Leading Across Cultures: Effective Ministry and Mission in the Global Church

by James Plueddemann

The worldwide church is more interconnected than ever before, with missionaries going from everywhere to everywhere. Africans work with Australians in India. Koreans plant churches in London and Los Angeles. But globalization also creates challenges for crosscultural tension and misunderstandings, as different cultures have conflicting assumptions about leadership values and styles. Missiologist James E. Plueddemann presents a roadmap for crosscultural leadership development in the global church. With keen understanding of current research on cultural dynamics, he integrates theology with leadership theory to apply biblical insights to practical issues in world mission. Savvy discernment of diverse cultural underpinnings allows multicultural teams to work together with mutual respect for more effective ministry. The author shows how leaders can grow from an individualistic egocentric practice of leadership to a more global-centric approach. The future of the global church depends on effective multicultural leadership. God has called people from various contexts to minister and lead in every land for the sake of the gospel. Whether you are teaching English in China, directing information technology in Africa or pastoring a multiethnic church in North America, discover how you can better work and lead across cultures.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Christian, Christian Living, International, School, Cultural

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Zach Hollifield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly insightful. Hard to imagine this not being required reading for any long term cross cultural missionaries.

[Tommy Kiedis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thought of working cross-culturally is exciting, but the best intentions fail when leaders ignore the what and how of leading across cultures. James Plueddemann helps remedy that problem.

About the author:
Jim Plueddemann (Ph.D. Michigan State), served for many years with Serving In Missions (SIM) both as missionary and later, for ten years, as director. At home on the field or in the classroom, he also served as Professor Missions and chaired the Department of Missions and Evangelism (now Intercultural Studies) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Jim and Carol Plueddemann have co-written several books.

The book in a sentence (or two):
Christians from every nation are interacting cross-culturally more than ever. This creates rich opportunities for Kingdom collaboration, but also enhances global tensions when culturally diverse leadership values and styles clash. This book is a primer on how leaders foster mutual understanding, cooperation, and enhanced ministry to work together more effectively.

My quick take on Leading Across Cultures:
This book grew on me page by page, chapter by chapter. I started to write it off as rather basic. Happily, I kept going. Jim’s cross-cultural experience coupled with his careful biblical thought, helped to further refine my understanding of leadership and how to function more effectively in cross-cultural settings. Leading Across Cultures is a solid reference for leaders who want to improve, and an essential for leaders who want to engage other cultures more effectively at home or abroad.

Overview and Analysis::
Plueddemann will fool you. His rich storehouse of stories coupled with practical application might bring charges of a “soft work.” Don’t fall for that. This is praxis on display. As one has said, “The person who knows it best, explains it most clearly.” The author defines his terms (e.g. missionary, leadership, evangelism). He delivers a holistic perspective as you can see from the four parts of this book:

Part I: Multicultural Leadership in the Worldwide Church gives us the author’s own story coupled with his model of Cross Cultural Leadership.

Part 2: Leadership and Culture takes the reader on a deep dive, examining the research describing the impact of culture on leadership values. The author examines leadership and culture theologically, contextually (communication, time, church, leadership), from the perspective of power, and from the perspective of individualism. This portion was thorough.

Part 3: Contextualizing Leadership "deals with the problem of how universal biblical truth intersects with diverse cultural values." (149)

Part 4: Global Leadership Practice "applies insights from the Bible and culture to practical issues in world mission and the global church." (186)

I appreciate his holistic view of missions (Figure coming), but also the unapologetic view that “Evangelism is inviting people to come to Jesus, sharing the good news ‘that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures’ (1 Cor 15:3-4). . . the clear proclamation of the gospel is at the very heart of missions.” (52)

1. My Takeaways:

1. Be a learner: You can’t read this book without seeing Plueddemann’s posture as a learner. We see this as he shares his own experiences and relays the words and experiences of others: “Choosing to be learners is what helps us most to understand different perspectives on leadership. Crosscultural leadership is a school from which you never graduate. . . . it is not about my success, but about walking with and helping others succeed, whatever their cultural peculiarities may be and whatever their callings are." Dr. Joshua Bogunjoko, Deputy International Director for SIM. (29)

2. Invest in your team: Plueddemann emphasizes the leader’s role in envisioning a better future and the importance of investing in his/her team to catch and grow in that vision.

3. The Scope of Missions – A holistic missional overview:
See page 50 for a illustration of how the author sees missions fitting together.

