I would like to suggest that in some cases a very strategic role can be that of a ministry facilitator for the overall diaspora of a particular people group. 

This role could include:

• Researching and documenting the different locations
• Researching who is already reaching out to members of this group – e.g. missionaries, laymen, native pastors, other key native Christians
• Networking with those you find to:
• – Provide encouragement
• – Give information on resources available in the language and how to get them
• – Share experiences and strategies
• – Connect them with others in the network
• Seeking to interest other churches and individuals in reaching out to the group
• Visiting some of the points in the diaspora to network and get firsthand information
• Seeking funding for projects that could benefit the whole people group (e.g. dubbing of the Jesus film, The Hope film)

If there is an active Bible translation team or church planting team in the native area they may well be too busy to also try to tackle tracking and relating to a broad diaspora, and a facilitator could be a welcome compliment to their work.  A logical candidate for a role like this might be a former missionary to the group who for one reason or another had to leave the foreign field or someone who already has on-the-ground experience working with this group in one point of their diaspora and wants to expand their horizons for impacting the group for the Kingdom.  In some cases that key person might themselves be a member of the people group.

 

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

I work with a relatively small (30-40,000 people) indigenous people group of Mexico based out of one of the key areas of their diaspora.  Over the years my role has gradually grown into that of a facilitator of this sort.  Due to a prolonged internal armed conflict 2/3 or so of the people have left their native area and my research suggests there are groups of people in at least 40 states between Mexico and the US, probably in a few hundred localities.  Talk about mission impossible!  While there is still SO much to do a lot of headway has been made connecting with people and distributing Christian resources in the vernacular.  This role is great if you love variety.  For me it has included:

• Researching the diaspora and those ministering among the group
• Building relationships with these key Christian contacts and with some social leaders
• Traveling to different points of the diaspora
• Ministering to the local segment of the diaspora in various ways
• Learning the language
• Equipping a key native speaker for ever greater involvement
• Involvement in Bible translation
• Producing Christian recordings and movies in the language
• Helping develop Christian songs in the language
• Producing and shipping resources to the diaspora and native area
• Catalyzing an ethnomusicology project
• Developing both a cultural website and one to offer Christian resources in the language
• Developing innovative outreach strategies
• And much more

 I pray that God will raise up many others to take on this type of a role – there are so many people groups that would be blessed by such an effort.