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GOSPEL COMMUNICATION PROJECT: CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH
TEMPLATE
INSTRUCTIONS
Choose a country other than your own from one of the 10 cultural clusters and do research about
their culture. Complete this worksheet by writing your answers in the white boxes. Note that the
white boxes will expand as you type in them. You should write in complete sentences and use
proper English grammar, spelling, and language mechanics. Be sure to fulfill all listed word
count and citation requirements. Citations should be integrated into your writing as supporting
evidence and to show where you got your information. Long quotes from outside sources will
not be counted towards the minimum word count. When asked to cite outside sources, you
should do research through materials other than the course textbooks (reputable websites, books,
and peer reviewed articles from the JFL library, etc.). This research will assist you in preparing
your Grand Narrative presentation to effectively share the gospel with someone from that
culture.
Student
Name
Larry
Kellenberger
Course Section
Number
GLST 220
Introduction
Country
Germany Identify the Cultural Cluster of the
country you chose (Anglo, Nordic
Europe, Germanic Europe, Latin
Europe, Latin America, Confucian
Asia, Southern Asia, Sub-Saharan
Africa, Arab)
Germanic Europe
Cultural Description: Describe the country and its culture by discussing its geographical
location, primary religion, current events, significant historical events, economic status,
resources, etc. Then, describe at least 3 cultural artifacts that would be considered “top of the
iceberg” facts (art, music, dress, money, customs, food, etc.). (Write 100-300 words and cite
at least one outside source).
Example showing how to use a citation in a sentence:
India has at least 22 officially recognized languages, though English and Hindi are the
primary trade languages (World Fact Book, 2022).
Germany, a European country part of the Germanic Europe cluster, is geographically
located in central Europe. Germany borders Denmark on the north side, Poland and Czech
Republic on the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France and Luxembourg in the
southwest along with Belgium and the Netherlands in the northwest.
The primary religion of Germany is Orthodox Christianity. Orthodoxy believes that the
Christian Faith and the Church are inseparable. It is impossible to know Christ, to share in the
life of the Holy Trinity, or to be considered a Christian, apart from the Church. It is in the
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Church that the Christian Faith is proclaimed and maintained. It is through the Church that an
individual is nurtured in the Faith. “Teachings of the Orthodox Church - Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America - Orthodox Church,” Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, last
modified 2020, accessed February 9, 2024, https://www.goarch.org/-/teachings-of-the-
orthodox-church. Some of the current events going on in Germany might seem a little
strange to you because you can not fathom them going on in your country. For example,
doctors have gone on strike for a bigger pay increase. Nice houses, mansions, and nice cars
but they need a bigger pay raise. Over twenty-two hundred people have been sexually
abused by Protestant church staff. The main focus of sexual abuse has been on the Catholic
churches in the past, however, here recently investigations have started in every
denomination.
Germany has been a land of many historical events. The biggest and most memorable was
the holocaust during WWII. The Jews were persecuted and murdered just for being Jews.
Kinda the same thing that happened to Jesus.
CQ Drive
What is your drive or motivation for wanting to share the gospel with someone from this
culture? How do you think cultural intelligence will help you to be more effective in sharing
the gospel? (Write 100-200 words)
Love is the main drive or motivation for sharing the gospel with anyone from any culture.
Cultural intelligence will help you to determine how to share the gospel. You will gain a
better understanding of the culture you are trying to spread the gospel too.
CQ Knowledge
CQ Knowledge: Discuss the categories of CQ knowledge by completing the chart below for
cultural systems, cultural value orientations, and socio-linguistic norms.
Cultural Systems: In the chart below, choose 2 of the cultural systems (Economic,
Family, etc.) and identify which description represents the culture you have chosen.
(Simply write the word that describes the cultural system in the adjacent white box. You will
fill-in answers in 2 boxes. For example, for the economic system, I would write “socialist” if
the culture I was studying has a socialist economic system
).
Economic System:
Socialist or Capitalist?
Both Family System:
Kinship or Nuclear?
Nuclear
Education System:
Formal or Informal?
Legal System:
Formal or Informal?
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Religious System:
Mystical or Rational?
Artistic System:
Clear or Fluid?
Discuss the Cultural Systems: For each of the 2 cultural systems that you chose above,
discuss the following questions: What evidence shows this cultural system? How might
this cultural system affect their worldview or understanding of the gospel? What biblical
themes might be relevant to someone with this cultural system? (For each system, write
100-200 words and cite at least 1 outside source)
Economic System: The German economic system is both capitalist and socialist. Capitalism
means that productive property is largely privately owned instead of government-owned. It is
a socialist system in the fact that there is a very large state-run welfare system. “The difference
between the two systems may be characterized by the structure of ownership and the degree of
centralization in decision-making. West Germany, as a capitalist country, mainly relies on
private and individual ownership and control of the business enterprise, whereas in East
Germany, as a socialist country, state enterprises were predominant. Regarding the degree of
centralization, capitalism provides wide areas of discretion for freedom of individual choice,
which leads to decentralization of economic decisions, whereas socialism shows a more
centralized approach towards economic decisions”. “Leaving Socialism Behind: A Lesson
from Germany,” Hoover Institution, last modified 2020, accessed February 9,
2024, https://www.hoover.org/research/leaving-socialism-behind-lesson-germany.
