Culture is everything. It’s the foundation of everything we do and everything we believe. In our world today, culture enables us to identify with people who are like us and it distinguishes us from people who differ from us. The Bible tells us we are one culture, and all are welcome members to the club!
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 (NLT)
After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10 (NLT)
As we live in a rapidly growing, digitally -connected and virtual business world, leaders should be reminded more than ever that understanding cultural differences in human collaboration and communication matters. Maybe because of social media, the issue of culture is even more complex today because it isn’t just about nationality, traditions, clothing, etc. Now it’s generational too! From Baby Boomers to Gen Xers to Millennials, we leaders have to learn how to best blend and grow our employees, volunteers, team members, and family members by embracing diversity. Leaders must be aware and open to different cultures to gain a better understanding of the individuals that make up the teams they lead and look for ways to help them work together. Ultimately, successful leaders know that identifying and capitalizing on the cultural and individual diversity within their teams produces better outcomes for the organization.
We still have a lot to learn about each other’s cultures but, as Christians, we live as one culture with our faith in Jesus Christ – and living in this faith is about loving God and loving each other.
So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. Romans 14:13 (NLT)
