Immigration, Transnationalism, and Globalization: Implications for the Global Methodist Church in America
On August 14, 2024, I took the oath of allegiance at a naturalization ceremony, the last act in meeting the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), to become a citizen of the United States of America. The naturalization ceremony was held in Springfield, IL. At this special and personally significant event, I came face to face with the continually changing face of American Society. I was one of the nearly 200 immigrants hailing from 49 different countries to become US citizens and call the United States of America our new homeland. A large crowd of family members, relatives, friends, and acquaintances was present to witness this special ceremony. It was a fascinating display of diverse ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds gathered together in one place! At times we found ourselves conversing with our neighbors from various places of origin across the globe.
I could only imagine how much more ethnic and cultural diversity people would have experienced in August 2023 when 500 citizenship candidates from 82 countries were sworn in by an Illinois judge at the naturalization ceremony elsewhere in Springfield. In my brief conversation with one of the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) staff, I learned that the naturalization ceremony in Chicago had several thousand immigrants sworn in as citizens of the United States. These ceremonies take place regularly.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, “Worldwide, the United States is home to more international migrants than any other country.” Nearly 46.2 million immigrants lived in the United States in 2022, which, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is about 13.9% of the US population. This population comprises immigrants from over 100 countries across the globe including naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, people on certain temporary visas, and undocumented immigrants.
All this is to say that our nation is continuing to become a global village, and as the Global Methodist Church in America, we have a door wide open to reach out to our neighbors from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds with the gospel of Jesus Christ. A culturally appropriate approach will prove effective in introducing them to Christ, welcoming them to the Church, and walking and growing with them in Christian discipleship. While it is true that not all our churches and congregants are experiencing cultural diversity in their communities right now, with the influx of immigrants it is just a matter of time before we face someone from another culture and ethnic background. Or we might happen to move to a culturally and ethnically diverse town or city. Experts monitoring the changes in demographics predict that by 2050 minorities will comprise close to 50% of the national population.
The Global Methodist Church is committed to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, found in Matthew 28:19, to make disciples of all nations (ethnē). It is time to think both missionally and strategically about how we can fulfill Christ’s mission in the context of present-day America, a global village. Consider the following:
There have…been significant changes in the way diversity is perceived and managed in U.S. society. In the middle of the 20th century, the ideal model for a multicultural society was the melting pot, where minority groups progressively relinquished their cultural values and practices and adopted those of the majority culture (Glazer & Moynihan, 1963). This model is now being abandoned in favor of a 'mosaic' model of cultural pluralism, where minority groups participate fully in society while retaining their distinctive cultural values and practices (Ida Stockman, Johanna Boult, and Gregory C. Robinson, “Multicultural Issues in Academic and Clinical Education: A Cultural Mosaic,” ASHA Leader 9[13]:6).
As Methodists, we are familiar with John Wesley’s quote “The World is my parish,” and as one of my professors at Asbury Theological Seminary, Dr. Michael Rynkiewich, used to say, “Now, the World is in my parish!” This is becoming more and more real for our nation by the day. So, the question that we need to ask ourselves as Global Methodists is if we are willing to leave behind the mono-cultural mindset and develop an intercultural/multicultural/global-cultural mindset to be effective communicators of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the manner that is culturally relevant and scripturally faithful.
Furthermore, though our unity is based on our fundamental doctrines and tenets of faith, we are different and diverse in the cultural expressions of our faith and interactions with our brothers and sisters in Christ. An intercultural/multicultural/global-cultural mindset would enhance our respect and understanding of cultural differences and foster more trust and unity among our Global Methodist brothers and sisters in this movement of the Holy Spirit. To be culturally competent and have an intercultural/multicultural/global-cultural mindset is the call of the hour.
Dr. Mitchell Hammer is the founder of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), an intercultural sensitivity assessment for building cultural competence. He has developed an Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) to illustrate how monocultural and intercultural mindsets function on a continuum.
Copyright ©, 1998-2023, IDI, LLC, used with permission
According to the IDI Resources Guide, approximately 3% of people, when interacting with people from other cultures, function with a Denial mindset as their primary orientation. This means they show little-to-no interest in learning about other cultures, deny that there are differences in perceptions and behaviors due to cultural differences, and thus fail to have meaningful intercultural communication.
Next on the Continuum is the Polarization orientation. Approximately 15% of people function according to the Polarization mindset. They overemphasize cultural differences and see them from an “us versus them” perspective. The Polarization mindset can have two forms: Defense and Reversal. People with a Defense form tend to project their culture as superior to other cultures. On the other hand, people with a Reversal form denigrate their own culture.
It is interesting that the majority of people think that if we just focus on loving people, look for commonalities that unite us, and avoid talking about the differences that divide us, we will get along with everyone else regardless of their ethnic or cultural backgrounds. This mindset is based on the Minimization orientation on the Continuum. Approximately 65% of people function within the Minimization mindset. People in this Orientation highlight commonalities across cultures and don’t perceive the need for a deeper understanding of cultural differences.
Approximately 15% have a Developmental Orientation within an Acceptance mindset. People with this Developmental Orientation are perceptive in identifying patterns of cultural differences and commonalities in their own culture as well as in other cultures. Knowing the cultural differences and commonalities helps people develop a better understanding of intercultural interaction. However, people with an Acceptance Orientation are not fully able to adapt to cultural differences.
The last developmental orientation found in the Intercultural Development Continuum is called the Adaptation orientation denoting an intercultural/global mindset. Approximately 2% of people have this as their primary orientation. Those with an Adaptation mindset have developed more capacity to assess complex cultural differences. They continue to grow in developing strategies to navigate cultural differences and commonalities in working with diverse communities, to effectively engage cross-culturally in authentic and culturally appropriate ways.
Where do we find ourselves in the Intercultural Development Continuum as individuals, as a local church, as a conference, and as a denomination? The IDI is a useful assessment tool to help us learn the following:
our Perceived Orientation, where we think we are on the Continuum;
our Developmental Orientation, our place on the continuum according to the IDI;
the Orientation Gap between the perceived and developmental orientations;
the leading Orientation, the next steps for developing intercultural competence.
Conclusion: With the influx of immigration, growing transnationalism, and the globalization of the world, the United States of America has become a global village. Increasingly growing ethnic and cultural diversity in America is continuing to change the face of American society. This has significant implications for the Global Methodist Church in America because we are committed to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, found in Matthew 28:19, to make disciples of all nations. It is time to think both missionally and strategically to reach our neighbors from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds with the gospel of Jesus Christ. A culturally appropriate approach will prove to be effective in introducing them to Christ, welcoming them to church, and walking and growing with them in Christian discipleship. An intercultural mindset will also help foster more understanding, trust, and unity among ethnically and culturally diverse Global Methodist brothers and sisters from across the globe.
To be culturally competent and have an intercultural/multicultural/global-cultural mindset is the call of the hour. Are we willing to leave behind a mono-cultural mindset and work toward developing an intercultural/multicultural/global-cultural mindset for Christ and His kingdom?
Arun Paul is an elder in the Global Methodist Church and the lead pastor at Grace Methodist Church in Decatur, IL. He is a qualified administrator and interpreter of the Intercultural Development Inventory.