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Author: Sadiri Joy Tira
Date: 20.09.2012
Category: Diasporas
As I travel, I am meeting more and more people who are committed to reaching the Scattered Peoples. Some are actively involved in raising awareness, motivating, and mobilising people to take part in Diaspora missions. I like to call them "Diaspora Champions" -- Kingdom Workers who "champion" the cause of Diaspora Missiology.
Recently I had the privilege of reading the account of one "Diaspora Champion", Brian Considine. I think that it is inspiring and have asked for his permission to publish it here.
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How I became a Diaspora Champion
By Brian Considine
You know how you know something but not really “get it?” It seems like a fairly common malady of us humans which is probably why the Lord often needs to repeat himself and frequently remind us “I am Lord!” You would think we would get it the first time, right? Oh, if that only were true.
In 2001, the Lord called me from marketplace to ministry with Concerts of Prayer Greater New York in the “Capital of the World.” My assignment was prayer and leadership mobilization. New York City, as you may know, is a wonderful mix of many different cultures and ethnicities and like many mega-cities today a ripe international harvest field. In one zip code in Queens, over 170 languages are spoken. Not long after starting with COPGNY, I recall distinctly a conversation with a friend who was just heading off to the “foreign mission field.” Standing in our church lobby one Sunday morning, I commented to my missionary friend: “you know, you don’t need to leave New York City to complete the Great Commission – God has brought the nations to us!” I thought it was an astute observation but as I recall my friend wasn’t too happy with my comment.
Looking back, I confess that I honestly had little idea what I was saying. I didn’t really “get it.” I had very limited knowledge at the time of the task remaining. I had little idea about the more than 6700 Unreached People Groups still without the knowledge of who Jesus is for them. I know I had no depth of understanding about what was required to complete the Great Commission. Of course, I had no knowledge of how the intervening years would lead up to today. Nor that I would in July 2005 move to McKinney, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. McKinney clearly wasn’t a bastion for cross-culture mission opportunity, although I jokingly thought of myself as a cross-cultural missionary – New Yorker living in Texas!
My heart was captured for God’s mission in the world and for Unreached People Groups (UPGs), when in the Spring of 2008 I first took the Perspectives Study Program. I had been in ministry, privileged to be part of some exciting projects, launched a global prayer initiative but looking back I know I didn’t really “get it” before completing Perspectives. I really didn’t understand the mission of God. That is a common experience of other leaders I know who have taken this missional formation course as well. There isn’t a finer equipping ministry for understanding the Grand Narrative of Scripture and how God is working from Genesis to Revelation to establish for himself a people from every nation, tribe and tongue. I finally understood how what I had uttered in 2001 was partially true, but I had yet to grasp the depth of that idea. I certainly didn’t know where the Lord would lead next.
In April 2011, I was in the middle of coordinating another Perspectives semester when one early Friday morning I went outside to a neighbor’s home. They were having a yard sale and as I looked around the Lord opened my eyes to who was there – the “nations!” There was an African woman with her little girl, a South Asian (possibly Pakistani), an East Asian (possibly Chinese), a Middle Eastern person (possibly Muslim), and Hispanics. I uttered, “Wow, Lord, you have brought the nations to my neighborhood.” Right here in McKinney, God had brought the “nations,” well at least a cross section of peoples groups from around the world. I certainly had no idea how that Friday morning, on the street where I lived, would shape the balance of the year ahead.
When I was asked to join the City/Communities team for Mission America Coalition (MAC) -- U.S. Lausanne Committee in the Summer of 2011, I didn’t understand the connection between MAC and Perspectives. The completion of the Great Commission is foundational to MAC’s mission and since 1994 MAC has championed evangelism and cityreaching in U.S. cities. But admittedly we had done so without the “nations” focus that Perspectives teaches. On the other hand Perspectives was primarily focused on frontier missions. Of course, it was only at Capetown 2010 and Orlando 2011 that diaspora missions really appeared on our Evangelical radar in any significant way. The modern diaspora had started at least three decades before Diaspora became a hot topic for missiologists. Sometimes, collectively, we just don’t “get it” either. But, with respect to my assignment with MAC, what does reaching our cities for Christ have to do with reaching the “nations?” As it turned out – everything!
