AFRICA IN MISSIONS: AFRICA DOING MISSIONS IN DIASPORA

1
MANI International Conference Abuja, Nigeria
September 4 10, 2011

• AFRICA IN MISSIONS AFRICA DOING MISSIONS IN
  DIASPORA

Presented by Dr. Emmanuel Owusu Bediako
(Apostle) Senior Pastor, The Church of
Pentecost, Canada (An African Church in
Diaspora).
2
Introduction

• The world in the past few decades has witnessed
  an unparalleled intensification of transnational
  migration. It has been estimated that by the
  mid-1990s, more than 100 million people would
  have taken up residence in countries different
  from the land of their birth (The Economist 1997,
  81 Wiener 1996, 128). The process of
  globalization has simultaneously created
  constraints as well as opportunities for the
  world at large. Africans, as a result, have
  responded in ways that have turned them into
  active participants in this phenomenon of
  transmigration.

3
Introduction (contd)

• Contrary to the popular secularization thesis
• which posits that religion will fade with the
• triumph of modern science and globalization
• (See Webers Religious Rejections of the
• World and their Directions, 1920 1946), the
• Africa Missions have capitalized on the same
• and have responded to the call of Missions
• and evangelization by establishing thriving
• African Churches in the Northern Hemisphere.

4
Historical Background of Africans in Diaspora

• The migration of Africans, mostly to countries in
  the
• Northern Hemisphere, began in the 1960s. The
  early
• immigrants were mostly students and seamen.
• Later, the influx steadily swelled in the
  eighties and
• nineties. The economic mismanagement by
• governments (especially military dictators), the
• structural location of the continent in the
  global
• capitalist systems, and neo-liberal policy
• prescriptions from the international financial
• institutions created extensive economic hardship
  for
• many African countries (see Smith 2003, Amin
  2002
• Cheru 2002).

5
Historical Background of Africans in Diaspora
(contd)

• Moreover, the situation became fused with civil
• wars, political instability, ethnic conflicts,
  and
• political persecutions. These factors compelled
• many young African men to move North. They
• initially came as refugees and asylum seekers.
• After some years, their families joined them and
• new children were born.

6
Historical Background of Africans in Diaspora
(contd)

• This has shifted their temporary situations into
• long-term migrants or settlers in the Northern
• societies. Some scholars in the North argue that
• these new settlers should not be branded as
• African Diaspora because of the marked
• difference between their voluntary exile and that
  
• of their counterparts who were forcibly uprooted
• from Africa and scattered around the globe
• through the traumatic experience of the
• transatlantic slave trade. Yet the new settlers
  see
• themselves as Africans in Diaspora.

7
Africans in Diaspora Who are They?

• Briefly, the Africans in Diaspora are
• New Settlers who voluntarily relocated from
  Africa to societies in the Northern Hemisphere
  and whose communities are overwhelmingly urban.
  The majority of them live in the big cities of
  Europe, Americas, Middle East, Asia and
  Australia.
• People who want to live close to each other.

8
Africans in Diaspora Who are They? (contd)

• Mostly unemployed or under-employed. This
  situation is changing considerably because many
  of them are now pursuing professional studies,
  notably nursing, information technology (I.T.),
  and engineering.
• Over-represented in low-paying, manual,
  processing, and machinery occupations in the
  manufacturing industry.

9
Africans in Diaspora Who are They? (contd)

• Faced with racism and marked discrimination.
• Take delight in mobilizing themselves into ethnic
  associations to address their settlement and
  integration needs.
• Very religious.

10
Africans in Diaspora Who are They? (contd)

• Historically, Christianity responds to ever
• changing circumstances by playing a significant
• role in the spiritual and socio-political
  endeavor of
• people who are seeking cultural and national
• identities. In view of that, the African
• Churches in Diaspora with Missions and
• evangelization in mind have responded to the
• call of reaching to these new settlers and others
• with the gospel. This had and will forever change
• the religious landscapes of the Northern
• Hemisphere.

11
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• Most Africa immigrants left the shores of Africa
• religious. In that regard, God, their maker, was
  drawn
• into all aspects of their migration processes.
  God was
• drawn into the decision to migrate, through visa
• application, securing airfare or walking through
  the
• Sahara desert without much food or water, to the
  arrival,
• and eventual settlement process. These immigrants
  use
• religion to counteract social, financial and
  moral shocks
• in their international migration.

