| With cross-cultural leadership literature being sparse and cross-cultural studies predominately done under the auspices of global leadership studies, this study addressed the significant gap in religious cross-cultural leadership. The process of bridging the gap in religious cross-cultural leadership helped in developing a biblical model of cross-cultural leadership addressing cultural hegemony, the postcolonial theory, the Western missionary enterprise, and the boundary line between the global north and global south. The religious cross-cultural leadership particularities of calling, intellectual humility, religious messaging, and interreligious dialogue served as the foundation for a biblical model of crosscultural leadership. On an intrapersonal level, the biblical model of cross-cultural leadership included calling, as in the selection, personal leadership development, and assignment to a specific region within the eight major cultural zones of Western Christianity and the orthodox, Islamic, Confucian, Japanese, Hindu, African, and Latin American worlds. The biblical model of cross-cultural leadership engagements in cross-cultural contexts on a meso-level includes intellectual humility and the ongoing experiential learning of seeking concrete experiences, developing reflective observations, formulating abstract conceptualizations, and testing and experimenting. The goal of biblical religious messaging is respectful Christian persuasion in interreligious dialogues. On a macrolevel, biblical model of cross-cultural leadership is in boundary-spanning global leadership bridging the social boundaries between people first in local settings and then in international contexts. The biblical model of religious crosscultural leadership on a macrolevel is also engaging in world Christianity, an emerging field that investigates and seeks to understand Christian communities, faith, and practice as they are found on six continents, expressed in diverse ecclesial traditions, and informed by the multitude of historical and cultural experiences---an attempt to give voice to the underrepresented and marginalized communities of faith. |
