What if everyone in the world knew a genuine Christ follower who could communicate the gospel? The migration of Christians finding work in under-evangelized regions is a big step in that direction. Millions of ordinary Christians from Majority World churches are finding employment around the globe. They have access to millions from unreached lands who are also in the economic diaspora, as well as to the peoples of the host countries.
Yet most of this mission potential is unrealized because these migrating believers have not been adequately prepared or cared for during their employment journey. What follows is a description of how the churches of one North African country are attempting to change this scenario.1

Beginnings

At a pastors’ conference in 2018, a guest speaker described the experience of Filipino churches, both in the Philippines and abroad, that are caring for the thousands of evangelical overseas Filipino workers.2 Recognizing a similar need
in their own country, the conference leaders sought to create training for their local churches. The following is a description of a training seminar that hundreds of pastors and church leaders have attended over the past few years.

Foundations

The training is built on four core concepts. The most important is a foundation of care created by the two churches or fellowships—the home church and the church of the diaspora. The experience of economic migration is often traumatic for the worker and the family, especially if the family remains in the homeland. Ministries in the home church can help build a foundation of spiritual, familial, and emotional health, and the church fellowship in the country of employment can provide continuing support and encouragement.
The second foundational concept is the creation of systems for continuing connection and accountability. Many overseas workers feel abandoned by their home churches, especially those in foreign employment settings that have few opportunities for Christian fellowship. This isolation is remedied by regular contact with the home church for prayer, encouragement, and accountability.
The third foundational pillar is the intentional development of leadership within the home church to oversee this ministry. A champion for this ministry is often a church member who has experienced life as a migrating worker and knows its challenges.
The fourth concept is the recognition that by first fostering health, and only then, can the foreign worker become both able and intentional about representing Christ and the gospel.

Three Phases of Caring

The basic training seminar breaks down the ministry of caring for members in the diaspora into three phases: (1) preparing to leave, (2) maintaining connection while gone, and (3) preparing to return. In culturally appropriate ways, the church can assist families to make better decisions about the entire migration process.
Preparing to leave centers on creating a workable plan for the migrating worker and the family. Maintaining spiritual disciplines, scheduling regular contact with family and the home church, determining how family decisions will be made during the time of separation, creating financial budgets and a savings plan, identifying a fellowship in the new host country, and anticipating potential difficulties and conflicts are the key elements. It is the role of the church diaspora ministry leader to enable each family to craft their own plan.
Maintaining connection while the church member is in the foreign country is accomplished by cell phone or internet during a weekly check-in with the church diaspora leader. Accountability to keep the commitments made in the pre- departure plan, prayer, and encouragement are the main elements of the weekly contact. If the family has remained in the homeland, the diaspora leader will establish regular contact with them as well.
During this phase, the worker is encouraged to develop a prayer list of fellow workers and other new associates. The worker and diaspora leader then continually pray for opportunities for the worker to explain his hope in Christ (1 Pet 3:15).
The final phase of the ministry is to care for the worker and family during the time of return to the home country. By identifying the sources of tension created by the time of extended separation, the diaspora church leader can prepare the family to navigate the return process.

Maintaining the Network

Throughout this North African country hundreds of pastors and church leaders have gone through the basic seminar, and those churches wanting to adopt a diaspora ministry have participated in further sessions on recruiting and training a diaspora ministry leader within the church.
The present phase of the ministry is the creation, and on-going curation, of a network of local church diaspora ministry leaders in order to facilitate a regularly scheduled forum for peer learning and encouragement. A countrywide leader has been identified and is presently conducting training seminars and establishing the ministry network.

Broadening the Scope

The long-term goal is for the majority of local churches to embrace ministry to their diaspora members and families as an integral aspect of the church’s calling. Included in this goal is the hope that the centers of pastoral education
in country, whether Bible colleges or seminaries, will treat diaspora ministry as an essential part of their training program.
As the overall health and mission intentionality of lay Christians in the economic diaspora increase, global mission agencies and sending networks will be wise to forge links of communication and cooperation between their fielded mission teams and the Majority World churches who are sending out their economic laborers as lay missionaries. Such cooperation can greatly increase the impact of missionary teams as they intentionally include within their deployment the presence of the Majority World Christian diaspora.3