12
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• According to Joseph Mensahs work (Doing Religion
  
• Overseas, September 2007), of about 12,000
  Africans
• from Ghana who migrated into Toronto in the late
• eighties, 93 were Christians only 2 were
  Muslims
• and 5 declared no religious affiliation.

13
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• Gerrie tar Haar, a pioneer in the study of
  Christianity
• among Africans in Europe in his work, (Religious
• Communities in the Diaspora, 2001), noted that
  human
• migration is something of all times and ages and
  that
• religion has always been a significant aspect of
  it.
• The societies in the North will now have to
  accept the
• staying power (Fryer 1984) of these religious
  African
• immigrants since return associated with the
  diaspora
• does not exist in their vocabulary.

14
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• Unlike the Jews in Diaspora who could not sing
  the
• Lords song in a foreign land, the Africa
  immigrants are
• singing the Lords songs in foreign lands by
  establishing
• vibrant churches in the North.

15
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• This paper, therefore, will endeavor to examine
  the
• characteristics of these African Diaspora
  Churches
• (Africa Missions) established and led by Africans
  and
• whose membership are mostly Africans or people of
  that
• descent. The paper will also try to expose the
  kinds of
• social services they provide some challenges
  facing
• them few suggestions to some of their problems
  and
• the blessings they are offering to Christianity
  in general
• and the northern societies in particular.

16
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• The African Churches in Diaspora (Africa Mission)
  may be categorized as follows
• African Initiated Churches (AIC or Spiritual
  churches),
• African Initiated Pentecostal Churches,
• African Initiated Charismatic Churches,
• African Initiated Baptist Churches (mainline),
• African Initiated Catholic Churches (mainline),
• African Initiated Methodist Churches (mainline),

17
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• African Initiated Presbyterian Churches
  (mainline),
• African Initiated Anglican Churches (mainline),
• African Initiated SDA Churches (mainline),
• African Initiated Assemblies of God Churches
  (mainline), etc.

18
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• Typical examples of such churches scattered in
  many
• cities in the Northern societies are The Church
  of
• Pentecost Churches, The Assemblies of God
  Churches,
• Redeemed Christian Churches of God, Kingsway
• International Christian Center (KICC), Christ
  Embassy
• Churches, Blessed Embassy of the Kingdom of God,
• Deeper Life Churches, Apostolic Churches, Christ
• Apostolic Churches, Baptist Churches, Ghana
• Methodist Churches, Ghana Presbyterian Churches,
• Nigeria Anglican Churches, Ghana SDA churches,
  etc.

19
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• Ironically, the above classifications spring
  forth some
• questions - should there be a Nigeria Anglican
  Church in
• Britain? And should there be a Ghana SDA Church
  in
• Washington DC, where the SDA has its
  international
• headquarters? These varieties of churches began
  as
• fellowship among the immigrants who felt
  unwelcomed
• in many mainstream Northern or white Churches
  on
• racial grounds.

20
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• Moreover, these African immigrants felt the
  spiritual and
• liturgical poverty of the worship life in these
  mainline
• churches in the North. They, as a result, sensed
  the call
• to establish varieties of Churches
• which expressed religion in ways that resonated
  with
• African and biblical pieties. Contrary to the
  claims of
• some scholars, therefore, these Churches sprang
  up not
• because the new settlers wanted to create
  religious
• spaces in their new environments, but it was
  because
• the missionaries churches continued to lose
  their
• spiritual fervor and sense of the supernatural.

21
African Diaspora Churches (Africa Missions) Who
are They?

• It is no wonder that Methodism, Anglicanism,
  Roman
• Catholicism under the leadership of Africans in
  Diaspora
• have been geared towards new ecclesial
  identities,
• liturgical structures and styles of worship that
  differ
• markedly from those inherited from the missionary
  
• endeavors (Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, African-led
• Christianity in Europe, 2008).

22
African Diaspora Churches How to Identify
Them?

• Some marked characteristics of the African
  Diaspora
• Churches are
• They are self-supporting, self-evangelizing and
  self-governing. Only few of them have
  missionaries from Africa leading them but such
  missionaries are paid by the Diasporic churches.
• They hardly receive support from the governments
  and agencies of the societies in the North.
• Most of them have solid ecumenical ties with
  churches in Africa. The Churches in Africa are
  known as mother churches.

