Intercultural Leadership Capacity Scale

ILC is a broad assessment of four different leadership capacities that are key in leading an intercultural organization. Each capacity is evaluated in two scales. The first is based upon the participants knowledge of the particular capacity. The second part evaluates their application or praxis of the individual capacity. Each capacity will be assessed by a total of six questions, 3 pertaining to knowledge, and 3 pertaining to praxis. The result will allow a composite score of knowledge, a composite score of praxis and to total composite score.

Capacities:

Social Identity Theory: The capacity to influence personal identity through participation in communities in which we belong
Cultural Intelligence: The capacity to function in cultures that are distinct from one’s own.
Trauma-Sensitive Pastoral Care: The capacity to recognize and respond to traumatized and traumatizing persons in a given community.
Intersectionality: The capacity to recognize and respond to multiple axes of overlapping power dynamics within a given community.

Each Capacity:

Can be learned.
Has a Biblical basis

Date(Required)

Name(Required)

First Middle Last

Email(Required)

Enter Email Confirm Email

Please Select Your Answer To Each Question

Each question is required to be answered. For each question, please select the one answer that best describes your understanding. Only one may be selected for each question.

Social Identity awareness and Knowledge questions:

SI1. Your current knowledge of Social Identity Theory is best characterized as:(Required)

Never heard of Social Identity Theory

It sounds familiar, but I can not tell you what it is

I have read about or attended a course where Social Identity Theory was explained

I am familiar with Social Identity Theory and can easily define it.

SI2. Choose the answer that best expresses your concept of identity:(Required)

An Individual’s identity is most often uninfluenced by faith communities in which they may be apart.

An Individual’s identity is more influenced by ethnicity, nation of origin, and familial culture than participation in a faith community.

An individual’s identity can be influenced by a faith experience, but rarely as a result of participating in a faith community.

An individual’s identity is significantly informed by participation their faith community.

SI3. Choose the answer that best expresses your concept of the collective identity and culture among church members:(Required)

My church community culture celebrates its member’s identity in Christ to the exclusion of all other self-identities.

My church community culture celebrates individual and ethnic identities above a member’s identity in the church, or Christian faith.

My church community culture celebrates individual and ethnic identities as equally important to their collective identity in the church, or Christian faith.

My church community culture celebrates the collective identity in the church as an expression of Christian faith, understanding that individual identities are essential to the collective identity.

Social Identity Theory Praxis questions:

SIP1. Which of the following best describes your approach to ministry in your church community:(Required)

I am laser-focused on helping members develop a personal relationship with Jesus, and am rarely concerned about the member’s cultural, ethnic, or social contexts in my care for them.

I am concerned about promoting a member’s thriving in their cultural, ethnic, and social location, and less concerned about their relationship with Jesus.

I am equally concerned about a member’s thriving in their unique social location as I am with them developing a personal relationship with Jesus.

I am devoted to developing a community, centered around our identity in Christ, that is expressed through diverse social locations.

SIP2. Which of the following best describes your approach to ministry at New Hope:(Required)

My communication (sermons, writings, announcements, teachings) are most often targeting individuals.

My communications (sermons, writings, announcements, teachings) are most often targeting distinct cultural groups, but rarely individuals.

My communications (sermons, writings, announcements, teachings) are specifically designed to be aware of diverse cultural groups within the congregation.

My communications (sermons, writings, announcements, teachings) are specifically designed to continually reinforce a sense of “We” that is based upon faith and enriched by cultural diversity.

SIP3. Which of the following metaphors best describes your approach to ministry at New Hope:SIP2. Which of the following best describes your approach to ministry at New Hope:(Required)

Refuge: A place of safety, protected from the world

Social Agency: A place of empowerment to impact the community

Mission: A people designed for the purpose of extending Jesus’ mission in the world

Community: A people called together, identifying with that common calling, creating a new reality.

Cultural Intelligence awareness and knowledge Questions

CI1: Your current knowledge of cultural intelligence is best characterized as:(Required)

I am not familiar with the concept of cultural intelligence.

Cultural intelligence sounds familiar, but I cannot define it.

I have read about or taken a course where cultural intelligence or cultural competency were explained.

I am familiar with cultural intelligence and can easily define it.

CI2: Please choose the best response that reflects your approach to groups within the church that are culturally distinct from your self-identity:(Required)

I feel that it is the responsibility of those in my church’s non-dominant cultures to learn to communicate and function, using the language and practices of the dominant culture.

I feel that it is my responsibility to assist those in my church’s non-dominant cultures to learn to communicate and function, using the language and practices of the dominant culture.

