The Lausanne Global Conversation is on the World Wide Open Network
Author: Sadiri Joy Tira
Date: 19.10.2010
Category: Diasporas, Media and Communications, Unreached People Groups
Diaspora – the word once strictly referred to the Jewish people dispersed throughout the globe and to the Jewish community residing outside Palestine/ Israel. Today, we hear and read about the African Diaspora, Armenian Diaspora, Chinese Diaspora, South Asian Diaspora, Filipino Diaspora, Japanese Diaspora, Korean Diaspora, Brazilian Diaspora, and more recently the Haitian Diaspora, etc. Evidently, "diaspora" is now a buzzword.
Recall the January 12, 2010 earthquake that shook Haiti and devastated its capital city, Port-au-Prince? Over 230,000 people were killed, leaving close to a million Haitians homeless. To respond to the great need emerging from this situation, the international community rallied to provide aid. Some countries, such as Canada, even announced plans to expedite immigration from Haiti.[1]
Fast-forward a few months. On the morning of September 27, 2010, I walked into my favourite coffee joint, Starbucks (it looks and tastes the same all over the world, and is a bit of an "anchor" -- a familiar place, for the travel weary) for my regular morning fuel -- "Tall Pike" and The Globe and Mail.
The front-page headline jumped out at me: HAITIAN DIASPORA SPREADING THE GOSPEL OF VOODOO.[2]
My interest was secured by two of my favourite words: Diaspora and Gospel. But the article was not talking about my Gospel -- the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it was talking about the "gospel" of Voodoo.
You see, as we at Cape Town discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by the "people on the move" and the implications on missions practice, other "gospels" are already making their ways across borders and into the lives of those who welcome them.
The Haitian Diaspora is not at all new to Canada and I am not suggesting that their recent influx (due to fast-tracking of immigration) is the cause of this particular headline. The fact is that Haitians have been migrating to Canada for years, but obviously the time is now "ripe" for Canada’s national paper to feature the Haitian Diaspora and the once taboo religion that many of them embrace on its front page.
Missiologically speaking, we can say that the Haitian heralds of Voodoo are being exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as soon as they arrive in Canada with its pronounced Christian heritage. We can say this of any newly arrived group and this statement is applicable beyond Canada. For example: "The –(enter group of your choice)—will hear about Jesus when they get here, so there really is no need to intentionally reach them with informed and strategic methods. We can just invite them to church”.
This is all very nice, but the fact of the matter is that the diasporas need Christian "hosts" whether these are Christians from traditionally Christian countries (e.g. Canada or the USA) or are Christians in diaspora (e.g. Haitian-Canadian Christians or even Vietnamese-Canadian Christians!) to intentionally engage them.
Some good friends of mine continue to believe that overseas missions is of higher priority, because diasporas who arrive in "traditionally Christian" countries will “inevitably be exposed to Christianity”. [But what is a "traditional Christian" country now, anyways?].
I love my friends, but clearly we are not on the same page. Geographical missiology is outdated in the reality of the 21st Century. I do not believe that diaspora missions should take precedence over traditional missions, but I do believe that they now must go hand in hand. What we do over there, we must do over here.
What kind of Christianity will the diasporas encounter if our local churches continue to move out of "immigrant sections" of the city; if our members are not informed and trained on how to intelligently receive migrants? How effective will our local churches be at reaching diaspora people if our local pastors are not trained to communicate and interact with them?
We send our best overseas. Apart from theological, biblical, and pastoral training, we invest in our "foreign missionaries" thousands of dollars in language training, cultural training, intellectual training, and guide them through a battery of aptitude and psychological tests to ensure that they have a high "success" rate in a cross-cultural setting. However, we do not intentionally or strategically prepare our workers for the cross-cultural setting "at home".
