The Big Truth About Intercultural Journey and Discipleship

Many people think an intercultural church is one where different colours, languages, or styles are represented. Maybe the music is mixed, or the food is international, or the people come from different places.

But here’s the big truth:

Being culturally diverse is not enough.

God is calling us to go deeper, to build churches where people from all backgrounds truly share life, leadership, and love, shaped by the way of Jesus.

This is what the ICCT (Intercultural Church and City Transformation) journey is all about. It’s not just about what we look like on the outside. It’s about who we are becoming on the inside together.

Let’s break down what this really means.

The Intercultural Journey Will Challenge You

This journey will make you uncomfortable at times.

It will make you ask:

         •       Why do we always do things this way?

         •       Who gets to make all the decisions in our culturally diverse church?

         •       Whose voices are missing at the table?

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to follow me must take up their cross.”

That means sometimes we must give up control, open our hearts, and make room for others to lead and shape the community.

Some people will say, “But we’ve always done it this way.”

But the gospel says, “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation.”

This journey is about becoming new together, a new and creative way of reimagining our changing cities and churches are needed.

It’s Not Just Being Together, It’s Being Changed Together

It’s easy to sit next to someone from a different culture on a Sunday morning.

But the real question is: Are we learning from one another? Are we being shaped by one another?

At one ICCT event, two church leaders from Nigeria and a white English sat together, worshipped together in Yoruba and English and prayed together in each other’s languages. It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t for show. It was a holy moment where both were changed, they saw Jesus in each other.

That’s what this journey is about.

Not just being in the same room, but being changed together by the power of God.

Unity Is a Struggle Before It’s a Song

Everyone loves the idea of unity.

But unity isn’t easy.

Real unity means having hard conversations. It means listening to pain, saying sorry, and making changes.

 While visiting six cities in preparation for the first ICCT Gathering in Leeds last year, something unforgettable happened. During one of the city conversations, a pastor of Chinese background who leads a Chinese church shared a thought that struck deeply. He said: “We’ve been in this city for many years. we’ve never been invited to this kind of meetings before.”

The room went quiet.

Then someone said, “We didn’t know… we never asked.”

And that moment changed something.

Not because there was a perfect answer, but because there was real honesty and healing. That’s what unity looks like, not always polished, but real and rooted in love.

It Takes Time, It’s a Pilgrimage, Not a Programme

You can’t build an intercultural church in one month, one year or two years

You cannot just tick a box or host a special event and say, “We have have done it.”

This is a long journey, a step-by-step, prayer-by-prayer, decision-by-decision walk with God and each other.

At ICCT, we believe: “It’s a pilgrimage, not a programme.”

That means we walk slowly, we listen deeply, and we grow as we go.

Just like the people of Israel walked through the desert with God before reaching the promised land, we walk together, learning, changing, and becoming more like Christ as one body.

God Is Already at Work in Every Culture

One of the most beautiful parts of this journey is discovering that God is already at work in every culture. We don’t bring God into other cultures—He’s already there.

In African stories, English spoken words, in Caribbean songs, in Asian family values, in Eastern European prayers, in Latin American joy, God has placed treasures.

We just need to ask:

         •       What can I learn from my brother or sister’s culture?

         •       What part of God’s image are they carrying that I haven’t seen before?

During our last online Intercultural learning journey session, we looked at the topic “Digging deposits of grace from every culture” what can the church learn from the uneducated? What tools do we need to dig these deposits of grace from the dirt of every culture.

What if the revival we are praying for is already in the hands of the people we’ve been ignoring?

It’s time to stop seeing others as guests and start seeing them as gift-bearers, people who carry something sacred that the whole church needs.

There Are No Experts, We’re All Still Learning

Some people think they need to be experts before they engage in intercultural work.

The truth is, there are no experts.

We’re all learners on this journey.

You may know a lot about your own culture, but someone else knows their own stories more than you and it’s just as valuable.

There’s always something to discover, always something to unlearn, and always something to celebrate.

At ICCT, we say:

“We don’t come to teach others. We come to listen, share, and grow together.”

Whether you are a pastor, a new believer, a theologian, or someone who has been overlooked, you have something to bring and you have something to learn.

This is the beauty of the Body of Christ: many parts, one Spirit.

This Is the Church the World Needs

The world is divided in many ways - by race, ethnicity, class, language, generations and fear. But the Church is called to be different.

We are called to be a sign of God’s kingdom, where people from every tribe, tongue, and nation worship together, serve together, and share life together.

So here’s the big truth again:

The intercultural journey is not just about being seen together, it’s about being shaped together by Jesus. If we want to see real transformation in our churches and cities, we must be willing to go deeper.

Not just to invite people in…

But to make room at the table.

To listen, learn, and lead together.

No one has it all.

But together, by the grace of God, we are becoming the Church the world longs to see.

Join us 5th and 6th February 2026 for the Manchester 2026 ICCT Gathering - as we continue this journey together. To book for early bird, register with this link icctgathering.org