4. Historical acumen: Plueddemann gave me a more complete historical picture of the concept of a self-functioning church; highlighting Rufus Anderson and Henry Venn who proposed (150 years ago) that mature churches are characterized as self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-governing. (55) Paul Hiebert added, self-theologizing, applying Scripture to one’s cultural situation.

5. Multicultural competence: His suggestions for multicultural leadership competence:

(1) Assess and acknowledge my own underlying cultural assumptions/biases about leadership;

(2) The Scriptures provide a multitude of leadership examples; which are principles of leadership for every culture (note: we usually see biblical principles through the eyeglasses of our culture); Cultural values relating to leadership are subconscious assumptions about how people think about power, handle ambiguity, prize individuality, achieve status or plan for the future. 70-71

(3) The greatest tensions in multicultural leadership arise from tension that grow out of internal (hidden) values.

(4) “Globalization means that people are looking more and more alike on the outside, but the inner layer of cultural values hasn’t changed very much.” (73)

6. Differentiating leadership paradigms (which are often shaped by culture):

(1) Low context (factory paradigm): mechanistic leaders who manage by objectives

(2) High context (wildflower paradigm): existential leaders who manage by interruption.

(3) Theology/Vision Driven: Pilgrim metaphor: “It is a vision for what people might look like if they would enroll as lifelong students in Jesus’ school of discipleship, consistently displaying the fruit of the Spirit. (190) The Pilgrim metaphor helps bridge the strengths of both low-context and high-context cultures while minimizing the differences between the two.

7. Vision: “Vision describes a picture of the kingdom of God on earth and in heaven. The outcome of vision is transformed lives, demonstrating God’s love in individuals and the church. (192)

Don’t let vision get replaced by strategy. It may not be intentional, but it happens. When we do we elevate the strategy used to accomplish the vision (e.g. sharing resources) over the vision (e.g. equipping leaders to equip churches). (193)

Visionaries need realists: Don Quixote is an unrealistic visionary, forever embarking on a quest to save the world from evil. Sancho Panza is the realist who reminds Don Quixote that he needs a horse and that the giants he sees are really windmills. Quixote has his head in the clouds, while Panza has his feet on the ground. Realists need visionaries, and visionaries need realists who understand the current needs, opportunities and resources of the situation. Leading Across Cultures, 194

8. His discussion on high-power-distance/low-power-distance (chapter 12). As he notes, this is a theological and practical paradox. I thought his biblical analysis on this point was well-examined. You can find both examples in Scripture. Two points:

First, “The progress of revelation between the Old and New Testaments indicates a shift from higher to lower power-distance values” (102).

Second, “Scripture seems to leave room for some flexibility regarding power distance in leadership style but not in leadership attitudes” (102).

This was a helpful summary statement: In light of the cultural variety and implications, “frank discussions about power distance need to take place at the beginning of the partnership relationship” on matters of leadership, collaboration, resources, decision-making and ownership (104).

9. Strategy: Leaders must be more than visionaries. They are called to take bold, creative action to fulfill their vision. “Strategy grows out of vision and an understanding of the situation. Strategies are like stepping stones across the river, and the vision is represented by the far shore. By faith, we see short term goals that can be used of God to accomplish the vision.” (190) OMW - some of the best words

10. Leadership Cultural Bias: A leader cannot assume his or her cultural leadership perspective is shared or even valued by other cultures. A leader must be a learner, culturally humble, and willing to learn – desiring to learn – what leadership looks like as well as what is valued in a different context.

In a single African country we find three substantially different cultural assumptions about leadership development. Leadership development in these three cultures took place though loyalty to a patron (Hausa), individual effort (Igbo) and royal lineage (Yoruba). Few of the American assumptions about leadership would be culturally appropriate in traditional Nigeria. It would be absurd to expect that a foreign “expert” could teach a leadership course in Nigeria without an understanding of the traditional cultural assumptions about how leaders are developed. (203)

How to broaden cross-cultural perspectivism: How can egocentric and family-centric leaders move toward seeing the world from an ever-broadening perspective? Most studies show that perspective transformation is not learned through courses on theories of leadership or elaborate management techniques. Perspective transformation develops by reflecting on disequilibrating experiences and through disorienting dilemmas. (205) This was the way God grew Moses.

The author piqued my curiosity about these books:
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. I have yet to read this classic. Plueddemann’s use of him in his discussion of vision and strategy, helped to ensure that I will.

