International Migrants Day 1

December 18 marks the annual International Migrants Day. We live during a time that has been called the age of migration. While people on the move is as old as the exodus from the Garden, today’s numbers have brought the world into uncharted waters. 281 million people reside outside their countries of birth.

Sadly, few scholars writing in the area of diaspora missiology focus on the unreached peoples (and unengaged unreached peoples) who are coming to North America. Some scholars raise concerns about such work fearing it will detract from the limited resources and workers being sent to reach the unreached in other countries. While I always advocate the greatest needs for the gospel and church planting are found in Majority World contexts, something is missionally malignant if we are willing to risk much to travel into all the world to reach a people but unwilling to walk across the street to reach someone of the same group.

Ten years ago, I published my research on the movement of unreached peoples to the West, specifically to the United States and Canada. Strangers Next Door was the first of its kind, and to my disappointment, continues to stand alone today. I am still waiting for others to produce new and better findings.

While the numbers have changed in the past decade, the United States is home to 186 unreached people groups, of which 97 are identified as unengaged unreached people groups. This makes the United States the third largest country in the world for unreached people groups behind India and China.

Still the Divine Maestro

The United States receives more international migrants than any country in the world. In 2019, we set a new record of 45 million foreign-born residents. From a human perspective, the global movement of people from one geographical location to another is sometimes chalked up to sociocultural push-pull realities. War and famine push people out of East Africa while the promise of safety and a better life pulls them to France. A poor educational system in India pushes students out of their homeland to follow the pull of a better education in the United States. This view of the migration of peoples across the globe is a complex matter of economics, power, freedom, justice, and a better way of life. While such social forces are at work in our world today, we must realize that through such means the Lord is working to bring about the expansion of His kingdom.

Since the world is presently under the rule of the gods of this age, human wickedness sometimes brings slavery, hardships, death, and destruction, resulting in the forced migrations of peoples. While some move willingly, others are forced from their homelands or internally displaced. A glimpse at our world today reveals 26.4 million refugees, 55 million internally displaced persons (48M due to conflict and violence; 7M due to disasters), and 4.1 million asylum seekers. Those fleeing for their lives are the neediest of the neediest migrants.

The truth remains. God is the Divine Maestro. The Sovereign Lord orchestrates the movement of the peoples throughout the world to advance His kingdom for His glory (Acts 17:26-27).

Church on the Move

Though some missiologists have failed to steward well the moment regarding what God has done in the United States and Canada, churches across denominations have been mobilizing members to share the love of Christ through their words and show the love of Christ through their actions. While I always desire more engagement, I have been pleased to see, over the past ten years, the number of ministries that have developed and church planting teams sent down the street.

On International Migrants Day this year, may we understand that Great Commission opportunities exist which the church has never seen in 2000 years! May our generation steward well what we have received that others may come to know their Creator. May we partner with our brothers and sisters on the move to advance the cause of Christ. May we pray for and work toward the healing of the nations–across the world. . . but also in our backyards.

The five billion remain.