23
African Diaspora Churches How to Identify
Them?

• High visibility of women as devoted members.
• They are men dominated. Women are relegated to
  low and mid-level leadership positions. They
  mostly deal with traditional African womens
  roles of children and youth ministries, singing /
  music ministry, cooking during conventions and
  conferences and cleaning. Even where women are at
  top leadership positions, they are regarded as
  co-Pastors with their husbands.

24
African Diaspora Churches How to Identify
Them?

• Besides meeting on Sundays (Saturdays for SDA
  churches) for vibrant services, they meet at
  least twice in a week for Bible studies and long
  prayers. Some of them have the cell groupings
  that meet at homes for additional Bible studies.
• They mostly use English and French as the medium
  of communication during services and meetings.
  But, surprisingly, most of the churches led by
  Ghanaians use Twi with interpreters during
  services.

25
African Diaspora Churches How to Identify
Them?

• While there are some variations in worship and
  liturgy styles, almost all their services are
  characterized by vibrant worship backed by
  musical instruments, singing, clapping and
  dancing.
• Most pay Tithe and give Offering at services. Two
  or more offerings are often taken at a service.

26
African Diaspora Churches How to Identify
Them?

• Finally, they are very particular about their
  dress code. They want put on their best attire to
  church, especially on Sundays. The men normally
  prefer to put on suit and tie. The women also
  take delight in putting on dignified African
  attire with matching colorful head gear.

27
African Diaspora Churches What they do for the
Communities

• At a time when Christianity is under siege in the
  lands it
• originated from and thrived, the marginalized
  Africans in
• Diaspora have emerged as "apostles poised to
  expand
• the Christian mission and evangelization in the
  global
• spread of the faith. Furthermore, the African
  Churches in
• Diaspora have responded to the call of Jesus
  Christ to
• feed the hungry, house the homeless and cloth the
  
• naked by providing social services to the
  Diasporic
• communities.

28
African Diaspora Churches What they do for the
Communities

• Indeed the African Diasporic Churches approach
  these
• indispensable social services with great sense of
  
• urgency (Opoku, Onyina 2004, Pentecostalism and
  the
• African Diaspora). The services they render are
  geared
• mostly towards the new African immigrants but are
  also
• opened to all other communities. Some of such
• blessings are
• English as a second Language (ESL) classes.
• Job search networking support.

29
African Diaspora Churches What they do for the
Communities

• Helping members/others find affordable housing.
• Marriage Counseling.
• Giving ride/help with transportation.
• Help with immigration/refugee applications.
• Conflict resolution.
• Technology skills training, such as help with
  internet access and computer use.
• Youth and Children Mentorship and Tutorials,
  Summer School programs.

30
African Diaspora Churches What they do for the
Communities

• Help with social celebrations.
• Sports programs.
• Bereavement/funeral assistance.
• Food Bank provision to the general public.
• With the provision of such wide range of social
  services,
• the African Diasporic Churches serve as conduit
  of
• helping the settlers to adapt to in the new
  societies.

31
African Diaspora Churches Their
Challenges

• In the interest of balanced analysis, it is fair
  to acknowledge that the African Churches in
  Diaspora are not beyond reproach. Some of their
  challenges are
• The African Diasporic churches are made up of
  about 99 Africans or people of African descent,
  and they are mostly reaching out to African
  migrants. There are only few exceptions like Rev
  Sunday Adelajas Church - Blessed Embassy of the
  Kingdom of God for all Nations in Kiev, Ukraine
  which has over 90 white congregants. A million
  dollar question therefore is if the Africa
  Missions in Diaspora indeed felt called to
  world Missions and evangelization, then why are
  they not reaching up to people of all races?

32
African Diaspora Churches Their Challenges
(contd)

• Most of the Africa Diaspora Missions have some
  built-in power imbalance regarding gender. Even
  though women constitute the majority of the
  membership of these churches yet they play
  second fiddle to the men. They are always the
  minority when it comes to leadership positions in
  the churches. Are the churches also guilty of
  creating the problem of minorities within the
  minority?

33
African Diaspora Churches Their Challenges
(contd)

• The high level display of wealth and class in
  terms of flamboyant cars, clothing outfits,
  shoes, and jewelries by leaders and members at
  Sunday Church services are becoming an eye sore.
• Normally, Africans are bad mix. Their social
  participation and integration into the wider
  societies in the North is very slow. Is the vast
  number of social services provided by the African
  Diaspora Churches to these immigrants a major
  factor?

