CHURCH LEADERSHIP

The Functioning of a Church Leader



The Functioning of a Church Leader

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to explore the specific context from which a Church Leader will need to function in a multicultural, cross cultural context. In addition, the paper will also consider the role and relevance of an understanding of the black socio-religious experience, and the black family in America; in order to develop an insight into the interactions between adherents of diverse faiths.

Discussion

Considering a scenario in which a Church Leader has to function in a multi-cultural setting, the Church Leader is placed in a position where he must effectively become a part of the society (Matthews, 2004; Scupin, 2008). This will require the identification of the manner in which the society functions. Every society, no matter how disorganized it may appear to be, almost always has a set of leaders who are considered to be the go-to people in times of hardship, distress and/or confusion. These individuals may not always be at the helm and may not always have the loudest voice, but they are revered by the people of that society and considered to be reliable (Smart, 2000; Ellwood & McGraw, 2008). Individuals look towards these people in order to make decisions that involve the acceptance of change at a societal level. The Church Leader will need to successfully persuade these social leaders in order to ensure that any influence made on the people of the society has the approval of the leaders who influence the people (Olmos & Paravisini-Gebert, 2003; Bell, 1992).

In addition, every society is composed of groups and sub-groups, each with a particular ideology constituting its foundation (Bascom, 1972; Bisnauth, 1996). The Church Leader will need to realize and communicate with these groups and networks in order to get through to the people who constitute them (Scupin, 2008; Smart, 2000). The social organization of a society is generally complex and becomes even more so intricate in cases where a society is multi-cultural in nature. It is common to find that social groups and networks are at head with each other on account of tussles that are based on the desire to control resources that are scarce in that society (Ellwood & McGraw, 2008; Olmos & Paravisini-Gebert, 2003). Other conflicts may be based on family feuds and similar local sources of disconcert.

Individuals subscribing to different faiths tend to approach problems with different perspectives (Bell, 1992; Bascom, 1972). This is because of the fact that faith influences the fundamental beliefs, principles and rationales that form the foundation of perceptions, insight and observations. As a result, individuals belonging to differing faiths may (but not necessarily always) hold differing approaches to everyday life and the problems that riddle it (Bisnauth, 1996; Matthews, 2004). The Church Leader cannot expect to make a difference by expecting such a multi-cultural and/or multi-ethnic social structure to accept the message that the Church Leader brings. In fact, it will be up to the Church Leader to make sure that individuals belonging to ...