The term ‘diaspora’ used to refer to the Jewish people that had been scattered across different regions beyond Israel, but nowadays, it refers to those that live in a different country for business, studies, as refugees or for any other reason. South Korea is one of the countries with the largest diaspora population. Koreans can be found everywhere in the world, and surprisingly, they tend to form a community around the church. As time passes by, diaspora mission is likely to become more mainstream; that suggests that Koreans will be used by God for world mission till it is finished.
The main focus of diaspora mission is on cities and the next generation. These days, cities are home to a diverse population from many nations. Living in cities allow us to learn languages and other cultures, which is a key skill for mission. That means that the next generation, which have already been localised, are a great resource for world mission. The problem is gathering them in one place to share that vision.
Bringing together the next generation requires assembling the first generation, as the two are closely linked. The first generation needs to be moved for the second generation to move. But the first generation tends to shy away from others because of the various differences in language and culture. There is only one way to pull them out, and that is by sharing a vision. Even though my English is poor, I came to the UK in my forties and regularly meet non-Korean pastors, all because of the passion that fills me when I think about that vision.
There is a rising interest towards diaspora mission across the main missionary organisations in the UK. So I have participated in conferences that were for pastors in diaspora ministry, but it was disappointing to see that they weren’t able to present a vision that could make people passionate. Diaspora churches are lacking in many aspects, to the extent that many of their pastors have separate jobs for financial support, so they have great hopes when larger organisations invite them. But if those organisations aren’t able to offer practical support, their initiatives are bound to fail.
It is important to show the diaspora communities in London how diverse this city is, and introduce them to the diverse diaspora church population here in London as well. We need to show them that God has gathered us here to be the driving forces of world mission, and that our role therefore is to gather, console and help each other. In particular, we need to teach the next generation of diaspora mission so that they can build a better sense of self-identity as citizens of God’s kingdom.
As London is an influential city in many ways, building a good model of diaspora mission in London can lead to other cities taking on that model and applying it to their own context. In reality, London is the city in which most discussion on diaspora mission is taking place. With the help of the next generation, we can finish the mission in this generation through cities across the world, which have all the resources for world mission. This is a vision that gives us passion. I really hope that God will use our church for this purpose.
