Reflections from a fellow traveler on the diaspora journey
Have you ever been on a diaspora bus? I have, and I'm still on it. Recently at our Cru staff conference, we had a session that focused on diaspora engagement, and here are some things I'd like to share with you.
Dr. Bulus Galadima invited us into what felt like a living room conversation, but what unfolded was a master class in recognizing God's movement in the stories happening all around us.
First, let me share how Dr. Galadima helped us understand diaspora. While migration is often temporary or limited to one generation, diaspora is multi-generational. It retains spiritual and cultural ties across time and place. Diaspora communities maintain deep connections to their homeland while building new roots in their host countries.
The Story God's Been Telling All Along
Diaspora is how the gospel has always moved.
Dr. Galadima walked us through Scripture with fresh eyes. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived diasporic lives. Moses was a Hebrew-African leader. Jesus himself fled to Egypt as a refugee. Even the Ten Commandments were given during a migration.
Myanmar Next Door
In Houston, one in four residents is foreign-born. "Myanmar is next door to me," Dr. Galadima observed, capturing something profound about our proximity to global Christianity.
We host more than 20 Nigerian churches, over 40 South Asian congregations, and unreached groups like the Rohingya and Pashto speakers. But here's what got me: two-thirds of immigrants to the U.S. are already Christian or become Christian here.
We're receiving people who are already Christian or become Christian here. We're receiving the global church.
The Hardest Truth
Ouch. And also, freedom.
With 80% of Christianity now in the Global South, we're all learning to work together as partners. As Dr. Galadima put it, we're all passengers on Jesus' bus. The opportunity is for Christians everywhere to humbly join what God is already doing through diaspora communities.
As Dr. Galadima put it, "Diversity is not a challenge to the mission. It is the mission."
Three Simple Doors
Dr. Galadima offered a framework that felt both profound and doable.
Living among diaspora communities. Real relationship, more than just proximity.
Sharing Christ with cultural humility. Let the gospel take root in diverse soil.
Equipping diaspora believers to lead and send. Many are already equipped. They need encouragement, not supervision.
The Revelation 7 Preview
What happens when we embrace this reality? American Christianity becomes more globally connected. We get a preview of Revelation 7:9-12. Every tribe, tongue, and nation worshipping together.
Breaking Bread Changes Everything
The session ended with surprisingly intimate next steps. Visit immigrant churches. Cook meals together. Explore your own cultural heritage.
"There's something special about breaking bread in each other's homes," Dr. Galadima said.
In our age of digital connection and cultural division, hospitality becomes revolutionary.
The View from Where I Sit
As I processed these insights, I thought about my own journey. The Syrian family who opened authentic Syrian cuisine 5 minutes from my house. The Indian graduate student I met at UCF who is now walking with the Lord. The Ethiopian church in Kansas who are doing fabulous jobs within the Ethiopian community as well as with their new American neighbors.
These are living testimonies to God's global kingdom arriving one neighbor at a time.
Church historian Jehu Hanciles reminds us: "The rise of Christianity as a world movement has been predominantly through the agency and activity of migrants."
This is how Christianity has always spread. From the Ethiopian eunuch to Paul's journeys to the Irish monks, the gospel has always moved through people on the move.
An Invitation to Join the Journey
The bus is moving. God is working through migration patterns that bring Myanmar to Houston, Nigeria to Texas, and the global church to our doorstep.
The question is whether we'll recognize that God is already at work through diaspora communities, and humbly ask how we can join the journey.
What would change if you saw your neighborhood as a prophetic space where God's global kingdom is taking shape?
What would shift if you realized the future of Christianity is something to join rather than manage?
The bus is moving. The seat next to you is open.
Are you ready for the ride?
What's your diaspora experience? How are you seeing God working in your church and community?
Subscribe to My NewsletterDr. Galadima contributed to the Lausanne Congress Diaspora Network book "People on the Move," which dives deeper into these themes. The session reminded me that diaspora is central to the church's future. It is the church's future, arriving one shared meal at a time.
RSS Feed