Abstract
While theologically and theoretically many understand the need for building diversity within their churches and ministry teams, the challenge of “how” to practically do this work is a struggle. Frustration builds around the nuances of “how” to build capacity for multiculturalism, often leaving leaders with a disillusioned ideal of what diversity means. In their book Leading Multicultural Teams, Evelyn and Richard Hibbert answer the challenging question of how to build a diverse team in a thoughtful and practical way.
Evelyn and Richard are holistic in their approach of team, talking through worldview, team dynamics, leadership style, and temperament. Their book blends respected and foundational research on group formation, communication, and intercultural communication into a practical resource and manual on team-building. They speak to a number of skills that teams must possess: vision casting, conflict management, goal-setting, and leadership. They masterfully discuss leadership in a broad context, helping readers understand how team and organizational formation is received from many cultural angles. This book is a must for anyone working in a team setting.
I loved that this book took research that I was familiar with as an intercultural scholar and made it approachable and accessible to anyone doing ministry. Although this book is geared toward those in missions, church planning or in cross-cultural settings, it is valuable for any leader. The only limitation of this book is that it did not discuss gender roles, which can often impact perceptions of leadership and influence team dynamics within cross cultural contexts. Overall, Evelyn and Richard have done the hard work of articulating several components of leadership that are often left ‘unsaid’ or assumed within organizations. This book also includes several helpful resources in appendices for leaders to use.