In my own Canadian hometown churches are moving out of areas that have become "high immigrant" areas (for whatever reason). Some churches are missing the great opportunity to intentionally reach Sudanese, Mainland Chinese, Indian, Bengali, Pakistani, Afghani, Russian, Bosnian, etc. right in their own communities! Some religious groups have even bought and transformed former Christian church buildings into altogether different spaces of worship, including mosques.
Host Christians are moving out and diasporic people with their own religions in tow are moving in. We can be assured that if Christians are not intentionally engaging, the diaspora peoples will most certainly set up their own temples and mosques right beside our churches.
I am not trying to frighten, I am hoping to challenge. If Christendom persists on pretending that it will "win" Diaspora people by simply "exposing them to Christian values" one day we will wake up to find that Voodoo has swallowed up one community after another. (I am just saying. You may replace the word "Voodoo" with the religion of your choice).
What is my point?
What we do over there, we must do over here.
What we are supporting over there, we must equally support over here.
Missions in the 21st Century must be multi-directional not lineal. It must be non-spatial, instead of geographical. Local churches must be educated that missions is not only "out there" but also "over here". There should now be no distinction of home and foreign missions!
Every person outside the Kingdom of God is the Church’s priority.
Dr. Ralph Winter effectively presented the E-Scale during the historic 1974 Lausanne Congress in Switzerland – this was the perfect strategy for that time, but times have since changed.
In 2004, Winter endorsed the seminal Diaspora Missiology book, SCATTERED: The Filipino Global Presence (Pantoja, Luis, Sadiri Joy Tira, and Enoch Wan, Eds., LifeChange Publishing Inc. 2004) with these words on its back cover:
“This book is both arresting and strategic because it addresses in depth what may well be the most important undigested reality in mission thinking today. We simply have not caught up with the fact that most of the world’s peoples can no longer be defined geographically.”
Lausanne Diasporas exists to motivate and mobilise the Whole Church to take the Whole Gospel to the Whole World. While the Whole Gospel never changes, today the Whole Church includes “people on the move”, and the Whole World is now “every where”.
Let us make headlines: CHRISTIAN DIASPORA [AND HOSTS] SPREADING THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
*Sadiri Joy Tira (D.Min., D.Miss.) is the LCWE Senior Associate for Diasporas.
[1] http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/15/haiti-canada-immigration.html#
[2] http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec/haitian-diaspora-spreading-the-gospel-of-voodoo/article1727147/?service=mobile
Keywords: diaspora missiology, local churches, migrants, religion, traditional missions
Views: 8471
Comments: 8
Recommendations: 1
Conversation Post Comment
United States
I really enjoyed this blog. I am a firm believer that missions starts at home ( wherever that might be for you). As stated in the blog whatever a missiononary is doing a broad, they must do at home. My pastor speaks on this and he makes sure that we do things that edify the community.
Cora C.
03.07.2012
United States
Thank you for opening my eyes to the flip side of Christian diaspora mission in Canada. It was a good point about the priorities on traditional mission, I agree an emphasis should be placed on mission at home as well. I am also perplexed about why churches are moving out of "high immigrant" areas and missing important opportunities.
08.07.2011
South Africa
One of my great sadnesses is that in downtown Johannesburg there is a church, the Orthodox Cathedral of St Constantine and Helen, that was started by a Greek diaspora community. But most of the members of the church have migrated to outlying suburbs. The area around the church is one of the most cosmopolitan in the city, with immigrants from everywhere. The church buildings are ideally situated for outreach to9 immigrants, but the members have a dog in the manger attitude, and want the church to be distinctively and exclusively Greek.
20.10.2010
United States
@ hayesstw:
I agree with hayesstw. It is sad to watch our churches move or not take advantage of the communities around them. They are afraid of a people they do not know.
As for the article I believe as he does that mission is just as important in this country as in other countries.
17.04.2011
Canada
Thank you for your affirming comments.