In September 2011, after officially starting with MAC and just prior to speaking to a local Pastors group about Perspectives, I had another close encounter of the “nations” kind. While shopping one day, I learned my cashier was from Egypt, was nominally Hindu, her parent’s faith, and believed all religions lead to the same place. Standing behind me in the check-out line was an Asian-Indian couple. I had been asked to speak to these Pastors about Perspectives but was told I needed to relate my message to their work in our city. The Lord gave me what I needed. My comment to the Pastors was: “you don’t need to leave McKinney to reach the nations; the Lord has brought the nations here!” The question I asked next was: “do we understand the strategic opportunity before us?” I was “getting it” but the next year would make thing even clearer.
In the preceding year the Lord has led me, as my friend Joy Tira says, to become a “Diaspora champion.” It certainly wasn’t my intention but it has become an unmistakable calling. And I can’t think of anything I would rather be doing today toward serving God’s global cause to fill the earth with his glory. This past year, I have been blessed to be part of some new diaspora initiatives as the Lord continues to lead and bring clarity. The Diasporas represent a strategic opportunity to work with and through these scattered peoples for the completion of the Great Commission. The Joshua Project lists over 170 People Groups who are classified as Unreached in the U.S., many from countries of the 10/40 Window that are considered “Closed” to the Gospel. The Lord has literally brought the nations to us!
Cross-cultural mission no longer means only going around the world, although that is still urgently required. It may mean we can go across the street. But are we ready? Are we prepared to embrace the diaspora peoples the Lord has brought to us? Does the local church recognize the opportunity before us? We are starting to but not nearly enough yet. That is the challenge that is before us. As a mobilizer my mission and vision is to see the Church recognize what the Lord is doing in bringing us the nations and respond with his love. Now that I do “get it,” well at least more than I previously have, I want to help others to understand too.
That’s how I became a “Diaspora champion,” glory to God! We now need Diaspora Champions in every city, every church, people who understand the times and know what to do. The harvest has come to our cities – how will we respond?
Brian Considine serves with the Mission America Coalition (U.S. Lausanne Committee) as the State Facilitator for Texas and with the Perspectives Study Program as the Area Mobilizer for North Texas. Brian helped to launch the DFW Diaspora Alliance and the MAC CityRreaching Diaspora initiative in 2012. In October, 2012 MAC will release a new resource called Ethnic Embrace USA – Blessing the Nations Among Us – a 40 Day Prayer Journey developed by Brian. You can email Brian at Brian.Considine@Perspectives.org
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Sadiri Joy Tira (D.Min., D.Miss.) is the LCWE Senior Associate for Diasporas; Vice President for Diaspora Missions at Advancing Indigenous Missions (AIM); Director of the Institute of Diaspora Missiology at Alliance Graduate School (Philippines); and Diaspora Missiology Specialist at the Jaffray Centre for Global Initiatives at Ambrose University College (Canada).
Keywords: diasporas, Scattered Peoples, Unreached People Groups, Mission America Coalition, Perspectives, Joshua Project
Views: 2537
Comments: 30
Recommendations: 1
Conversation Post Comment
United States
This story is awesome. God will call us to action if we are taking time to see where God is moving. There are so many opportunities for missions on our home turf. The schools are a great place to see the variety of people migrating into "our little world." I live in a small rural community but even here we have different people groups represented. I pray that God will help me to see the mission opportunities available around me!
12.03.2013
United States
@ ajlt34: I agree. It wasnlt until I simply paid attention, that I noticed that the nations of people were all around me. We have to be sensitive to God at work....
24.03.2013
United States
I’m sure that I probably do not "get it" yet, as I am new to the world of missions, but it seems that you are right in acknowledging the diversity around you. It is indeed amazing at the opportunities that we have right in our own neighborhoods to reach diaspora people with the Gospel message. The US is indeed a melting pot of cultures and this diversity is becoming evident in even the smallest towns across the nation. With all the emphasis on foreign missions, it is very important that we do not neglect the needs that are right in front of us.