Words to ponder:

1. Costly Grace: ”Costly grace [is] turned into cheap grace without discipleship.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Macmillan, 1963), p. 53)

2. Leader: A person who “motivates people to work collaboratively to accomplish great things.” Amanda Ruggeri, “America’s Best Leaders: How They Were Picked,” U.S. News & World Report, December 8, 2008, p. 55.

3. Power: In areas that do not contradict Scripture, the bi-cultural leader will follow the admonition of the apostle Paul: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). (108)

4. Vision: “We seek vision on our knees.” (192)

5. Perspective: “One of the primary tasks of leadership development is to help people to think bigger, to broaden their horizons, and to enlarge their perspectives. I am convinced that the most effective leaders are those who have the broadest perspectives.” (204) OMW

6. Leaders are life-long learners: Crosscultural leadership is a school from which you ever graduate. . . .

7. Leadership and Discipleship: “Good leaders are fervent disciples of Jesus Christ, gifted by the Holy Spirit, with a passion to bring glory to God. They use their gift of leadership by taking initiative to focus, harmonize, and enhance the gifts of others for the sake of developing people and cultivating the kingdom of God.” (16)

8. Cultural awareness: “I have learned that there are not superior or inferior cultures or cultural approaches to leadership; there are only different approaches.” Joshua Bogunjoko, Deputy International Director for SIM. (30)

9. Conflicting Cultural Values: Cultural values of individualism versus collectivism most often lie hidden below the surface, yet have a significant visible impact for cross-cultural teams. (23)

10. Discouragement: “I steadfastly refuse to gratify the Devil by becoming discouraged.” Ian Hay, former general director of SIM. (41)

11. Evangelism: Ministering to peoples’ need is both an end and a means [in evangelism]. (51)

Conclusion:
I highly recommend Leading Across Cultures by Jim Pluddemann. As to emotional intelligence, his perspectives on cross-cultural leadership will help leader’s EI quotient increase. As to theology, he separates culture from theology, thus reducing cultural arrogance, and the foolish mistake of assuming one’s cultural perspective is God’s perspective. As to leadership paradigm, his treatment of the Pilgrim Leader Paradigm was highly insightful and theologically astute.

[Aaron Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that breaks down foundational differences across cultures (especially with regards to leadership) and helps to see leadership through the lense of Scripture, with the aim of helping believers cross culturally unite in ministry for the gospel.

Relevant both for international missions as well as navigating cultural differences within our own nation.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The excellent theologian/practitioner Sherwood Lingenfelter writes, of this book, "An important theological reflection on contemporary leadership theory and its relevant for crosscultural Christian ministry." The topic Plueddemann is tackling is critical to the future of cross-cultural church work, that of multi-national and multi-ethnic ministry teams working in concert across cultural differences. So in this sense the book is "important" in that the topic is important and there are not too many others writing on this (in non-academic circles at least). At its best the book is a theological reflection, bringing to bear Christian though and experience to the current cross-cultural theories of context, high/low power, individualism and ambiguity. At its least effective the book is a book of reflections, some sections feeling disjointed, a collection of insights from the author that he felt important enough to include but not necessarily leading towards the forward momentum of the book.

Plueddemann comes to this topic with a wealth of experience working with SIM in the continent of Africa as well as in the US. He has led, been led, and worked as peers with other leaders from multiple cultural backgrounds. His stories and the stories he invites from leaders around the world were insightful and helped to give some perspective to what his topics.

The book is divided into 3 sections. The first is his thesis for a Christian paradigm for cross-cultural leadership. It includes both his synopsis of the kinds of situations teams and leaders find themselves in, his own story, and why this matters. This section could be skipped as most people coming to this book are coming because they want to learn about cross-cultural leadership and already thinking about these issues. For the 1% who need convincing, they can read these chapters.

The second section is the meat of the book, where he goes through 4 paradigms that have been quite well tested in the secular sphere by various sociologists, anthropologist, and leadership experts. He focuses in on High/Low Context, High/Low Power, Individualism/Collectivism and High/Low tolerance for ambiguity. Each chapter explains the theory, reflects on different aspects of it, and then often gives some practical or theological reflection. The chapters are a little bit uneven in their reflection in these different categories but are helpful, especially for someone who hasn't thought about these cultural categories or has not had a space to apply them to the Christian context.