During the Multiplex, the Lausanne Diasporas Leadership Team circulated a booklet titled Scattered to Gather: Embracing the Global Trend of Diaspora. It contains the biblical/theological position paper on diaspora missiology, but it also provides a section on 7 practical steps to make. In summary:
STEP #1 -- EMBRACE THE VISION FOR THE DIASPORA PEOPLES
1. Diaspora phenomenon is a growing global and local reality.
2. The scope of the Diaspora phenomena is immense and the opportunity to reach them with the Gospel unprecedented.
3. Scriptures reveal that it is the intentional purpose of God that the Diaspora strategy be employed.
4. The Great Commission of the Lord Jesus includes the evangelization of the Diaspora.
5. Each Diaspora group provides both an accessible mission field and a potential mission force.
6. People on the move are more open to change and are often receptive to the Gospel.
7. The primary agency for the evangelization of the people on the move is the Church of Jesus Christ in its local and global presence.
8. The Gospel fits into any culture and background but the Church has to contextualize it for the respective Diaspora group.
9. Evangelization of the People on the Move calls for focused intentionality, urgent passion and strategic practical action.
10. Reaching an individual or a group with the Gospel can have far-reaching consequences for Kingdom advancement.
STEP #2 – ENSURE THE RIGHT ATTITUDES
Attitudes are important and powerful in life, relationships and ministry. The following are seven questions that will help you and your congregation to assess your readiness to reach out to Diaspora people:
1. Do you have a patronizing attitude toward other cultures, races, and ethnic groups?
2. Are you racially prejudiced or ethnocentric?
3. Has the influx of people from other cultures, races and ethnic groups paralyzed you or excited you to evangelize them?
4. Do you have a loving burden for the “strangers” in your midst? (Leviticus 19:33-34; Deuteronomy 10:19)
5. Are you ready to embrace diversity of culture and ministry to all cultural, racial or ethnic groups?
6. Have you embraced loving hospitality as a vital spiritual principle of Christian life and ministry? (Matthew 25:35; Romans 12:13; 1 Peter 4:9; Hebrews 13:2)
7. Are you an active part of a nurturing community who worship and learn together, love and serve each other and together? (Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 1:22, 3:8; 4:8-11)
STEP #3 – EXPLORE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Increasingly, Diaspora people are moving into all kinds of environments. Often people are unaware of the changes taking place in their everyday world. Here are some questions to help diagnose who really is your neighbor, in your work, residential or leisure world?
1. Who are the Diaspora people in your neighborhood?
2. What are the lands of their origin?
3. What is the size of each Diaspora group?
4. Why did they come? Or what factors brought them here?
5. What is the heart language or mother tongue of the Diaspora people(s)?
6. What generations are represented among them?
7. What are their religious affiliations?
8. Have they established worship places?
9. Are there some Christian believers among them?
10. What are their educational levels?
11. Where are they vocationally/professionally?
12. What is their receptivity level to the Gospel?
13. What are their felt/immediate needs?
14. How can you meet these felt/immediate needs and begin to build meaningful relationships with them?
15. Who else can you partner with you to reach them?
STEP #4 – ENGAGE IN HOLISTIC MINISTRY
1. Treat all people with mutual respect, dignity and generosity.
2. Work collaboratively with people of all backgrounds on issues of common concern, e.g. youth issues, drug abuse, housing, unemployment, racism, etc.
3. Encourage various Diaspora groups to work together to face common challenges and serve their communities.
4. Pursue partnerships with other churches and Christian agencies which share expertise, materials, personnel, prayer and resources for training.
5. Work intentionally in partnership with governments and non-governmental agencies (NGOs) whenever possible, where Bible truth and practice are not compromised.
6. Approach ministry with extreme creativity and flexibility.
7. Extend ministry to Diaspora people on existing ministry initiatives.
8. Seek to provide advocacy services and legal expertise for those who are victims of injustice – the refugees, sinned against, the trafficked people, the powerless, etc.