34
African Diaspora Churches Their Challenges
(contd)

• The African Diaspora Churches are gradually
  deviating from their traditional preaching and
  teaching emphasis on morality, humility, prayer,
  Holy Spirit and eschatology to the popular
  prosperity messages. Will this not impede or
  derail their global Missions and evangelization
  agenda?

35
African Diaspora Churches Their Challenges
(contd)

• Their failure to attract the second generation
  Africans in Diaspora into their folds. Most of
  these second generation Africans started as
  children and youth in these churches but the
  overbearing influence of the Northern
  Hemispheres culture and values have drifted most
  of them from the churches into the hands of
  gangs, drug lords and eventually jail. Many of
  them daily face violence on the streets in the
  North. What agenda do the churches have for these
  young Africans?

36
African Diaspora Churches Their Challenges
(contd)

• Inability to establish better training
  facilities, and also systematic communication and
  awareness among the leaders and members to
  minimize syncretism and mismanagements in the
  churches.

37
African Diaspora Churches Their Challenges
(contd)

• Failure of their leaders, who are also leaders of
  the African Diasporic communities, to set better
  machinery to dialogue with the governments and
  leaders of the Northern societies on very
  pressing issues like
• Racial discrimination due to the pre-fixed
  derogatory images of Africa.
• Restrictive regulations on immigration,
  employment, education, and the concept of
  multiculturalism by governments and agencies in
  the North.
• Tougher restrictive recent laws enacted by
  governments in the Northern societies making it
  difficulty, if not impossible, for the African
  Diaspora Churches to purchase and refurbish
  redundant church buildings and others building in
  the inner cities and re-dedicating the same for
  worship.

38
What African Diaspora Churches need to do about
the Challenges

• Few suggestions as to how the African Diaspora
• Churches can counteract some of the challenges
• numerated above are as follows
• The African Churches in Diaspora should pull
  their resources together and establish training
  facilities that will equip both current and
  future leaders of the churches. Firstly,
  equipping pious Youth (future leaders) who have
  already taken on the culture, education and
  values of the North will help the churches to
  reach up to the second generation Africans.

39
What African Diaspora Churches need to do about
the Challenges (contd)

• Surprisingly, many of these second generation
  Africans,
• who are seeking identity and acceptance in the
  North,
• want to kick against anything African. Only
  some of
• their own may be able to reach up to them with
  the
• gospel. Moreover, the trained future leaders may
  also be
• able to sell the gospel better to the other races
  since
• they all have identical language (accent) and
  cultural
• training. Secondly, the training of the current
  leaders
• may also help minimize, if not, eradicate
  syncretism,
• ignorance, and mismanagement in the churches.

40
What African Diaspora Churches need to do about
the Challenges (contd)

• Biblical principles which resonated with
  multiculturalism, self-reliance, social
  participation, and racial sensitivity must be
  taught and applied by the leaders and members of
  these churches. This will enhance Bible based
  civic education among the settlers.

41
What African Diaspora Churches need to do about
the Challenges

• Conferences, seminars, open forums should be
  organized frequently by the African Diasporic
  Church leaders to discuss pressing issues facing
  their communities and Churches. Furthermore,
  their unified voice must be made know to the
  governments and the authorities in the north.

42
Blessings

• The African Churches in Diaspora (Africa
  Missions) have been a great blessing to the
  African settlers. The churches have been able to
  use their religious beliefs and formats to
  empower the new settlers spiritually, morally and
  socially to counteract the cultural shocks,
  alienation, and discrimination they encountered
  in the North. Moreover they have managed to equip
  and enlightened them with their host of social
  services.

43
Blessings

• The Africa Diasporic Churches, through
  evangelization and Missions, have been able to
  draw many of the African settlers from the curses
  of prostitution, drugs, human trafficking and
  terrorist activities to the saving knowledge of
  Lord Jesus Christ (Christianity). Thus helping to
  populate Heaven and depopulate Hell.

44
Conclusion

• The marginalized African settlers who migrated
  mostly in
• the eighties and the nineties to the Northern
• Hemisphere as students, seamen, refugees and
  green
• pasture seekers have managed to preserve their
• cultures and identities and also created
  emotional and
• spiritual support through the establishment of
  various
• thriving African Diasporic churches. These
  churches are
• mainly Pentecostal, Charismatic, and also
  mainline
• churches that have been re-initiated by Africans.
  