Two reflections that I found helpful were on Christian leadership in High/Low power and in High/low tolerance for ambiguity cultures. I'm not sure why he didn't have these sections for the other two, but I found his reflections fascinating especially the journey of SIM to be an organization that had space for both high/low tolerance for ambiguity (p.136).

The third section is his theology and theory of cross-cultural leadership. What I appreciated the most in this was his effort to break down a model of cross cultural leadership. (p.149)

The idea is that an organization or individual can articulate a universal worldview and ultimate purpose. This will lead to goals and methods that are built on biblical realities (e.g. priesthood of all believers, servant leadership, etc.) which can lead to contextualized leadership practice.
Some will push back saying that it is even hard to have a shared worldview or ultimate purpose since worldview is, by nature, rooted in culture. I don't think Plueddemann is using that word in this way and I would contend that even if different organizations have different theological bents, it is possible to hold to one primary perspective on the gospel as a unifying reality for one specific organization. For example my organization has a holistic view of kingdom change. We have found that we can find folks who hold to that view of the gospel in multiple cultural contexts, but we still have to do the work of reconciling divergent leadership methods and practices.

Ironically, in the end I found Plueddemann's leadership to be quite nondescript. He holds to a simple action reflection cycle model:
1. Find leaders
2. Assess giftings
3. give them tasks that challenge them
4. Support them.
I guess in the midst of this, he is hoping that you are now doing this with a more cross-cultural perspective, but I was a bit disappointed at the lack of integration in the final chapters in bringing in the theories he had discussed in the previous chapters. This is also where I found him giving many different little snippets of ideas that felt unfinished or disconnected. It was a theological "reflection" I guess.

All in all, I appreciated this book as a leader trying to work in a multi-national and multi-ethnic faithbased nonprofit. I think I will use his ideas with my supervisor as I tackle cross-cultural questions. His reflections are a great starting point, and it is up to each of us to then apply them appropriately to our contexts. I think that more theological reflection is needed, however. He offers some quick prooftext scriptures to prove that "either side could make a biblical argument" which I found strawman-ny and surprising in its lack of rigor for someone who is involved in biblical seminary work! I think a much more robust scriptural tackling of these topics is necessary because the implications of the shadow sides of these cultural realities requires a biblical perspective that is nuanced and expansive and yet incisive.

- While high and low context in general are the most value neutral there are still massive implications in what constitutes good communication, good conflict and what is meant by reconciliation.
- High/low power because there are so many implications for issues of injustice and oppression wrapped up in high/low power contexts.
- Individualism and Collectivism because our articulation of the community/body of Christ is directly impacted by our view of the individual within a community.
- High/low ambiguity because our view of what it means to live by faith and not by sight needs to be defined helpfully.

So I'm left with good questions, which perhaps is Plueddemann's goal! That said, his own reflections could have been more precise (or perhaps I am too low context and am looking for too many words!). I hope to see him and others take up that baton and bless us with their wisdom.

[Sue Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be one of the best books I've read this year. For certain, it is the best LEADERSHIP book I have ever read. . .and as a senior military officer, I've read a few! Although the context of the writer is global ministry, his practical approach and insights could be applied in all situations. Bridging the gap and trying to "lead across cultures" is huge when a U.S. based global ministry team is working with a partners from say, Nigeria. However, the same culture clashes happen every day (albeit perhaps on a smaller scale) even within countries and with companies. The author gives such sensible, practical guidance that is underscored by a theme of love and common purpose and vision. His concept of growing leaders behind you to fulfill and sustain the common vision are not new, but so clearly expressed. . a joy to read. I've highlighted and marked up my copy and I will be reading it again!

[Deborah]

Reviewed by Herb:
Plueddemann has a wealth of experience as a missionary, mission leader, and seminary and graduate professor. He recognizes in his book that global Christianity is shifting from western independent missionary movements to a world-wide, team-centered, multicultural leadership Kingdom-driven work. He therefore addresses the need to have a theological grounded missional approach to leadership that takes seriously the different cultural perspectives of today’s missionary force. Any missionary who is serious about working internationally should read this book and invest some time in understanding its implications for their own ministry.

[Jared Snyder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently had to read this book for one my Master's program. As someone with a lot of leadership experience, including that which was acquired via the military, I found this book to be quite underwhelming and somewhat disorganized. In general, I would tend to agree with Shaun Lee's conclusion, from August 2, 2o18.