9. Provide material, emotional and psychological support, and trauma counseling for the vulnerable.
STEP #5 – EQUIP FOR EFFECTIVE MINISTRY
1. Help the local church realize that it is a landing place for Diaspora people and a launching pad for Diaspora ministries.
2. Make believers aware of the scope and the available avenues of ministries to Diaspora people.
3. Keep believers informed of timely and true information about challenges and progress of ministry.
4. Ensure spiritual growth and vitality are regularly experienced by believers
5. Mobilize intercession and spiritual warfare praying for the advance of the Kingdom.
6. Provide training to increase cross-cultural competence of believers.
7. Equip believers to be able to share their personal testimony succinctly.
8. Enhance the believer’ skills in cross-cultural hospitality.
9. Train Christians to engage in culturally-sensitive and contextual evangelism and discipleship.
10. Provide appropriate culture-sensitive and language-specific resources for effective outreach and discipleship.
11. Expose key language-specific resources available on the internet for evangelism and discipleship
12. Explore ways to open doors and use contact points to the Gospel to them.
STEP #6 – ENCOURAGE BUILDING GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS
1. Identify with the people of the Diasporas and get involved with them on a personal level.
2. Take risks and build genuine cross-cultural relationships.
3. Provide loving hospitality to care for their felt and immediate needs.
4. Get to know the Diaspora peoples and their original cultural contexts.
5. Find believers who can communicate with them in their mother tongue or heart language.
6. Seek to expose your faith but not to impose your faith on them.
7. Pray for guidance of the Holy Spirit to share the Good News of Jesus with them.
8. Ensure Christianity that is shared is Bible-based but culture-based.
STEP #7 – EMPOWER THE DIASPORA CHRISTIANS OR CHURCHES FOR MISSION
1. Present to the Diaspora Christians or churches the vision, advantages and opportunities for mission.
2. Instill a missionary vision and foster an environment of mission.
3. Plan relationship-building opportunities with the Diaspora to implement the Great Commission locally.
4. Identify and train Diaspora leaders.
5. Cooperate with mission agencies to provide theological training in the respective mother tongue.
6. Employ distance learning and electronic means to train potential Christian workers.
7. Network partnerships with Christians and churches in countries of origin.
8. Cultivate partnerships with host country churches to engage in mission.
9. Create focused prayer networks for ministry effectiveness.
10. Link with national, regional or global Christian Diaspora networks when possible.
If you are in Cape Town be sure to get a copy of this booklet -- Scattered to Gather: Embracing the Global Trend of Diaspora.
The entire booklet is posted for download on Dr. J.D. Payne’s blog: http://www.jdpayne.org/2010/10/20/interview-with-dr-sadiri-joy-tira-from-cape-town-2010/
23.10.2010
Peru
Definitivamente la diaspora es un fenómeno que influye en nuestra forma de ver las misiones, hoy por ejemplo en España se forman iglesias de inmigrantes latinos, llegan a crecer con ellos hasta tener suficiente fuerza como para hacer trabajos de captación y evangelismo a los Españoles, pero hay un rechazo de los locales que es una barrera para este trabajo.¿Al formarse iglesias de latinos se crea esta barrera?, sé que en Cristo la iglesia no debería tener barreras, y las enemistades fueron terminadas en Cristo, pero estamos hablando de no creyentes a los que queremos alcanzar. Es un fenómeno que a la vez crea fuerza de evangelización y barerras para alcanzarla.
21.10.2010
Peru
@ alianzamiraflores:
¿Cómo se soluciona esta paradoja?
21.10.2010
United States
I really resonated with your statement:
"Missions in the 21st Century must be multi-directional not lineal. It must be non-spatial, instead of geographical. Local churches must be educated that missions is not only "out there" but also "over here". There should now be no distinction of home and foreign missions!"
I have been amazed at the movement of so many people into Europe. Latin Americans moving to Spain, Romanians moving to Italy. They take the gospel with them and evangelise. They are people looking for a better life and acting as missionaries as they go. Truly encouraging.
20.10.2010
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