"May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me." - Jesus, John 17:23

The Art of Inclusion with Dr. David Anderson

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Purchasing this e-learning session

Please see our pricing table for licensing fees for our e-learning sessions. If you are interested in purchasing a license for personal development or organizational use  please submit a quote request.

 Expert Content Contributor

This session was created by our design team with the help of Dr. David Anderson. It incorporates several themes from his book Gracism: The Art of Inclusion. There are 66 short instructional videos by Dr. Anderson spread throughout the session.

Emphasis of This Session

Most groups of people, regardless of their size and makeup, have insiders and outsiders. The insider/outsider dynamic can have a wide range of intensities from a subtle feeling of uneasiness to an intense persecution and hatred. A person may feel like an insider or outsider based on their longevity in the group, familiarity with the culture, ability to speak the language, etc. And/or, the group may treat a person like an insider or outsider based on some personal characteristic like their wealth, gender, age, ethnicity, education, experience, etc. This session helps Christian leaders to understand how the insider/outsider dynamic effects their organization and their ability to be a witness for Christ in their community.  It presents a biblical framework for recognizing outsiders and extending them special favor in a way that creates unity and builds a healthy, Christ-honoring atmosphere.

The Learning Scenario

Our e-learning sessions are built around “learning scenarios”–fictional situations that are similar to the types of challenges that trainees can expect to face.  The main character in this session’s learning scenarios is Pastor Carl Stephens, an Anglo (white) pastor of a predominantly white church.  Pastor Carl wants to see his church do a better job of reaching out to the growing ethnic diversity in his community.  In Section A Pastor Stanton learns the biblical basis for the insider/outsider principle.  In Sections B and C he struggles with how to apply what he has learned in a way that promotes unity within his church.  As he wrestles with a wide variety of situations, Pastor Carl is patiently mentored by Pastor Ron, an older white pastor who led a multi-ethnic congregations for over 30 years.

Session Contents

  • 71 learning scenario screens (each screen contains a picture and audio narration)
  • 38 coaching videos
  • 25 ask the expert videos
  • 8 custom handouts which you can printout and use to remember the content and/or train others
  • And more!

Trainees Comments

“The way this material was presented was gracious in itself. I appreciate the spirit in which this information was given, the video clips were well-done, pertinent and “real-life” I especially liked the encouragement that we need to “learn the lessons that failing teaches” because often our efforts in this area, while well-intentioned, have not been inclusive — I am reminded that the story of every Christ-follower’s life is a story of grace.”

“Having been involved in multiracial churches for 15+ years, I saw the value in this session as I saw many of the pitfalls that I have personally seen/experienced in different church settings as it relates to this topic of Inclusion. To have this tool now available, to be able to learn the Art of Inclusion is so invaluable in the church today!”

“This was great. Very relevant to our church congregation presently. Thanks for all the work involved in creating and supplying it.”

“As a minister in a culturally diverse area, I found the learning scenarios to be particularly relevant. We are wrestling with these very issues, and perhaps I appreciated knowing that the tensions our leadership team feels right now are quite normal given the nature of ministering to and reaching our neighborhoods.”

“This helps me better understand these concepts of insiders and outsiders. I appreciated the inclusion of how to apply this concept on a practical level through things that do naturally come up in the culture of how we live our lives. I also appreciate the warmth Dr. Anderson is showing. Some people have really bad experiences with being coached on diversity (being labeled, having assumptions made about what is important to said person, etc.). Thank you for giving grace in recognizing that, even if some have questions or concerns, they might not be hostile to the idea; they just might need time to process, consider, and evaluate.”

“I enjoyed going through the sessions immensely. Coming from a public high school background, the lessons I learned about diversity in high school were important but also not entirely accurate from a Christian perspective. Learning lessons about diversity that are based in faith and to be carried out in love and with the purpose of reconciliation were very interesting and helpful!”

“So thought provoking and heart changing. I truly appreciated the Biblical foundation. Opinion is just that…opinion, but the Word of God is our guidebook and these things are commands to be obeyed (not opted into).”

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