The 21st Century has been marked by the greatest migration of people in world history. United Nations experts estimate there are now close to 200 million international immigrants—people living in countries in which they were not born. This is a lot of people, more than five times the entire population of Canada.
People are moving for a variety of reasons: rapid globalization of the labour force, geopolitical shifts, catastrophic natural disasters (e.g. hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis), national and ethnic conflicts, socio-economic advancement, and pandemics resulting in a crippling of the workforce (e.g. HIV/AIDS).
Rev. Sadiri Joy Tira (D.Min., D.Miss.) is Global Ministries Diasporas Specialist with The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada. He is also Senior Associate for Diasporas with the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and International Coordinator for the Filipino International Network.
cmAlliance.ca recently interviewed Dr. Tira and asked him to share some of his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities this scattering of peoples poses to the Church.
Alliance.ca: You have a new position within The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada. How did you arrive at this?
Dr. Tira: I was Senior Pastor of the First Filipino Alliance Church in Edmonton for over 25 years. While there, I helped launch the Conference of Filipino Alliance Ministries and the Filipino International Network (FIN). For over two decades, I studied the growing trend of diasporas and the emerging Canadian mosaic, and later pursued advanced studies in international migration and missiology.
Alliance.ca: What is your role as Global Ministries Diasporas Specialist within the Alliance in Canada?
Dr. Tira: Part of my responsibility is to pioneer, catalyze, network, develop and lead various diaspora groups and ministries within the framework of Global Ministries.
Alliance.ca: What do you mean when you use the term diaspora?
Dr. Tira: This technical term is fast becoming a buzz word. I’m using the term diaspora to refer to the phenomenon of ‘dispersion’ or movement of any ethnic group. I also use the terms ‘migration’ and ‘people on the move.
Alliance.ca: Why has the concept of diaspora become of such interest to mission leaders today?
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Diasporas present great challenges and opportunities for the Church |
Dr. Tira: Diaspora is a complex issue that is increasingly changing societies, cultures, economies, and world demography. It is one of the dominant forces in the world today that is being watched by government policy makers, economists, social scientists and missiologists.
Diasporas present great challenges and opportunities for the Church. In fact, diaspora is one of the global issues to be discussed at the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa from October 16-25, 2010.
You see, most missions strategies are landlocked and geographically focused. The global Church needs to understand the world has become ‘borderless’—caused by migration, globalization, and technological communication. We need a strategy that will effectively reach these millions who are traversing the globe
Alliance.ca: What are the unique components of diaspora missions as compared to more traditional missions?
Dr. Tira: Let me give you a basic comparison between traditional missions and diaspora missions:
Traditional Missions
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Its focus is polarized so there is a separation between, for example, saving the soul and the social gospel; church planting and Christian charity; paternalism and indigenization; long-term missions and short-term missions; career missionaries and tentmakers.
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Conceptually, traditional missions is territorial, meaning there is a sharp distinction between here and there. It is lineal, meaning that movement goes one way: sending then receiving; assimilation then amalgamation.
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Its perspective is geographically divided into foreign mission vs. home mission, urban vs. rural, state/nation vs. country/state; and as a discipline, it compartmentalizes between theology of missions and strategy of missions.
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In paradigm, traditional missions priority is the unreached people groups in the most unreached regions of the world.
In contrast, diaspora missions can be summarized as follows:
Diaspora Missions/Missiology
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Its focus is holistic and contextualization, integrating evangelism and social concern. For example, we cannot just start a local church among refugees without also addressing their physical needs and becoming their advocate.
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Conceptually, it is ‘de-territorialized’ (i.e. the ‘loss of social and cultural boundaries’ in missions strategy). A practical example of this is how we would conduct evangelism training, in say Tokyo, among Japanese believers – but also we have to make it relevant to some Brazilians who will participate, because those Brazilians are no longer in Sao Paolo. These Brazilians are living in Tokyo! Diaspora missions is also GLOCAL. That is a mission strategy that is simultaneously global and local. In contrast to the ‘lineal’ concept of traditional missions, it is ‘multi-directional.’
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The perspective of diaspora missions is not geographically divided or confined to home/foreign, regional/global, urban/rural. Rather it is borderless, trans-national and global.
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Diaspora missiology is integrated and includes biblical studies, theology, evangelism, social sciences, arts, and technology. As a paradigm, diaspora missions goes where God is going and moves providentially where God places people. The priority is every person outside the kingdom, everywhere.