20.11.2012
United States
@ dg8074:
Appreciate your comments. We need to be moving in our thinking more to the point of understanding that it isn’t "foreign mission" versus "diaspora mission". Instead, it is fitting for us to see that there is continuity between the two. God’s purpose in reaching peoples means reaching them wherever they are being scattered.
And, as diaspora becomes more and more prevelant, even the image of a "melting pot" is becoming somewhat misleading. Melting pot imagery speaks of assimilation, but today’s multiculturalism is more about integration -- retaining distinctives and learning to live together. So, some suggest that a "tossed salad" is a better metaphor to describe the new reality.
20.11.2012
United States
@ dg8074:
I agree with Cody. I think Diaspora Mission is a "bridge" that connects "Home Mission" and "Foriegn Mission" together in a way that hasn’t been previously understood, at least not well. Prayerfully, Diaspora Mission removes the false dichotomy that has existed between "Home" and "Foreign," or even for that matter "Frontier Mission" and unites all Mission focus under God’s Global Mission. As you say you are new to Mission, I highly recommend you find a Perspectives course being offered in your area, Spring Semester starts in January.
20.11.2012
United States
@ Brian_Considine:
Thanks for the recommendation. I will look into it. I like the “bridge” analogy and would like to use it in my home church as a way to shed new light on diaspora mission. We have placed some minimal emphasis on home missions, but I think that by sharing diaspora missions and its wide open prospects for targeting this overlooked mission’s opportunity it might spark a renewed interest.
20.11.2012
United States
@ Cody_Lorance:
You are absolutely right about it becoming a “tossed salad.” I dated myself with the metaphor of “melting pot.” Yet as globalization becomes more common, instead of homogenization, there has become more groupings of cultures and ethnicities within all countries. That is what makes is such a prime opportunity for diaspora missions. As a spark is lit within the community, it has a chance to grow as it is spread among individuals that make up the community. Thanks for pointing that out.
20.11.2012
United States
@ dg8074:
Good word!
20.11.2012
United States
@ Cody_Lorance:
I like the tossed salad metaphor because it does allow for individuality both by cultre and person. We are all one body under Christ and that must be our common bond. It is by far the most powerful.
23.11.2012
United States
@ dg8074:
From your post, it sounds like you do "get" the very important realization that many cultures have converged onto residing inside the United States. That is a powerful observation, indeed.
07.12.2012
United States
@ Cody_Lorance:
Cody, that is an excellent way of putting it. Are we reaching those around us that have been placed within our reach? Not that I oppose going abroad, but do we bypass the neighbor along the way to go elsewhere? I say no! Our church is trying to implement this cause, simply by asking do you know your neighbors? Do we know the nations that are right on our street?
18.02.2013
United States
Awesome article! I truly appreciate the challenge for us to open our eyes and see the nations around us! Our perspective cannot be limited in trying to reach the nations for Christ...coming from an African Amerian perspective, some believe going beyond means Anglo or even perhaps Latino. God is truly challenging us...to expand our vision and reach right where we are. I am excited, even as I have been provided opportunities to minister to students from all walks of life, backgrounds, religious views, etc. It is definately a new challenge....a new charge....a new perspective. I pray that I am more intentional and noticing and engaging the nations right in my own reach, two or three doors down.
18.02.2013
United States
Thanks so much for sharing! I pray God’s richest blessings upon you and His divine revelation be manifested to upon. You have the courage of Paul stay focused, faithful and you will be fruitful. May God continue to bless you
Luke
06.02.2013
United States
Having Jesus as our real Lord is a daily task that takes courage and submition to Him. As you brother, I pray everyday trying to find out where The Lord is going to send me, but sometimes wait is part of the discipleship. May our Lord always bless you.
05.12.2012
United States
@ brother_edward:
Waiting is, in fact, always a part. For me, it is always the hardest part as well.
05.12.2012
United States
@ brother_edward:
Waiting can be tremendously difficult. How exciting to know, though, that we never have to worry about becoming "unemployed." There are always more people to reach with the gospel of Christ.
07.12.2012
United States
@ soulsearcher1022:
Thats a great point of view! I love that idea that we are never "laid off" from serving Christ. Such a neat way to look at it!
