Cross-Cultural Partnerships in Your Own Community

At Mission ONE, we have humbly spent decades building quality relationships with global partners, learning by listening, observing, and staying steadfast. Our work with indigenous changemakers, leaders, and experts has given us a ton of insight on how to successfully create cross-cultural partnerships that honor God and make the world more like the Kingdom.

Many of our lessons have come from our work in other global contexts, cultures, and countries, but the lessons are just as applicable to relationships you have in your own community. Many of our communities, churches, and cities are wildly diverse places that are a melting pot of cultures, beliefs, practices, and traditions. When we apply the principles of good cross-cultural partnerships to our neighbors, the benefits can have a ripple effect we couldn’t have imagined– all without traveling more than a few miles.

Meet Hustle PHX

Hustle PHX is a Phoenix-based nonprofit that encourages the creation of sustainable business ventures that affirm the dignity of people and lead to the flourishing of all communities in Phoenix. Through their programs, they provide a limited number of carefully selected entrepreneurs with financial, intellectual, and social capital needed to launch and thrive in their businesses.

Here at Mission ONE, we love the work that the team at Hustle PHX is doing right here in our backyard. We recently invited several members of their team to go through our recently-launched Beauty of Partnership course as a way to expand on their depth of knowledge on how to approach cross-cultural partnerships here in Phoenix. Since our city is one of the most culturally diverse metropolitan areas, we wanted the opportunity to share this resources with another Christian organization with a similar vision.

Here’s what they had to say:

Why do you think it’s important to develop skills around cross-cultural partnerships?

Hustle PHX is a domestic nonprofit ministry and while we do not have international partnerships at this time, we do serve communities that are cross-cultural. I was pleasantly surprised that the material [in the Beauty of Partnership Course] is applicable in both a domestic and international setting when you are engaging in personal and/or professional/ministry cross-cultural settings as believers. BOP shows you how to come with a posture of humility to the communities you are serving to build mutual trust and show the love of Christ to others.

I believe it is important to develop skills around cross-culture partnerships because not only can you build a culturally diverse network, but understand and learn from each other to build community. The Beauty of Partnership program has taught me the ability to effectively interact with people across cultures and create a variety of partnerships.

Instead of walking around with assumptions of people, The Beauty of Partnership encourages the acceptance and joy in learning about different cultures.

What surprised you most about The Beauty of Partnership? 

What surprised me most about The Beauty of Partnership is how much the different readings impacted people differently. Specifically, the readings created a catalysis to rich and meaningful conversations. These conversations unlocked space to share different life experiences that influenced us in how we’ve come to view (and in some cases re-assess) cross-cultural relationships.

What surprised me the most about The Beauty of Partnerships is that even though I already have an open minded way of seeing people, there was still more for me to learn.

The Beauty of Partnership is a start to something beautiful. It hits on foundational things and opportunity for good dialogue.

How will this material shape your approach to cross-cultural partnerships in the future?

The material provided concepts, scripture and questions to encourage thoughtful reflection and not just ‘consuming’ the material. Even having worked in cross-cultural partnerships in the past, this experience provided me with a deeper awareness that will stick with me. The scripture in particular will serve as a linchpin and help to guide me as I lead others in and out of our organization as we engage in cross-cultural relationships.

The Beauty of Partnership helped shape my approach to cross cultural partnerships by helping me learn to be more sensitive to other cultures. Whether it be a minimal and often overlooked stereotype it can still be damaging to those it applies to.

In the future, this material will shape the way I communicate and improve the bonds and performance of the partnerships I develop.

The Beauty of Partnership

Having healthy cross-cultural partnerships causes a positive ripple effect that impacts many communities and future generations. When we collaborate in humility we will see the beauty of the Lord embodied.

It’s our responsibility to be good stewards of the purpose and calling that God has given us and walk into our cross-cultural partnerships with an openness and willingness to learn, adapt, and be transformed ourselves.

The Beauty of Partnership course from Mission ONE is an immersive digital course, making our globally-endorsed thought leadership available to more people for the glory of God!

Our course incorporates proven methodology and biblical resources to create a firm foundation for successful cross-cultural partnerships within the context of the church. This course has helped, and impacted many people from all over the world, and we are thrilled to be able to make it available to many more who are embarking on the journey.

You can learn more about The Beauty of Partnership and purchase the course here. 

Hustle PHX team members who contributed feedback and observations:

• Shannon Gnam, Director of Business Development
• Gladys Herrera, Volunteer Program Intern- AmeriCorps Public Allies
• BisKit Dunmore, Youth Entrepreneurship Program- AmeriCorps Intern
• Jaylen Hawkins, Youth Entrepreneurship Program- AmeriCorps Intern