Cultural Humility and Awareness Resources
Cultural Awareness and Humility Resources
Centering Faith, Equity, and Justice
“We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. We therefore work toward societies in which
each person’s value is recognized, maintained, and strengthened.” Social Principles, ¶163
Cultural awareness and humility is a process of ongoing self-reflection and self-critique, whereby individuals and organizations strive to develop an accurate and nuanced understanding of the cultures of others. It is a lifelong journey that requires humility, openness, and a willingness to learn.
The Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) is a model that describes the stages of intercultural development: denial, polarization, minimization, acceptance, adaptation, and integration. The IDC can be used to help individuals and organizations assess their current level of intercultural competence, identify areas where they can grow, and begin to take desired steps toward cultural humility.
Cultural humility and the IDC are important for ministry leaders and congregations because they can help to create more inclusive and welcoming communities. When ministry leaders and congregations are culturally humble, they are more likely to be aware of their own biases and assumptions, and they are more likely to be open to learning about the cultures of others. This can lead to more meaningful and effective ministry.
Here are some specific ways that cultural humility and the IDC can be used in ministry:
- To center faith, equity, and justice.
- To develop more inclusive worship services and spaces.
- To recruit and retain a diverse staff and congregation and lead with equity.
- To address issues of race, ethnicity, and culture in preaching and teaching with an equity approach.
- To responsibly provide pastoral care to people from diverse backgrounds.
- To minister to the whole person in culturally responsive ways.
- To participate in repair and bias reduction.
If you are interested in learning more about cultural humility and the IDC, please contact Rev. Dr. Stacey Cole Wilson and/or explore the links provided below.
Resources for Going Deeper
- APA Inclusive Language Guidelines
- UM Resources on Inclusiveness and Diversity
- Respectful Communications Guidelines and Mutual Invitation by Eric Law.
- The Unfinished Church Podcast
- Cultural Humility: A New Way to Reach Diverse Groups
- Praying for Change: Daily Prayers for Antiracism
- Social Principles of The United Methodist Church
- Who Are We Study by the Baltimore-Washington Conference
Cultural Assessments Toward Bias Reduction and Repair
- Implicit Association Test by Harvard (free resource)
- Intercultural Development Institute Training Institute
Resources for Learning Your Context
- MissionInsite (for learning detailed information about the region and for strategizing re: historically underrepresented communities, economic status, religious values, etc.)
- Touchstones for Courageous Conversations by Discipleship Ministries