45
Conclusion (contd)

• Africans and people of African descent are the
  majorities
• in these churches. Also the churches are self-
• supporting, self-evangelizing and self-governing
  with
• many having strong ecumenical and transnational
  ties
• with cognate missions in Africa. Even though the
  males
• dominate their leadership, women are the
  majority.
• Moreover, these churches are well noted for their
  vibrant
• and dynamic liturgical structures and styles of
  worship.
• To them who says Church is boring?.

46
Conclusion (contd)

• They are also providing a host of social services
  to the helpless immigrants as response to Jesus
  call to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, and
  house the homeless.
• Yet these Africa Diasporic Churches are guilty of
  not reaching out to many other races with the
  gospel. They are also not adequately reaching out
  to the second generation Africans who are also
  seeking identity and acceptance in the Northern
  societies. The individualistic tendencies and
  struggle for popularity and more followers on the
  part of their leaders are not helping the
  Diasporic communities and the churches either.
  They need to form a united front to dialogue with
  the various governments and authorities on
  pressing social, financial and moral issues
  confronting the Diasporic communities.

47
Conclusion (contd)

• Finally, Africa Missions in Diaspora needs much
• commendation than condemnation. Through their
• missions and evangelization agenda, many people
  who
• were shunning Christianity (including Muslims)
  are now
• converting into the faith in the North. Moreover,
  they
• are using their brand of Christianity to empower
  the
• African settlers to stand up against the social
  vices in
• the North. Their followers are now saying no to
  
• prostitution, illegal drugs business, crimes,
  gangs,
• violence and other social vices which are
  seriously
• tormenting the societies in the North. Can this
  be termed
• mission in reverse?

48
Conclusion

• I will end up with these four questions for brain
  storming
• and for further research
• Is it true that the Africans in Diaspora are
  using Christianity to maintain their cultural
  identity, and also amplify their human and
  religious rights to facilitate their settlements
  in the Northern Hemisphere?
• Does the African Churches in Diaspora (African
  Missions) have some significant negative
  undertones that need to be unearthed?

49
Conclusion

• Would the African immigrants have found it
  necessary to join the African Churches in
  Diaspora, if they were accepted as simply
  Christians in the Northern churches?
• Will the African Churches in Diaspora continue to
  appeal to the African settlers especially the
  second generation Africans as they become well
  educated and richer? Or are the Churches going to
  fall into the same spiritual state as the
  missionary and mainline churches in the North?

50
Key Words

• African Churches in Diaspora (Africa Missions,
  Africa Diasporic Churches) Diaspora Northern
  Hemisphere (North) Missions settlers (African
  settlers).

51
References

• Adogame, Afe. 2000, The Quest for Space in the
  Global Spiritual Marketplace African Religions
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  Borders 4 (2009) 2144 43
• Anderson, Allan H. 2001, African Reformation
  African Initiated Christianity in the 20th
  Century, Trenton, NJ Africa World Press, Inc.
• Bediako, Kwame. 1995. Christianity in African
  The Renewal of a Non-Western Religion. Edinburgh
  Edinburgh University Press.

52
References (Contd)

• Bramadat, Paul 2005, Beyond Christian Canada
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• Ebaugh, Helen Rose and Janet Saltzman Chafetz
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• Gould, Carol C. 2004, Globalizing Democracy and
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  Press.

53
References (Contd)

• Hagan, Jacqueline and Helen R. Ebaugh 2003,
  Calling upon the Sacred Migrants Use of
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• Jenkins, Philip 2002, The Next Christendom The
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  Publishing.
• Opoku, Onyina 2004, Pentecostalism and the
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  26, 2 216-41.

54
References (Contd)

• Opoku, Onyina 2004, Pentecostalism and the
  African Diaspora An examination of the Missions
  activities of the Church of Pentecost. Pneuma,
  26, 2 216-41.
• Owusu, Thomas Y. 2003, Transnationalism among
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• Preston, Valerie and Lucia Lo. 2000, Asian Theme
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55
References (Contd)

• Tettey, Wisdom and Korbla P. Puplampu (eds.)
  2005, The African Diaspora in Canada, Calgary
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• Walls, Andrew F. 2005. Mission and Migration
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• Wong, Madeleine 2000 Ghanaian Women in Torontos
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