Cultural Diversity

Dinka Christian Infrastructure: Song and Prayer Ministries

During decades of Sudanese civil war, the Jol Wo Lieech song ministry and Thiec Nhialic prayer ministry gave refugees and refugee congregations a sense of family and purpose. Both still work to unite Christians, whether or not they belong to the Dinka tribe or still live in South Sudan.

March 28, 2022
Karen Campbell on Dinka Gospel Songs

Meeting Dinka Christians and musicians decades ago in East Africa made a lasting impression on Karen Campbell, a pastor and musician. She reflects on what we can learn about God through the lens of other cultures.

March 28, 2022
Bilingual Choral Music: A Conversation with Jorge Lockward

Jorge Lockward, director of the New York-based ecumenical chorale Cántico Nuevo and minister of worship arts at the Church of the Village, shares practical tips on how to dress up a piano part to better capture the style and spirit of Latin and South American choral music.

February 9, 2022

Bilingual Choral Music: A Webinar Series

Pearl Shangkuan, professor of music and director of choral activities at Calvin University and co-editor of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Choral Music Series with GIA Publications, talks with Latin American music experts Maria Guinand, Jorge Lockward, and Marcell Silva Steuernagel about best practices for teaching and performing Latin and South American choral music.

February 9, 2022
Bilingual Choral Music: A Conversation with Maria Guinand.

International renowned choral conductor Maria Guinand shares practical tips for North American choirs in teaching and performing Latin and South American choral music.

February 9, 2022
Bilingual Choral Music: A Conversation with Marcell Silva Steuernagel

Marcell Silva Steuernagel, assistant professor of church music and director of the Master of Sacred Music program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, talks about what instruments can be added to better capture the style and spirit of Latin and South American choral music.

February 9, 2022

Cultural Intelligence and Youth Ministry: Creating Safe Spaces for Questions and Community

A youth minister reflects on the necessity of cultural intelligence in ministry alongside youth in order to create safe spaces to ask questions, wrestle with biblical concepts, and hear thoughts from people different from them, all with the purpose of loving God and others better.

January 20, 2022
Shively T. J. Smith on Visualizing Christian Faith through Howard Thurman's Metaphors

Rather than starting with words and theories of interpretation, scholar Shively T. J. Smith uses Howard Thurman's metaphorical imagery to help congregations visually process how they understand scripture and live out their Christian faith.

January 19, 2022
Shively T. J. Smith on Howard Thurman and Congregational Hermeneutics

Congregations and lay Christians have methods of interpreting the Bible and faith life even if they can't articulate them. Using Howard Thurman’s image-rich meditations, scholar Shively T. J. Smith offers a visual way to reflect on applying the Bible to faith and ordinary life.

January 19, 2022

Intergenerational Church as a Space for Opportunity, Change, and Learning

In this conversation, pastor Theresa Cho of St. John's Church in the Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco shares joys and insights from a historical congregation that is learning to embrace change and be vulnerable in order to live together as an intergenerational, contextual worshiping community.

January 11, 2022
Mimi L. Larson on Keys to Involving Children in Worship

Scholar Mimi L. Larson explains how theology, beliefs about children's capabilities, and pastors influence whether or how children meet God in worship. She says that Black church culture offers valuable examples.

January 11, 2022
One Generation Calls to the Next: Youth Agency and Leadership Development

In this conversation, New City Kids president Trevor Rubingh talks with New Generation3 executive director Elizabeth Tamez Méndez on the significance of agency in the spiritual and leadership development of teenagers as they try out their leadership skills with and among their peers.

December 21, 2021