Pastoral Care in Immigrant Congregations in Western Cities

Introduction

A wide range of African, Spanish-speaking, and Filipino churches have emerged all across the United States and Europe. According to Eriksen, the emergence of immigrant churches in the United States and across Western cities is a common phenomenon.¹ The emergence of these churches reflects a wide range of ethnic-linguistic, theological, and denominational diversity. While these churches challenge the established landscapes of Western churches, they face their own unique challenges. As the numbers of these churches continue to increase in the U.S. diaspora, numerous issues relating to pastoral care in these congregations have arisen. There are concerns regarding what constitutes proper pastoring in an ethnic-linguistically and theologically diverse congregation. This paper seeks to address the problem of proper pastoral care in immigrant congregations in Western cities, particularly in the United States.

Background: Immigrant Churches in the West

As previously indicated, the landscape of established churches in Western cities like the United States has been characterized by the increase in the emergence and growth of migrant churches. Migrant churches have become a significant phenomenon in the U.S. church landscape. The emergence of these churches in Western cities is partly attributable to recent decades of globalization. Globalization has brought different regions of the world together at rapid speeds and in ways that were hardly imagined in past centuries. Recent decades of globalization have resulted in multiple streams of international migration — a complex phenomenon encompassing an array of social, economic, and security aspects that affect daily life. International migration has become a major social issue in the United States given the streams of refugees entering the country. Currently, it is estimated that nearly 200 million people are living outside their home countries, either voluntarily or involuntarily.²

For many migrants, religion plays an important role in migration trajectories and everyday life experiences. Migrants not only bring their nationalities with them but also their religion. Since nearly 50% of the world's migrants — including those in the U.S. — come from Christian backgrounds, there has been a global growth of Christianity. Western churches, including those in the U.S., can therefore no longer assume the leading voice or represent the epicenter of Christianity. Migrants form separate communities and foreign churches in host countries as part of their efforts to mitigate the challenges they encounter in a foreign country.³ Members of migrant churches in Western cities are largely migrants from the same country of origin. As a result, most of their church programs and activities — including the language used — resemble those of their home country. Migrant churches are critical for their members as they not only provide spiritual care but also offer support for practical life issues. For these members, church is viewed not only from a spiritual dimension but also from a community support perspective.

Since migrant churches adopt activities and programs that resemble those of their country of origin, culture plays an important role in spiritual care. Culture becomes an important part of these churches and their respective activities as they attempt to close the cultural gaps associated with living in a foreign country. Cultural practices shape the spiritual activities adopted in these churches as leadership attempts to make members feel more at home. Therefore, cultural factors shape the nature and identity of migrant churches in Western cities, including in the U.S. Migrant church communities in the U.S. diaspora possess vast resources of cultural and social capital that influence what constitutes pastoral care in immigrant congregations. Given these vast cultural and social capital resources, pastoral care is somewhat different in immigrant congregations.⁴ Pastoral care in these congregations requires consideration of cultural factors, as they influence the everyday life experiences of members.

Pastoral Care in Migrant Churches

Immigrants in Western cities face complex challenges, which means that no single approach to pastoral care is universally best. Effective pastoral intervention in these churches requires proper assessment and understanding of the situation. Pastoral care in these churches has become an institutionalized activity focused on the faithful. Pastoral care activities are not addressed to members as individuals, but as part of a specific community through which the church plans for specific pastoral service.⁵ Pastoral service in these churches is temporary and transitional in nature. When providing pastoral services to migrants, pastors need to consider that the community has its own language and culture.

Magezi states that pastoral care in migrant churches should carry out a preparatory or foundational role. Such a role is necessary because immigrant communities live an "in-between" life. The concept of the in-between is a model that reflects various areas of life including physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and relational dimensions. Immigrants live an in-between life as it entails familiarizing oneself with life in a foreign country while upholding one's own cultural practices. In essence, these individuals are torn between embracing new cultures, norms, and practices and maintaining their own in a foreign country. Therefore, the spiritual growth of these individuals is challenged by the values and norms they confront. This problem specifically affects adults, as they are cultural custodians.

By playing a foundational role, pastoral care helps migrant congregations achieve a balance between their own culture and that of their host country. Through this role, pastors and other church leaders help migrant communities integrate with their new home and the realities of life in a foreign country. To this extent, pastoral care in migrant churches entails empowering and equipping immigrants with information regarding those realities and the alternatives available to them. It is recommended that pastoral care in such churches focus on enhancing migrants' understanding of their new home and the options they can consider.

The need for pastoral care in migrant churches to promote smooth integration implies that it differs from the conventional role of pastors and other church leaders. Pastoral care in these churches goes beyond providing spiritual nourishment to include addressing the social aspects facing migrants. While the traditional role of pastoral care also involves issues beyond spiritual nourishment, migrant churches in Western cities face uniquely demanding needs. In some cases, pastoral care in migrant churches entails addressing personal aspects such as employment, dress, and child-rearing.⁶ Additionally, it addresses social aspects like acculturation and assimilation as well as cultural aspects such as family values and status.

In addition to these aspects, pastoral care in migrant churches also involves addressing the pressures faced by immigrants. Through this work, pastors deal with forces that affect the lives of migrants in a foreign country. As immigrants navigate various social and cultural dynamics, they encounter an interplay of complex forces that affect their assimilation and integration into the new community. Consequently, Magezi notes that pastoral care in migrant churches should focus on developing holistic strategies for addressing immigrants' challenges. A practical theology that promotes an understanding of immigrants' needs should be developed for pastoral care in migrant churches.

Conclusion

Migrant churches have mushroomed in many Western cities, including in the United States. The number of these churches has increased in the diaspora as a result of globalization and international migration. These churches have emerged to help immigrants feel a sense of belonging and to promote their acculturation in their new homes. However, ministers in these churches have responsibilities that go beyond spiritual care and ministering, as they help their members assimilate into the new home. This has in turn created a proper pastoring problem, as ministers deviate from meaningful ministry. This problem can be addressed through equipping or training pastors to pastor well and through a commitment to follow the example provided by Jesus.

Bibliography

Commission for Evangelization and Pastoral Care of the Migrants. "Church Teachings on Pastoral Care of the Migrants." SMCIM, 2015. http://www.cepcm.org/home/inner/28

Eriksen, S. S. "Immigrant-Majority Church Relations in the West." Lausanne Global Analysis, July 2019. https://lausanne.org/content/lga/2019-07/immigrant-majority-church-relations-west

Kim, S. J., and T. Villace. "Development of Pastoral Administrative Leadership Scale Based on the Theories of Educational Leadership." Cogent Business and Management 6 (2019): 1–10.

Magezi, V. "Pastoral Care to Migrants as Care at the 'In-Between' and 'Liminal' Home Away from Home: Towards Public Pastoral Care to Migrants." Verbum et Ecclesia 40 (2019): 1–8.

Magezi, V. "Pastoral Care to Migrants as Care at the 'In-Between': Reflections on Pastoral Care within Congregational Ministry." Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry, 2019. https://journals.sfu.ca/rpfs/index.php/rpfs/article/download/595/571

Paul II, J. P. "The Pastoral Care of Migrants: A Way of Accomplishing the Mission of the Church Today." Eternal World Television Network, 2001. https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/pastoral-care-of-migrants-a-way-of-accomplishing-the-mission-of-the-church-today-8312

Salvatierra, A. "Equipping Hispanic Immigrant Pastors for Holistic Mission." Fuller Theological Seminary, 2018. https://www.proquest.com/openview/4d38e2a1ed2fde0fc09c6d02f8fecb41/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y