While the book’s title seems to indicate that there will be a good bit about practical ways a leader can go about “leading across cultures,” it is lacking in such things, and comes off as more of a hodge-podge of concepts, theories, and ideas. He does offer some relevant examples from his own leadership experience, but there could certainly have been a lot more. While, when reading texts like this, I prefer to respond with, “Ah. Okay,” I found myself more-often responding with, “Okay? And?” So, in other words, I found myself rather disappointed with the amount of and organization of certain content within the book.

[NR · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly thought provoking book for any leader, but more so for the Christian leader tasked with the responsibility of leading others to their God given destiny. Though this book focuses on leaders within the cross cultural mission field it is still a valuable resource and tool for any Christian leader whose mission field is in any of the multi cultural centers of our world. The author does a great job of challenging a major pitfall of leadership in many of our present churches - "it's my way or the highway!" For the student in the group, this book is challenging and readable. For the leader, teacher, pastor in the group, if you are honest with yourself this book will help you look at your belief systems and ask not if they are good for "you", but beneficial for those you lead.

[Ryan Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wondering how to evaluate your own culture tendencies in light of your own culture? Desirous to engage winsomely, carefully, and in appropriate ways with those of other cultures? Working together to lead in a cross-culture context? If you answer yes to any of these questions, this book is a wonderful resource to that end. Plueddeman does a faithful job looking at the theology of leadership from the Bible, unpacking various dichotomies of cultures (high context/low context, high power distance/low power distance, tolerances towards ambiguity, etc.), and ways to build biblically faithful, contextually appropriate partnership between leaders of varying contexts. This book is very practical, giving on-field examples of how to lead in such a way that promotes the gospel and honors the viewpoint and leadership of those you are working with around the world.

[Stan Rea · Rating 4 out of 5]

DTL Reading.

Essentially this is a "be like me" book. The author spent some time with SIM (formerly Sudan Interior Mission, now Serving In Mission) mostly in Nigeria. He comes back to his experiences quite often although there are multiple references to other works, most notably the GLOBE study.

I should point out that based on the author's explanation, I now finally understand the difference/distinction between being a low-context culture vs a high-context coulture as well as the difference between high and low tolerance for ambiguity. He makes a big deal (rightly so) that some cultures are more of one than the other. Although I don't disagree with that for a moment, I can think of persons I know, let alone people groups, who exhibit one or more of the characteristics.

[Charlene Preg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some excellent examples of cultural missteps to learn from - and not repeat. Author shares personal experiences and chapters contain gems shared from other leaders about the context where they serve. It had the subtext of Cultural Intelligence that anyone will benefit from in our global society.

[David Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye opening read on how different other cultures are from my own. This exposed some ways that I thought of my culture as the “biblical” culture when really it is just preferences on how we do things. This gave me a much better understanding of the main ways cultures can differ and how to interact with others from different cultures.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically helpful book about faith, leadership and cultural diversity. Draws on author's research, people's experiences, the Bible and insights of those like Hofstede and Trompenaars. Well worth it! A book I return to once a year at least

[Brandon Stiver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. So many helpful insights and concepts throughout this book. Definitely a book that I’ll continue to revisit and teach from.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thesis and Argument

James Plueddemann opens his book with the claim that “from a human perspective, the hope for the worldwide church depends on effective multicultural leadership” (11). He defines leadership like this: “Good leaders are fervent disciples of Jesus Christ, gifted by the Holy Spirit, with a passion to bring glory to God. They use their gift of leadership by taking initiative to focus, harmonize, and enhance the gifts of others for the sake of developing people and cultivating the kingdom of God” (15). Culture is complex, so Plueddemann breaks it down into three layers: worldview, internal values, and external practices (69). This is helpful for allowing us to try to think critically about various cultural and leadership practices.

He then works through a number of different cultural dynamics that affect leadership: context, power, individualism, and ambiguity. In all of the varieties of culture, there is no universal “right” or “wrong.” There are probably right and wrong ways of doing things within either cultural approach, but ultimately, the various cultures can learn from each other, though this will only work if both sides are “patient with each other” (81). In considering the various power dynamics he notes that “understanding cultural values doesn’t solve the dilemma of whether we should follow or confront expectations, but it fosters in us a more positive attitude about the motives of people who misunderstand us” (94). In either case, “frank discussions about power distance need to take place at the beginning of the partnership relationship” (104).

