The Eikon Podcast

The level of cultural humility and competence of a church will not go beyond that of their leadership. In this episode we consider what being all things to all people will look like in a church's leadership and how they can pursue and grow in these areas.

What does it mean to be a culturally humble individual? We will consider that and look at the characteristics of someone who is pursuing cultural humility in a healthy way.

Being culturally humble is not an easy task. It takes a lot of work. Yet, we must remember that we are striving for growth and competence, not perfection. Knowing the difference can ease a lot of anxiety and tension. We also need to be aware of the dangers of spiritual bypassing and having an understanding of one of the most dangerous obstacles to being all things to all people: the vestiges of racial superiority.

In this episode, we have an eye-opening discussion with three followers of Jesus who are under 30 as they discuss why younger generations feel left out of the church family in many respects, what aspects of the older generations culture can tend to turn them away from feeling like they are part of the community or wanting to be, and what the church can do to be all things to younger generations and help draw them in and stay in the body of Christ.

Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers all have very different cultural tendencies, preferences, and worldviews and if we are not careful, the church family can drive away the younger generations in droves if we do not embrace the call to be all things to all people with them as well. Join the discussion as we begin to broach the subject of why so many young people seem uninterested in the church.

Cultural preferences and comfort zones can have a huge impact on who we see as potential leaders in God's kingdom, how we select leaders, why we sometimes have inequities in leadership diversity, and how we relate to leaders. We will examine all of this and more this week.

Every culture has identity-forming narratives that are long and dearly held. The truths conveyed in these metanarratives become almost sacred to us and when others counter the accepted truths of these stories or push back on them, we can become deeply passionate or angry without ever fully understanding why. This can influence why we hold such different views of the innocence of our country, the role of the police, and many other deeply relevant cultural dynamics. This is one of the most important topics when it comes to cultural division and how to hear and understand one another better, so you won't want to miss this episode.

One of the first aspects of community life that people will experience and decide whether your church is culturally inclusive or not is in the music during worship gatherings. That makes it pretty important. So, let's talk about it. MyCresha Burns joins the podcast today along with former music ministry leaders of the Two Cities Church, Kyle and Sadie Schwebach.

Should a church be focused on embedding itself into a neighborhood and becoming a powerful force for good in the community or should it have a greater focus on global mission? Should it be centering its ministry on evacuation or preparation? Should it focus on events or on people? Our instincts in areas like this can be conditioned by our upbringing and culture. This episode will revolve around how we can identify our different assumptions in these types of areas and work together in a diverse church.

In this special bonus episode I interview an amazing young follower of Jesus, Eric Roberson of HB Nation, to talk about his brand new podcast, The Human Being Podcast. This podcast will focus on talking to people from different and unique backgrounds with the goal of simply listening, gaining empathy, and viewing people of all types as human beings. The Human Being Podcast will debut on August 24th, so get your sneak preview now.