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Diaspora Missiology Part 6-Migration to North Amer

Author: J. D. Payne
Date: 13.05.2010
Category: Diaspora, Unreached People Groups

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In March 2009, I published an article with Lausanne World Pulse titled, "Immigration and North America: Who in the World is My Neighbor Anyway?" I’ll provide you with the highlights below, so you can determine if you want to read the article in its entirety:

There are many of the world’s unreached peoples, including some of the highest priority groups, living in the thirty-six countries and territories representing North America.
Many of the world’s unreached people groups are removed from the the "unreached peoples" list when they move to a North American country or territory.
There are large discrepancies between the numbers (related to North America) being reported in our two best people group databases.
There is a great amount of ignorance when it comes to knowing the evangelical percentages of the world’s unreached peoples living in North America.
It is ironic, ridiculous, and a shame to the Church in North America, that we have better data on people groups living in very remote areas of the world, than we do regarding many "unreached" peoples living in our backyards in the United States and Canada.

What are your thoughts on these findings? If you are interested, let me encourage you to check out the following links for more details:

"Immigration and North America: Who in the World is My Neighbor Anyway?"

For those of you who want more details and charts reflecting the data, I will direct you to a related paper I presented to the Evangelical Missiological Society in 2008: "In Through the Back Door: Reaching the Majority World in North America."

Keywords: diaspora missiology, migration, unreached peoples, North America, immigration

Conversation Post Comment

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down friar58 (1)
United States

Great Research! In my experience, churches in the US are content to sponsor another church that reaches out to these communties by providing free, or "low-rent" facilities (ie, Hispanic, Korean, or Ethiopian congregations), but have little interest in getting involved in their ministry or supporting them in any other way. I have been frustrated at the way my own church lends it’s facilities to the Ethiopian congregation, but has never once tried to integrate or get involved in their ministry, or even bothering themselves to get to know the pastor or main volunteers. The blindness is very evident, or maybe apathy is a better word. It’s great to read of the work that is being done, and encourages me to do more than I have. Convicting and encouraging. Thank you so much for opening my eyes, as I find myself fighting the apathy as well at times.

14.04.2011

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Pashlik (3)
Russia

It’s not necessary to wait for the church to get its act together to understand these issues. Often in my experience the church is more interested in building its own kingdom than God’s kingdom.

All you need is the Holy Spirit to guide you, yourself and one or two friends of like mind. Start a story group for your diaspora friends. Start it in your own home or better yet (if possible) the home of one of your diaspora friends.

Take them through the stories of scripture (oral methods are fantastic- see the Orality Multiplexes), and then introduce them to Jesus. Inviting people to church just gives them the wrong message- there is so much else (frivolous and self serving) going on at a church that distracts people from relationship with Jesus- that’s its easy to miss the point altogether.

27.10.2010

: Reply Flag 0 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Pashlik (3)
Russia

I’m not sure it is necessary to get the established church involved. Most established churched seem to have their hearts set on building their own kingdoms not God’s kingdom.

All you need is yourself, one or two friends of like mind to work with and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Don’t invite your disapora friends to church. The church is not the ark of salvation anyway.

Start up a story group in your home, or better yet (if possible) the home of one of your diaspora friends. Take them through the stories of scripture and invite them to meet Jesus.

The church has already shown by its ignorance and apathy that new ways are needed. Jesus is the Light and Hope of the world, let’s just introduce people to Him and not wait or try to convince the "church" to get its act together.

27.10.2010

: Reply Flag 1 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Katherine_Lorance (4)
United States

Thanks for the detailed research! Many of my friends and neighbors would be classified as part of UPGs (or "ex"-UPGs). It seems to me that many other believers either don’t notice my friends or don’t realize the significance of the UPG status.

As far as the great number of unknown statuses in the US and Canada, is it simply a logistical nightmare to try to track down a people group which has been widely spread out? Refugees in the US, for instance, are resettled in cities of all sizes and throughout the country. What would it take to update the databases?

It would be great if churches would put a greater priority on learning about their actual neighbors (starting with noticing them and moving toward friendships) and about cross-cultural interaction.

14.05.2010

: Reply Flag 1 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down jpayne (1)
United States
@ Katherine_Lorance:
Katherine,

Thank you for your encouraging words, and for sharing from your personal experience. I agree that providing up-to-date information will be a challenge, but we must do a better job. While outside researchers will help, it will require people in the area doing the research. And, yes, I agree with you that it would be great if churches would get to know their communities.

J. D.

20.05.2010

: Reply Flag 1 Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Kirsten_Borror (1)
United States
@ Katherine_Lorance:
Noticing my foreign neighbors: Part of getting churches to notice the foreigners in their midst is educating people about diaspora. #1 It was after attending a Jesus in the Quran seminar in which I gained some practical info on Muslims that I noticed the parking attendant where I was parking my car. It turns out he was from Somalia and was a Muslim! I felt comfortable and equipped to engage in conversation with him. A seed was planted! #2 After watching a woman in a head scarf walk out of my town convenience store I asked the clerk if many immigrants came there from the nearby apartments. She said Absolutely, we have a variety of people coming in here all the time! They were there all along, I just never noticed them before taking a diaspora seminar at the Ethnic America Summit last month!

21.05.2010