Diaspora Missions: OK We Get It! Now What? John Baxter, NextMove / Converge Jeff Moody, NextMove / Frontier Ventures

Transcription

1 Diaspora Missions: OK We Get It! Now What? John Baxter, NextMove / Converge Jeff Moody, NextMove / Frontier Ventures The case has been made in the missions community for what God is doing in the Global Diaspora. We get it! Now the question is, What do we actually need to do? How does it practically impact the decisions we need to make at the agency / local church level to effectively engage the diaspora? Categorical questions: Ideological questions Organizational questions Discovery questions Partnership questions For each question we want to speak to: The local church The missions agency Missions TO the diaspora o Unreached diaspora peoples moving into contact with the church and the gospel Missions FROM the diaspora o The Christian diaspora moving into contact with unreached people groups in their homelands and in diaspora locations around the world Ideological questions What attitude or belief adjustments does your agency / church need to make to effectively work in a non-western centered, lay-driven movement? Do we have the ability to release power to the Majority World church? Cultivate a harvest mentality o Move from fear to engagement o Preaching / teaching on Biblical view of migration o Host Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Class o Resources: JD Payne, Strangers Next Door Bill Kynes, Ministry and the Law Expect leadership to model diaspora ministry Rigorous self-assessment o Article by John Baxter: Crossing the Divide: A Case Study of a Western Mission Agency s Encounter with Diaspora Missions o Tools coming in NextMove s Pathway Resource Affinity vs. geography / home vs. abroad distinctions o Article by John Baxter: Western Agency Meet the Diaspora Laity vs. career missions Partnership vs. leadership

2 The Two Churches of the Diaspora Home Host

3 Organizational questions How does my organization s current structure either hinder or facilitate diaspora engagement? Are we nimble enough and integrated enough to work in the diaspora? What would need to change to make it better? Pre-positioned crisis response team Innovative church planting teams o Article by Steve Smith: Four Stages to No Place Left in Our Generation Partnerships with local diaspora churches Organizing around affinity as well as geography A diaspora champion

4 Discovery questions How does my church / agency learn about people on the move? Who are they and where are they? What are the available resources to help us identify and engage them? Resources: Peoplegroups.info Pray 4 Every Home Mapping Center for Evangelism and Church Growth Mosaic USA The Peoples Next Door Project Involve your people in the discovery process Social media mapping o Article by Trevor Castor: Mapping the Diaspora with Facebook Real experiences that reproduce Prayer strategy o Helpful Links: Identify diaspora churches and cross-cultural ministries Include diaspora discovery in UPG initiatives Remember: Don t make it too complicated Engagement is the goal Partnership questions Who does my church / agency need in its circle to accomplish what we feel God is leading us to do in diaspora ministry? Identify others working with the diaspora group you want to serve, and investigate partnership with them Form partnerships that bring together the strengths of the local church, missions agencies, and practitioner / learning communities to serve a particular diaspora group o The Omega Challenge Form your Trusted Broker Network Help Global South churches send workers

5 Further help: Missio Nexus Pre-Conference Reaching the Foreigner Among Us o Missio Nexus Online Diaspora Cohort nextmove.net If you are with a missions sending agency, NextMove could use your help! Our Agency Org Structure Team is surveying missions agencies about how your agency is organized to reach the diaspora. TAKE THE SURVEY Our Collaboration / Partnership Team is gathering feedback about our Trusted Broker Protocol booklet. Jeff at jeff.moody@frontierventures.org to get a PDF copy of the booklet and give us your feedback. Our Mapping / Tracking Team is looking for members to help them produce resources to help missions agencies utilize available mapping techniques for full effectiveness in the diaspora. Jeff at jeff.moody@frontierventures.org for more info. Our Mobilizing / Funding Diaspora Workers Team is testing a questionnaire for diaspora Christians who are living outside of their home country / culture and working cross-culturally in the harvest in the host country where they are living. If you d like to help us test and refine this survey, contact Jeff at jeff.moody@frontierventures.org. Contact info: John Baxter baxter53@gmail.com Jeff Moody jeff.moody@frontierventures.org nextmove.net