Diaspora Missions: “OK, We Get it! Now What?”

Critical Questions for Effective Diaspora Involvement

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? To determine that, there are some categorical questions our agency / church will need to address:

– Ideological questions
o 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?

– Organizational questions
o 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?

– Discovery questions
o 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?

– Partnership questions
o Who does my church/agency need in its circle to accomplish what we feel God is leading us to do in diaspora ministry?

Jeff Moody serves with Frontier Ventures as a regional mobilizer and Co-Director of NextMove.

John Baxter is Director of Diaspora Initiatives for Converge International Ministries.
Together John and Jeff co-direct NextMove, a diaspora research and consulting ministry serving missions agencies.