I feel that church communities function most effectively when cultural sub-groups lead separate but equally valued activities.

I am strongly committed to learning the language and practices of non-dominant cultures so that I can better function and minister in their preferred environment.

CI3: Please choose the best response that reflects your pattern when interacting with members of you church who are culturally distinct from your self-identity:(Required)

People are people and I assume that we all have similar interests, perspectives and priorities.

Our church has many different cultures, but the only preparation needed is when there is a language barrier.

Learning language, customs, and practices can be quickly gathered from books/internet and is helpful in approaching culturally distinct people, when you have time.

I invest significant energy spending time among those who are culturally distinct in order to learn cultural customs, languages and practices so that the members appreciate how valued they are.

Cultural Intelligence Praxis questions

CIP1: Please choose the best response that best describes your current ministry practices:(Required)

I don’t see culture or color so I approach ministry without respect to either.

I appreciate different cultures in the congregation, but their presence does not affect my approach to ministry.

I appreciate different cultures in the congregation, but it is the responsibility of the members to learn to understand my communication and ministry style.

I appreciate different cultures in the congregation and seek to approach each with humility, seeking to communicate and minister according to the culture’s preferred cultural context.

CIP2: Please choose the best response that reflects your pattern when interacting with members of you church who are culturally distinct from your self-identity:(Required)

No preparation is necessary, it is the member’s responsibility to understand my language and cultural priorities.

I prepare to help the member understand how to function in the dominant culture.

I prepare by learning cultural language, customs, and practices so that communication is most efficient and productive

I invest significant energy in to learning cultural customs, languages and practices so that the members appreciate how valued they are.

CIP3: Please choose the response that most accurately describes your current ministry practices:(Required)

I am unable to effectively communicate outside my own culture, so I make little effort to try.

I tend to communicate with a single member of distinct cultures and empower that member to share the information with others in that group.

I need help to communicate with different cultures in the church, but I have been effective with assistance from each group.

I have developed cultural and language competencies taught by the distinct cultures that allows me to effectively minister among and with that culture.

Trauma-informed Pastoral Care Awareness Questions

TIA1: Your current knowledge regarding trauma-informed or trauma sensitive pastoral care is best described:(Required)

I am unfamiliar with those terms

I have heard the terms, but I can not define them.

I have read about it or taken a course where it was covered and understand the foundational concepts.

I understand trauma-informed pastoral care and can define and teach it.

TIA2: Please choose the response that best describes your experience with members who have been traumatized or have caused trauma:(Required)

There are no members in our church who have been traumatized or have caused trauma to others that I know.

I know isolated individuals who experienced trauma and they were sent for professional attention, I do not know anyone who caused trauma.

I know individuals and entire cultural groups who have experienced trauma as well as individuals and entire cultural groups who have traumatized others but identifying trauma and its effects is not prioritized in our community.

I know individual and entire cultural groups who have experienced trauma as well as individuals and entire cultural groups who have traumatized others. Our community understands itself as safe place where trauma can be prevented and processed.

TIA3: Please choose the response that best describes your personal experiences:(Required)

I have never experienced traumatic wounding.

I have experience traumatic wounds individually, but never on a cultural or systemic level.

I have experienced traumatic wounds individually and as a member of a cultural group.

I have experienced traumatic wounds individually and/or as a member of a cultural group and I have participated in activities and policies that traumatized others.

Trauma-informed Pastoral Care Praxis questions

TIP1: Please choose the response that best describes your approach to pastoral care:(Required)

I am problem focused and seek to solve member’s problems

I seek to provide a Biblical framework that helps the member understand their own situation and potential solutions.

I engage members upon request and center my care on their spiritual health.

I engage members to hear their story and their journey and seek to help them see God’s presence and activity in it.

TIP2: Please choose the response that best describes your approach to a member who has been traumatically wounded:(Required)

Everyone has been victimized so I do not need to differentiate my approach to someone who has been wounded.

Everyone has been victimized, but only a few rise to the level of truly traumatic. I can discern those who have been traumatized intuitively

I refer most of those who have been traumatized to professional counselors after a brief triage interview

I approach members who have been traumatized by providing a safe place for them to share and process their experiences, centering and validating their experiences as the basis for ongoing support.

TIP3: Please choose the response that best describes your approach to a member who has wounded others:(Required)

Everyone offends others, so I normalize offensive behavior and ask the community to extend grace towards one another.

Everyone offends others, so I discern which of the offenses caused significant physical, sexual, or emotional harm and address those offenders privately and confidentially.

