Migration

Abraham was a migrant and journeyed to Canan.

The Good Samaritan saved a stranger who was meant to be his political / religious opposition.

Israel was a migrant nation fleeing Egypt.

"Love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt" (Lev 19:34)

Jesus was a migrant asylum-seeker who moved to Egypt then Galileee.

Language for care - pastoral care is difficult when there's a language barrier.

Language for teaching - migrants who cannot understand the reaching will struggle in worship.

Worship style - differences in religious culture and how they worship.

The challenge is maintaining community cohesion while being open to incorporating diversity and new traditions into your church.

The biggest influx of migrants comes from the Caribbean and West Africa where they have mostly Pentecostal churches. 

For the first time in history, there are more Christians in the Southern hemisphere than the Northern, so we are seeing reverse mission whereby the people that were converted by northern missionaries are now coming back to try and reconvert us to Christianity as we have become more secularised than them.

BMCs (Black Majority Churches) such as the RCCG (Redeemed Christian Church of God) have been set up by black migrants and are better equipped to help new migrants integrate and assimilate into the church, due to languages and worship styles.

The 3 reasons UK churches are not integrated are: worship differences between traditional and Pentecostal groups, social support as migrants are better at undertsanding new migrants, uneven spread of immigration as almost 75% move to London. 

The Catholic Church celebrates World Day of Migrants and Refugees. 

'The UK is a modern mission field.' Evaluate this view.

Agree - secularisation, New Atheism, reverse mission, new churches cuased by immigration such as the RCCG, Evangelical Christians view any country that does not yet follow Jesus as a mission field, ordered to "go and make disciples of all nations"

Disagree - Hick's pluralism suggests no country should be a target of mission, the church stil plays a key role in public events, the monarch is the head of the church, many primary schools are still Christian.

'It is easy for Christian migrants to assimilate into the UK church.' Evaluate this view.

Agree - churches often appoint workers and leaders specifically to help migrant members, most migrants live in major cities like London where they are more used to welcoming them, assimilation into traditional churches is unnecessary since there are plenty of BMCs such as the RCCG, Catholic churches celebrate the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, inspired by Biblical teachings and examples e.g. Jesus was an asylum seeker.

Disagree - language barriers make pastoral care difficult, differences in culture and worship style, many Caribbean and West African churches have more Pentecostal styles, the need for new BMCs demonstrates the failure of traditional churches to help migrants assimilate.

'It is easy for Christian migrants to assimilate into the UK church.' Evaluate this view.

Agree - churches often appoint workers and leaders specifically to help migrant members, most migrants live in major cities like London where they are more used to welcoming them, assimilation into traditional churches is unnecessary since there are plenty of BMCs such as the RCCG, Catholic churches celebrate the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, inspired by Biblical teachings and examples e.g. Jesus was an asylum seeker.

Disagree - language barriers make pastoral care difficult, differences in culture and worship style, many Caribbean and West African churches have more Pentecostal styles, the need for new BMCs demonstrates the failure of traditional churches to help migrants assimilate.