Analysis of Leading across Cultures by James Plueddemann - Book Report/Review Example

The review of the book “Leading across cultures: effective ministry and mission in the global church” by James E. Plueddemann Abstract This paper contains the review of the book “Leading across cultures: effective ministry and mission in the global church” written by James E. Plueddemann. The aim of this work is to analyze the book and its main conceptions as well as the author’s attitude towards them. The book represents the definition of missionary and describes it as the process of interconnection between different cultures and traditions. The essence of leadership in the Christianity is also the mission itself. The leader should possess the necessary qualities and knowledge, which are based on the experience of the laws of nature and their usage in practice. The missionary leader is the person, who provides the connection between God and the surrounding people, the one who teaches them, how to behave, encouraged not by his own principles, but from the voice above. Pastors is the person, who provides the execution of these missions and supports the intercultural communication of people, who are united by the same idea. The book describes the importance of the missionary leaders and their influence on the cross-cultural experience. “The word missionary has mixed connotations. For some people, missionaries are heroes and spiritual giants, worthy to be put on a pedestal. At the other extreme, missionaries are thought to religious fanatics who destroy cultures and stir up sectarian strife” (Plueddemann, J. E., 2009, 13). The duality of the missionary’s personality remains the main topic of any theological discussion. The development and enrichment of missions in the 21st century provide the religious communities with the opportunity to learn, how to work in the multicultural teams and communicate with the leaders from different countries. The book of James E. Plueddemann concentrates on these questions and pays the reader’s attention that disputes are usually the main reason for the development of the potential of leadership and effective cross-cultural education. The author himself has a great experience in these issues, as he was sent as a missionary to Nigeria. He uses his own investigations and many practical examples, about the productive and unproductive work of the representatives of different cultures. Unlike judgments and prejudice, Plueddemann has his own point on the term “missionary” and describes it in the following way: “A missionary is anyone and from any country, who leaves home in order to proclaim the gospel, usually in another culture” (Plueddemann, J. E., 2009, 13). Many organizations, which are involved in missionary are not aware of the differences, they will have to face during the cross-cultural communications and it makes the process of preaching quit complicated. In order to work prosperously, it is necessary to understand the content of leadership in the right way. The assumption of the mission must be evaluated in the light of serious scientific studies in the sphere of social science and be based on the principles of the Bible. Many Christian books contain the universal rules of leadership, which do not take into account the worldview and values of the people. They differentiate the cultures in two types: high context cultures and low-context cultures. The representatives of high context cultures are concentrated on the harmonious relationships between different people and preserve the dignity and honor at any cost. They consider the time as a polychromic phenomenon. While the representatives of low context cultures present their opinions and ideas directly, creating different strategies and viewing the competition as the integral part of intercultural communication. Their perception of time is usually monochromic. Low context cultures may seem indifferent in relation to the high context ones. A lot of leaders, who face their peculiarities, become very disappointed. For example, the pastor of Nairobi Chapel stated, that the Africans never tell what they really think, they tell the things that one wants to hear. The wisdom of African people is impressive. In this way they express, that the connection between them and the object of communication is not tight enough to tell what they want. Social inequalities between people predetermine the differences in the manner of intercultural communication. They are represented in the forms of: high power-distance and low-power distance cultures. In the system of the high power-distance the leader is authorized to take decisions, which accomplishment is undisputable, while the low-power distance status strives for the minimization of social gap and equality of people’s social positions. The functioning of the church depends upon the relation of people to their leaders. The societies, which consider the harmonic relationships as the greatest value, usually accept the system of high power-distance due to the order, preserved in it. The relationships of the representatives of this system is based on trust and friendship. It do not establish strict rules and have enough tolerance for those who break them, while those who support low-power distance system, base their relationships on the formalized documents and agreements, which provide them safety and protection. The author of the book describes the qualities, necessary for the leader in the following way: “Good leaders are fervent disciples of Jesus Christ, gifted by the Holy Spirit, with a passion to give 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” (Plueddemann, J. E., 2009, 171). The author of the book gives the pieces of advice to those leaders, who faced multicultural peculiarities. He suggests: Praise the members of the team for successful communication; Create the mutual plan with the group; Keep patience while working with the representatives of other cultures; Don’t be offended with the misunderstandings, happening in the moment of work; Put functions of the group at the highest stage, in order to achieve the mutual aim. The aim of all Christianity groups, communities and establishments is to praise God. The book of James E. Plueddemann is a wonderful guide for those who participate in the global projects, which are based on the expansion of Bible principles among people and strengthen the position of Christianity around the world. The choice of the right leader predetermines the future of the Christian church and its importance among other cultures and nationalities. References Plueddemann, J. E., 2009. Leading across cultures. Effective ministry and mission in the global church, Intervarsity Press Downers Grove, Ill. Read More