07.12.2012
United States
Congratulations on seeing a need and doing something about it! I think sometimes we (including myself) do not see the needs all around us. We appreciate the culture of a global society, but in the city where I live, we have not become fully immersed in those societies from other countries. Perhaps it is because we respect the isolation of those cultures as they seek to maintain old values and ways. Your article and your works made me question myself and what I have done to help with Global Christianity right here in my own church. I will answer that question with thought, deeds, and prayer.
23.10.2012
United States
@ KayHB:
Thanks for your encouraging post. Hopefully in the weeks that have followed you have found the time to seek God and pursue an answer of how to respond. One thing I would encourage you to think about in your response is that Diaspora Mission is not about making Diaspora Peoples like us (whatever "us" means) but to introduce them to Jesus so He can make them like Him - in their cultural distinctives. Christ is over culture and able to redeem the good that he has placed in every culture. God bless.
20.11.2012
United States
@ KayHB:
You are right. Often times we hesitate to interact with some of these other cultures to respect their privacy and individualism. Yet, as we learn more about the individual cultures, we are better able to respectfully and knowledgeably interact with them in a meaningful way.
07.12.2012
United States
@ soulsearcher1022:
It is unfortunate how often our fear prevents us from experiencing the best that God has to offer.
07.12.2012
United States
Thankful for what the Lord has done to reveal his purpose among diasporas to Brian and many others. That the nations are among us here in North America is a remarkable thing and signals the activity of the Lord.
However, I also want to challenge people who might confuse this for something it is not. That the nations are among us does not mean that mission has become more convenient but rather that our disobedience in mission has become more obvious. The call to diasporas is still a call to die and to bring a cross to the scattered.
27.09.2012
United States
@ Cody_Lorance:
Cody, I wholeheartedly agree with your "however" statement. I think we need to think about Diaspora Mission in at least 3 ways.
First, we need to embrace the opportunity TO the diaspora people who are unreached.
Second, we need to embrace the opportunity to partner WITH the diaspora people who are Christians.
Third, we need to embrace the oppotunity to minister THROUGH the diaspora to reach into closed context nations toward finishing the task.
I think through Diaspora mission may help to finally remove the false dichotmy that often exists between foreign and local mission so we can instead talk about God’s mission. Diaspora mission should not be seen as the end of frontier mission but as an on-ramp to cross-cultural mission wherever we are.
02.10.2012
United States
@ Brian_Considine:
Good word.
Your framework is similar to the "to, through, beyond" that Enoch Wan wrote about and has become the adopted framework of GDN. Are you familiar with it?
04.10.2012
United States
@ Brian_Considine:
Brian, you are absolutely write that we need to partner WITH Diaspora peoples. I believe involving someone in your mission is the best way to sew the seed. They will bring in their own partners and this broadens the participants and enlarges your mission. It is also a way to give people more a stake in your mission and bring up their self-esteem and sense of accomplish something. We are not only after delivering souls we are also after changes peoples lives.
23.11.2012
United States
@ KayHB:
That is exactley it. We are to make disciples of the nations; that is so much more than making believers! Partnering together and learning from each other is a great way to do it!
06.12.2012
United States
@ Cody_Lorance:
Brian, you offer us a great word here. Just because the nations have come to us does not meant that we should neglect the seriousness and high call of fulfilling God’s mission to the nations. Convenience should not reduce our desire and obedience to the task at hand.
07.12.2012
United States
@ KayHB:
Such a true statement. We not only reach their souls, but seek to change lives as well.
07.12.2012
United States
Wonderful article. I think the "take home" quote here is "God has brought the nations to us." That statement requires a paradigm shift for many believers, but we are dawning on a new age where this is becoming truer and truer.
07.12.2012
United States
This is a fantastic read!
How often we all shelter ourselves without knowing it! How often we think of the task as "out there" or impossible. All we need do is step outside our boxes, outside of our comfort zones, and we can see clearly the world that has come to our towns, looking for peace, for happiness; a peace and happiness that can be theirs in Christ. I am reminded of Gideon, who wondered how God’s plan was going to be completed, seeing no hope; God simply told him,"Did I not send you?" He is sending us to reach out to all around us; first locally, then regionally, and finally, to the ends of the earth.
05.12.2012
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