There are a lot of reasons why expatriates and immigrants might turn up to church.
Naturally, when people are finding their footing in a new country, they look for friends who speak their mother tongue. They look for a people who share their customs and culture. There are other reasons, too: people need help navigating the daily routines of a new life under new government institutions, seeking to understand their various laws, requirements, and benefits.
These folks might not have attended church regularly before. But now they find themselves in an unfamiliar place, and they’re seeking after community and belonging in the familiar.
This presents wonderful opportunities for ministry. But it also comes with unique challenges. Perhaps the biggest challenge is teaching folks that the church is not a club for the culturally similar, but a body of believers who know Christ as its Lord and Savior. Shared cultural norms and forms may attract immigrants and ex-pats, but they’re not what fundamentally gathers Christ’s church.
This article is written to pastors who serve in an international setting. If that’s you, I have but one piece of counsel: you must make sure your church members are Christians, not simply
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