Church life inevitably comes with frustrations and challenges—especially when people from different backgrounds and cultures are brought together. Misunderstandings are common. Is the church a building, a meeting, or a social service provider? For many, past experiences shape current expectations.

A friend from Nigeria once told me his church had 100,000 members—and it wasn’t even the biggest in his city. I can’t even imagine what that looks like. Others come from house churches with only a handful of people. Some expect mountain-top experiences, others want strong preaching. Some are used to institutions with bishops and archbishops, while others have known churches built almost entirely around the charisma of one dominant leader.

These varied traditions and structures shape us deeply. Before we can build a common understanding of the church, we often have to deconstruct the different assumptions we each carry.

And culture shapes more than just structures. Preaching, prayer, worship, leadership—all of them look different in different contexts. If we are to live as one body, we need a shared foundation for what “church” means. A foundation that holds steady across cultures while still allowing space for contextual expression.

For that reason, I like to start with four questions:

1. Who does God reveal Himself to be in relation to His people? What names, images, and language does He use?
2. What has God done for His people in light of who He is?
3. What does this tell us about the church? If our identity is shaped by God’s identity and actions, who are we?
4. What then are we called to be and do as His church in the world?

This approach pushes us back to the Word. Instead of beginning with our traditions or preferences, we start with God: who He is, what He has done, and what that makes us. That gives us a shared foundation strong enough for people from very different cultures and traditions to be built together into one spiritual house.