should reflect their communities in their multicultural glory. The stories and examples are nuanced and offer complexity. The only problem was the organization. There are Bible studies, charts, models, and examples throughout each chapter, but not grouped for easy reference. Instead, they slightly interrupted the flow of the text.
November 30, 2017
Addresses an important topic for local churches in the U.S. today. Will churches be content being culturally homogenous, or will they strive for cultural/ethnic diversity that reflects the coming Kingdom of God? The authors did a good job of discussing this while giving practice suggestions and further resources.
March 10, 2022
An incredibly elucidating and helpful book. Branson & Martinez not only layout a paradigm for cross-culture competency (and humility), but artfully weave them into the life of congregational, leadership, and missional situations. Included are brief movie recommendations, Bible studies, and discussion questions that help you process the concepts.
July 20, 2019
I don't think this book could have been better. It contains detailed cultural analysis, research from the social sciences, interaction with Biblical narratives and teaching, and personal stories. an excellent resource for equipping people to engage in cross-cultural communication in communities.
August 12, 2020
A practical, helpful look at how to more effectively minister across cultures so that the life-transforming reality of the gospel can effectively impact our communities and the individuals that make them up.
May 8, 2018
Rightly Challenging to dominant white male based evangelical churches. Receptive ecumenism approach that uplifts the other.
February 16, 2020
Textbooky
January 1, 2021
This is a valuable book to help people think beyond their own cultural background as it applies to church.
June 7, 2023
Decent theoretical book
April 16, 2014
Much effort went into constructing this book. Branson & Martinez seek to address cultural diversity in the context of local churches. They address differences, theories of differences, and theorize how those specific differences have come about. They take this one step further and provide practical steps forward with real life examples/illustrations presenting their teaching point.
The reading is overly psychological at times, and overly "evangelical" at others. All in all, though, there truly needs to be more attention paid to books focusing on addressing cultural diversity in the local church context. Too often we settle for homogeneous viewpoint, portrayal, and theology.
The reading is overly psychological at times, and overly "evangelical" at others. All in all, though, there truly needs to be more attention paid to books focusing on addressing cultural diversity in the local church context. Too often we settle for homogeneous viewpoint, portrayal, and theology.
August 4, 2016
Several authors give valuable insights on an extremely wide range of topics. I'm sure you will find someone new to consider. I sure did!
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February 17, 2015Helpful perspective, insightful, and much needed in our global society.
April 8, 2015
Fantastic. We just need a Canadian version of these principles.
Read
June 12, 2017A great tool for diverse and pluralistic community or church.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews