Did you know that 47% of the world's migrants are Christians?
On Tuesday 10 June, over 150 church leaders, missionaries, parachurch workers, students and theologians gathered at Oak Hill College — and joined online — to learn and reflect together about migration in the UK today.
The conference featured three plenary talks. The first, from Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana, explored the African migration movement to the UK. He highlighted how, unlike many historic mission movements, this has largely happened organically, through individuals rather than mission agencies. He challenged us to rethink ideas of church growth and decline, showing how African migrants have significantly contributed to the increase in church attendance in recent decades in the UK. Dr Olofinjana urged the church to learn how to build intercultural communities and work in deeper unity, listening well to one another.
You can watch the three plenary talks here.
Next, Dr Sam George from Wheaton College spoke from Singapore about the God who moves — and how this should shape our view of migration. Quoting John Stott, he reminded us: “We must be global Christians with a global vision because God is a global God.” Dr George pointed out that while many religions have a geographical centre, our centre is a person — Jesus Christ — which profoundly shapes our worldview and our relationships with people on the move. He left us with thoughtful questions to discuss, especially about the nature of the church in a world on the move.
Following seminars on specific diaspora communities in the UK — led by experienced leaders and practitioners from those communities — Oak Hill’s Director of Cross-Cultural Training, Dr Chris Howles, closed the day by envisioning what an intercultural church could look like today. Drawing on the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts, he reflected on his own journey of understanding as a Christian leader and invited us to embrace the opportunities of intercultural ministry.
Wonu Adefala from Global Connections reflected on the day:
“Thinking about welcoming others is something we all have to wrestle with and ask for God’s help with. The day showed me there’s such a wealth of resources and thinking we’ve not tapped into yet. The plenaries let us know that there are riches available to us in other people that we can access if we open up. It was beautiful.”
Dr Howles said:
"At Oak Hill, we're passionate about applying the truth of God's unchanging Word to a fast-moving and dynamic world. Migration is already shaping every church in the UK, and I was delighted that this conference inspired and equipped both our students and Christian leaders from across the country to respond thoughtfully and faithfully to the challenges and opportunities of mission in a culturally diverse context."
This event, run in partnership with Langham Publishing, was never intended to be the final word on this vital topic. Our prayer is that it will spark ongoing conversations and reflection across churches and ministries throughout the UK.