Plueddemann then articulates a “theology of leadership” centered on glorifying God in community, a “theory of leadership” that attempts to integrate with that theology, and ways to develop vision and strategy. He concludes with a chapter describing how to develop global leaders. In doing so, “one of the primary tasks of leadership development is fostering the growth of wider perspectives in potential leaders” (207). As he looks out on the global church, he sees a tremendous opportunity for God’s people to glorify Christ like never before across an increasing number of cultures. Fundamentally, “love must be the defining mark of leadership in the worldwide church” (215).


Assessment

Plueddemann has done the church a massive service in taking so many insights into cross-cultural leadership from leadership studies in the business world and elsewhere, and making direct connections to the dynamics of church and ministry leadership. The book is incredibly useful in both the big picture orientation to cultural dynamics as well as in specific, practical, step-by-step applications. I realize now that even in “assessing” his project as to what it does “well” I am evaluating it from my own set of cultural values and how well it fits with my own grid. I did find myself resonating deeply with many of his examples, so I think that our own cultural preferences are similar by default.

Along those lines one of the strengths of the book is the multitude of illustrations from the author’s own life, as well as leadership stories from a number of different cultural contexts. He is brutally honest about his own mistakes and failures, his own growth process, and the various ways he experienced miscommunication along the way. These real life examples are so helpful in normalizing the process of growth in cultural competency, and give courage to keep on going. If Jim Plueddemann went through these things and came out better equipped, maybe I can do it too!

He also reminds us that we need to be careful, especially with the things that seem most obvious, or “straightforwardly biblical.” “It’s easy to find verses to prove any style of leadership. We are all attracted unknowingly to parts of Scripture that are most in line with our subconscious cultural values. We don’t consciously try to proof-text Bible verses, but often we do” (65). In fact, the answer to this tendency is that “we must look at all of Scripture through the eyes of several cultures" (156).

[Shaun Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although Plueddemann's CV would lead one to infer his great depth of experience, it somehow does not translate to how he writes. I felt that if Plueddemann could have injected a large dose of brevity into the book, it could potentially provide an engaging read. However, many substantives were repeated more than necessary, and the second chapter about his own lengthy leadership journey would not appeal to or interest readers who do not know him.

Having different contributors at the end of each chapter to provide their own commentary on the topic was a nice touch, but not enough to save the rather mediocre content of the book. The many case studies and personal accounts shared in the book were simply not as intense/gripping or insightful as those in the other excellent books I've reviewed on cross-cultural missions (namely Sherwood Lingenfelter's Ministering Cross-Culturally and Duane Elmer's Cross-Cultural Servanthood).

[Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super book. Very readable, organized, lots of examples and stories to back up his points.

The challenge that is addressed: Christian leaders from many nations are interacting with other Christian leaders from many nations and the cultural problems can be enormous.

Particularly good were the chapters on "Leadership and Context", "Leadership and Power", and "Leadership and Individualism" which discussed differences that cultural contexts affect ways of communication, understanding of time, forms and styles of leadership; also - power and authority structures, individualism and collectivism.

Plueddemann also spoke about ambiguity - some cultures and leaders operate with higher levels that other cultures and leaders who reduce ambiguity as much as possible.

He pulled it altogether for me in the closing chapters about importance of agreeing on the theology, then theory, then practice of ministry partners:
1. Collect and focus the VISION
2. Make sure every STRATEGY in the organization contributes to the vision
3. Connect strategies to the needs and opportunities of the current SITUATION.

This is another book to read in a couple more years of cross cultural ministry.

[Philip Mcduffie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this type of book makes me ever so aware of my small worldview. Leadership is something that I am not learned in, but cross cultural leadership is something I probably have never thought about. This book sheds light on leading across cultures. The author does a great job at writing this saturated with biblical wisdom and practical advice. Not a book I would typically read, but it was a book I'm thankful for have read.

[Cmweaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

TOP NOTCH! A must read for anyone interested in cross-cultural dynamics. Uses current studies in cross-cultural leadership and the author's personal experience to convey how differences in leadership are neither good or bad, but cultural contexts to work within and embrace when in a different culture.

[Doug Magnuson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is decently good. The authors shares from lots of relevant personal experience, and uses a common framework for understanding cultural differences.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely helpful for giving a broader perspective than most American leadership perspectives. This broadened my horizons!

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are thinking about working overseas in any capacity, you should read this book.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

very helpful for those leading in multi-cultural situations - gives language and plenty of examples to aid understanding

[David Wylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ill be referring to this one!

[David Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional work concerning leadership among different cultures. Very eye opening.