Migrant Churches Challenge Old Understanding of Mission

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Focus today on the World Council of Churches' (WCC) work on migration and social justice.  They say, 'While migration has always been a fact of life, it raises new economic, political, cultural and ecclesial concerns in today's globalized world. New forms of migration, including trafficking and development-induced displacement, threaten the human dignity of millions of people. Xenophobia is increasing.  Migration in a globalized world raises questions about inter-faith relations, identity, justice, racism, advocacy and diakonia.'

On 25 November 2010, the WCC organised, with the Netherlands Mission Council, an international consultation on the mission and ecclesiology of migrant churches. 
 
Migration poses serious challenges to the churches’ self-understanding and calls for a reassessment of how migrant Christians and their churches relate to established local churches in terms of mission, witness, hospitality and mutual accountability. Migration presents unique challenges for the ecumenical journey towards the unity of the church, while at the same time reflecting a wondrously rich diversity within the "body of Christ" (the universal church or the community of Christian believers) that goes beyond denominationalism, said John Gibaut, director of the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order.

Related articles

• All Things in Common (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• The Nature and Mission of the Church (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)