Family System: The German family system is nuclear at heart. Consisting of the parents and
children only. No child over eighteen resides at home. This type of family structure gives
great emphasis to individualism and self-reliance. It is called a nuclear family because of the
term nuclear, or nucleus, meaning “something essential” which refers to the parents and
children making it an essential family. The grandparents usually reside in a different building
or city all together.
Cultural Value Orientations: (Choose at least 3 cultural value orientations and complete
the chart below for the culture you have chosen).
Individualism or
Collectivism?
Individualism Low-Power
Distance or High-
Power Distance?
Low-Power Distance
Low Uncertainty
Avoidance or
High Uncertainty
Avoidance?
Cooperative or
Competitive?
Short-term or
Long-term?
Direct or Indirect
Context?
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Being or Doing? Universalism or
Particularism?
Neutral or
Affective?
Monochronic or
Polychronic?
Monochronic
Discuss the Cultural Value Orientations: For each of the 3 cultural value orientations
that you chose above, discuss the following questions. What might this value orientation
look like in everyday life in that culture? How might it affect a person’s worldview or
understanding of the gospel? What biblical themes might be applicable to that value
orientation? (For each value orientation, write 100-200 words and cite at least one outside
source
).
Individualism: What is Individualism? Individualism is
the idea that freedom of thought and action for each person is the most important quality of
a society, rather than shared effort and responsibility Cambridge Dictionary,
“Individualism,” @CambridgeWords, last modified February 7, 2024, accessed February 10,
2024, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/individualism. The society is
expected to express the emotions, ideas The society is expected to express the emotions and
ideas, which in turn makes collective actions more difficult because people enjoy doing their
own thing. As a matter of fact, there is an expectation to do your own thing. I feel
individualism makes understanding the gospel a little easier. For one, you do not have
everyone throwing in their opinions of what something might mean. Jesus also made it
perfectly clear that He came to save individuals and not large groups. Each single person has
a duty to save their own soul. The problem with individualism is the preference for self is at
the heart of sin and also separates us from God.
Low-Power Distance: In a Low-Power Distance culture, everyone is treated equally and
power is earned and not given on hereditary rights. God’s sovereign authority suggest a
large Power Distance, however the gospel, a measure of God’s grace and mercy which
are not necessarily characteristics of any regime in a Large Power Distance country, is
the means of completing our eternal existence in the presence of God or in hell. God,
unlike leaders in any country, is perfectly holy, righteous and good, and relates closely to
man. Thus the negatives aspects of a Large Power Distance do not exist with him. GCI
T2, “GTSH5/2 Examining Power Distance and Individualism - Christian Leadership
Academy,” Christian Leadership Academy, last modified 2014, accessed February 10,
2024, http://academy.christian-leadership.org/growing-the-servant-heart-gtsh/gtsh5-
gaining-cultural-insight/gtsh52-examining-power-distance-and-individualism/.
Monochronic value orientation is very clear in the German culture. German people value their
directness and within that comes precision, and punctuality.
Expectations are set and are clear. Their traditions have set times and ways of celebration that
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are not up for debate or change. The people in Germany tend to stick to specific schedules to
allow people to effectively complete multiple tasks in a day. It allows people to only take on
what they are capable of finishing. Valuing orderliness and work in a focused manner. They
tend to be well organized and punctual and they do not appreciate interruptions.
Discuss at least 2 socio-linguistic characteristics of this culture (1 related to verbal
communication and 1 related to non-verbal communication). How might these
characteristics affect the way you share the gospel? (Write 100-300 words and cite at least
one source
).
An important part of the socio-linguistic characteristic of the German culture is the element of
humility. This teaches German people to remain modest and not to push too far. This is
mainly seen in the way German people will not criticize others. Everyone is
seen as equal no matter their economic or social standings. There is no flaunting of financial
gains or praise for people who are rich as well as no judging of people who are down on their
luck. Some of the non-verbal communication known throughout the region consist of the
general distance kept between business partners, influence on seating and the presence or lack
of physical contact. There is a visible lack of intimacy within this culture outside of direct
family and very close friends.
Works Cited
In the space below, list all the sources you have cited on this worksheet (You should have
at least 3 different sources). Be sure to include the title, author, publisher, date of
publication, and website (if applicable). If you used the same source more than once, you
only need to list it once in this section.
Examples Works Cited Entries
"India." World Factbook 2022. Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Public Affairs.
<https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/india/> (accessed February 28, 2022).
Livermore, David. Cultural Intelligence: Improving Your CQ to Engage Our Multicultural
World. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009
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“Teachings of the Orthodox Church - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Orthodox
Church.” Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Last modified 2020. Accessed
February 10, 2024. https://www.goarch.org/-/teachings-of-the-orthodox-church.
“Leaving Socialism Behind: A Lesson from Germany.” Hoover Institution. Last modified
2020. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.hoover.org/research/leaving-socialism-
behind-lesson-germany.
Cambridge Dictionary. “Individualism.” @CambridgeWords. Last modified February 7,
2024. Accessed February 10, 2024.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/individualism.
GCI T2. “GTSH5/2 Examining Power Distance and Individualism - Christian Leadership
Academy.” Christian Leadership Academy. Last modified 2014. Accessed February 10,
2024. http://academy.christian-leadership.org/growing-the-servant-heart-gtsh/gtsh5-
gaining-cultural-insight/gtsh52-examining-power-distance-and-individualism/.
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