Diaspora and Missions: The Alliance Family on Mission!

Throughout the history of the world, God has scattered his people for his purposes, to further his Kingdom. The church, by its very nature, is a diaspora community. Mass migration offers us a window of opportunity to commit to and live to be the church that is the worthy instrument of God’s passion to redeem the world. The Diaspora Ministry workshop was one of the main workshops of the AWF Quadrennial in Ecuador.

The church, by its very nature, is a diaspora community and diaspora peoples are the missionaries of the future and today. The Diaspora Ministry workshop committee, made up of many key diaspora practitioners and theologians from the Alliance family around the world, worked more than two years to bring the plans for the workshop to fruition. The key objectives of the workshop were to:

1. Build a shared understanding of diaspora ministry
2. Raise awareness about diaspora ministry in our Alliance family
3. Look forward to opportunities in the future

Diaspora practitioners were encouraged to share ideas, thoughts and dreams, to learn from one another and look to the future.

Speakers built a shared understanding of diaspora ministry through an enlightening historical overview by Dr. TV Thomas, followed by a presentation on the lessons learned and the fruitfulness of diaspora ministry. In 2020, the number of people living outside their country of origin was 281 million and increasing. The first session ended with an inspiring story of hope from a French Alliance worker working among North Africans in France.

In focusing on the diaspora narrative and overcoming challenges, Lorajoy Tira-Dimangondayao shared her personal story of being a member of the diaspora. She also shared the challenges of diaspora ministry in an ever-changing multi-cultural world. Rev. Lai Ka Lai, general secretary Hong Kong Alliance Mission, shared a story of hope from his diaspora mission’s experience. Participants discussed and answered some key questions:

• What challenges have you discovered in your ministries? How did you overcome them?
• What signs of redemptive hope are you seeing?
• How do you see God working in the midst of the challenges?

Sonia Paredes, AWF CLA missions coordinator, focussed on hopeful anticipation of opportunities for the future. She presented future projections and demographics for diaspora peoples, asking:

• In light of these current data points and future direction, how does this impact and inform our ministry?
• What are some ways you can continue to network with other diaspora practitioners in your region?

Dr. Tite Tienou (Research Professor, Theology of Mission, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) laid down a challenge to realize that the very nature of Christianity is the story of dispersion and diaspora and that diaspora ministry is at the very heart of the DNA of the Alliance family.

The workshop faced some uncomfortable truths. The biggest barrier to diaspora ministry is prejudice, in our own hearts and in our churches. We learned that we, as believers and our churches, need to be impregnated with the culture of Jesus to provide family and belonging to all, from whatever nation, tribe or language they may come from.

The breakout sessions produced some simple steps to further the development of diaspora ministry for God’s glory:

• Give diaspora people a role in the local church to give them a sense of belonging.
• Have a church leadership that reflects the diaspora makeup of the local church.
• Encourage our churches to be impregnated with the culture of Jesus so they can provide family and belonging to all.
• Include diaspora practitioners and diaspora missions as key focal points in all future Alliance conferences and missions conferences.

Thank you, Alliance family, for being the worthy instrument of God’s passion to redeem the world.