Offenders who traumatize others and break the law are reported to the appropriate authorities. Otherwise, It is the responsibility of the traumatized to go to the traumatizing person first, using a Matthew 18 model, before coming to the church leadership.

When someone is offended or traumatically wounded, we first seek safety for the wounded and any dependents and then approach the accused to hear their perspective, report suspected criminal behavior, and develop a reconciliation process in collaboration with the wounded.

Intersectionality Awareness questions

IA1: Which of the following statements best describes your awareness of Intersectional analysis:(Required)

I am not familiar with the term intersectionality or intersectional analysis.

I have heard the terms intersectionality and intersectional analysis but I can not define them.

I have read a book or listened to a presentation where intersectionality was defined and I can define the term with some difficulty.

I am familiar with intersectionality and can define it.

IA2: Please choose the statement that is most reflective of your understanding of your church’s culture:(Required)

There are no groups or individuals within our church who have advantaged access to resources (social, financial, health, education, employment, power, position) based upon inherent characteristics.

There are groups and individuals within our church who have advantaged access to resources (social, financial, health, education, employment, power, position) based upon inherent characteristics, but only regarding life outside of church community.

There are groups and individuals within our church who have advantaged access to resources (social, financial, health, education, employment, power, position) based upon inherent characteristics, regarding life in and outside of the church community, but the advantage is never brought to their attention.

There are groups and individuals within our church who have advantaged access to resources (social, financial, health, education, employment, power, position) based upon inherent characteristics, regarding life in and outside of the church community. This advantage is acknowledged and leveraged for community solidarity.

IA3: Please choose the statement that is most reflective of your understanding of your church’s culture:(Required)

There are no groups and individuals within our church who have a disadvantaged access to resources (social, financial, health, education, employment, power, position) based upon inherent characteristics.

There are groups and individuals within our church who have disadvantaged access to resources (social, financial, health, education, employment, power, position) based upon inherent characteristics, regarding life in and outside of the church community, but the disadvantage is never recognized in our community.

There are groups and individuals within our church who have disadvantaged access to resources (social, financial, health, education, employment, power, position) based upon inherent characteristics, regarding life in and outside of the church community. The disadvantage is acknowledged, and those disadvantaged are empowered to promote the solidarity of our community.

Intersectionality Praxis Questions

IP1: Choose the response which best describes your ministry approach towards members in your church community:(Required)

The power dynamics within the congregation are based solely upon the hierarchical structure of the church itself. My interactions with members are mainly influenced by church polity.

The power dynamics within the congregation are based upon the greater historical, social, and political forces outside the church. My church community has worked very hard to invalidate those forces within our church community and so my interactions with members are largely influenced by our interpersonal dynamics.

The power dynamics within the congregation are based upon the greater historical, social, and political forces outside the church. We use liturgy, ritual, preaching and Scriptural study to promote unity and equity. My interaction with members is informed by this theological framework and not the member’s appreciation of their experiences.

The power dynamics with the congregation are based upon the greater historical, social, and political forces outside the church. My church community recognizes disparity in power and privilege and seeks to develop a new culture that considers the experiences of its members to disperse power for community solidarity.

IP2: Please choose the response that best describes your perspective and practices:(Required)

I prefer a “Colorblind” and a gender-neutral approach to our members.

I recognize the historical discriminatory treatment of ethnic minorities, women, and the impoverished. That was dealt with previously, so it does not need to be engaged in our church community.

I recognize the historical and contemporary treatment of ethnic minorities, women, and the impoverished. However, it is not appropriate to deal with the discrimination in the church community, but we can be supportive of governmental or non-profit agencies who advocate against discrimination and towards equity.

I recognize the historical and contemporary treatment of ethnic minorities, women, and the impoverished. We understand that working to stop discriminatory practices and promote equitable opportunities is part of the mission of the church community.

IP3: Please choose the response that best describes your perspective and practices:(Required)

Women and Ethnic minorities have been discriminated against in the past, but that can be cancelled out if they have areas of privilege. I encourage members to focus on that as opposed to feeling limited by discrimination.

Affirmative action and quota-driven programs have ended because their ending reflects the reality that discrimination has been effectively eliminated. I treat no one in our church community as “discriminated” or “privileged”.

I notice intersecting power dynamics that are unique and highly contextual. Despite appreciating them, I do not know if I should or can engage the power dynamics.

I notice intersecting power dynamics that are unique and highly contextual. Cultural diversity is highly prized in our church community and authentic community solidarity often requires facilitated reconciliatory processes.

Intercultural Leadership Capacity Scale