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Mehari Tedla Korcho, "Ethiopian Diaspora Churches on Mission: An Intergenerational Perspective on Ethiopian Churches in the United States" (Langham Academic, 2024)
00:59:49
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A
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B
Hello, I'm Dave Broczek, one of the hosts of New Books in World Christianity. In this episode, I'm talking with Dr. Mehari Korcho about his book, Ethiopian Diaspora Churches on Mission. It was published by langham academic in 2024. The subtitle is An Intergenerational Perspective on On Ethiopian Churches in the United States. Dr. Mehari himself is part of the Ethiopian diaspora. He knows about the immigration experience firsthand. And I would say this. This impressed me as I was reading the book. His research, to use the analogy from John A. Mackay, is research not from the balcony, but from the road. He writes not as a mere observer and commentator, but but as an active participant. He recruits and trains potential church leaders for church planting and multiplication. He promotes unity among American local churches and diaspora churches. He reaches out to refugees and immigrants in Colorado, where he lives. He researches the practical needs of immigrants. He teaches biblical foundation of missions. He coaches and trains diaspora families and church leaders to effectively navigate their intergenerational dynamics. I hope I got that right, Dr. Corchil. He has a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Columbia International University in South Carolina, USA. So let me say this, Dr. Mehari, welcome to the podcast.
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C
Thank you for having me. Thank you.
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B
It's good to have you here. And we do want to know about your research because that's what this book is about. But first we want to know about you. Please tell us about yourself. Would you care to let the rest of us know about you and your work and whatever?
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C
All right, good. So my name is Mahari Korcho. I'm currently living in Colorado with my wife Nasrawit and my two daughters, Elroy and Efrata. So I have little daughters, the oldest is three and the youngest is one and half. Busy, busy house. And I studied sociology for my undergrad in Lund University in Sweden and then came to the US to do my master's and PhD actually at Columbia International University in South Carolina. Master's in global studies and PhD in intercultural studies. Basically I'm a missionary to the US with Near Frontiers. This is a ministry of Wine Challenge International. And my role in that ministry is to mobilize diaspora communities, especially believing diaspora communities for missions here in the States and and beyond. I do believe that there is a huge potential among the diaspora community for missions, but it is not maximized and in some cases it's not really realized. So I just want to mobilize this diaspora communities towards the global missions. For instance, when it comes to the Ethiopian diaspora churches in the U.S. about 140 Ethiopian diaspora churches are there in the U.S. but none of them have missions beyond their own community. That means that it is a kind of 0% when it comes to serving beyond their own community. So to all nations kind of concept is not there yet. It's very much focused on themselves. So I encourage and challenge these churches and other immigrant churches to see the missional aspect of their movement. Basically that's really my calling. The heart for mobilizing my fellow immigrant communities, Christian immigrants really comes from my experience in Sweden. God revised actually my ministry calling in Sweden by using a 19 years old Swedish boy. So to give you a little bit of background about myself when it comes to my ministry or my ministry journey or my calling story, I started actually my missionary life when I was in Ethiopia serving the Lord in the campus ministry called Ivasu in Ethiopia. So I did that ministry and moved to, to Sweden. And for the, you know, for, for the first two years I was actually serving the Lord among my own community as a student in Sweden. But then during my third year, my senior year, I had to go to one of the apartments where most Swedish people are living and I got a friend, his name is Zacharias, he's a 19 years old boy and he said that like he has A calling for ministry, you know, a ministry of healing and evangelism. And he said to me that if I could mentor him, if I could pray with him, if I could come alongside and help. And at that time, you know, the same age, you know, it's a campus ministry that I had in Ethiopia, but when it comes to doing ministry overseas, it's completely different where, which I was not ready for, which is, you know, I was not ready to do ministry in English or in, in the language that actually helped me to, to really serve others. So in that case, you know, I would say there was no kind of missional mindset. But not only that, you know, when I was having a ministry among my own community, I had a kind of comparative gospel which is like, you know, they are declining, they are actually swallowed in a kind of secularism. But we are, you know, vibrant and we are, we're good. So let's protect ourselves and our, you know, our children from that, you know, you know, anything outside of our own community is really evil or is very versacular. So let's protect ourselves of kind of comparative gospel that I have, which I was pointing my finger on them but really saying that like we're good. So basically God actually convicted my ignorance about nations beyond my own community. And also like my judgmental mindset in terms of really this pride that says that like we're good but they are kind of thing. So in that case, from that point on I realized that God is actually revising my call, my calling for beyond my own community. So, you know, in Sweden, very secular country, that's the truth. But to find a 19 year old boy who is vibrant in his Christian life, whose call for ministry is such an eye opening experience that I had in Sweden because when I come from Ethiopia to Sweden, it's just that kind of mindset that like they are in decline but we are thriving kind of thing was the thing that is in my mind. But God actually encountered me with that 19 years old boy to change my view. And since then I believe that God actually called me to this ministry specifically to mobilize and really encourage and challenge. I asked diaspora communities like me to see the missional aspect of their movement and to repent with me and serve others. So that's really where my ministry calling had come from. And then also even when it comes to writing this book, yeah, it, it just connects with my calling and the things that I'm doing right now is really something that I'm trying to encourage and challenge the diaspora communities to see the missional aspect of their movement.
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B
Thank you for giving us that background. It reminds me every book has some motivation behind it, has some story behind it. And you've been transparent about yours. So your introduction, as it were, to cross cultural mission was in Sweden and now you're practicing it in the United States. And you've given us a little bit about your motivations for the research. But maybe we should start with this term that's in the title and that you've used now in this description to us. You spoke about diaspora, you spoke about diaspora mission. Can you give us, the listener, some idea of what those terms are, what they mean?
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C
Yeah, Diaspora missions. So diaspora missions is an ancient biblical approach that God used actually for his mission is very much ancient. You know, like when we take a look at the scripture, in some case, in some cases, God moved non believers to places where they might hear about about Him. For instance, you know, we see in Joshua chapter nine, the Gibbonites came to Joshua as you know, considering themselves as a missionary, as immigrants, you know, and through that way they got to know to the God of Israel. Ruth is another example, coming from Moab and the Queen of Sheba from the land of Sheba is also another example. Even in the New Testament, the God fearing Gentiles in Acts chapter two, they all come, you know, gathered in Jerusalem. So that's how they actually heard about, you know, the Gospel. And the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter eight is also another example. When people are coming to a different place, they are exposed to the gospel. And that is one of the ways that we can describe actually diaspora missions. Non believers are actually on the move. So we have to reach out to those people. And the other wing of diaspora mission is actually God is not only moving non believers, but also he's moving believers. So who believes, those who believe in Christ are actually on the move. In fact, when you see the statistics, those people who are coming to the states by and large is actually Christians, not really non believers. So God is moving believers. You know, when we take a look at scripture, for instance, when God brought his people from Egypt, you can see that he's actually making Himself known. He made them actually sojourners, immigrants, and in all the way they pass through, they actually make the God of Israel known to nations. You can see Joseph in Egypt making God known, Daniel in Babylon, Esther in the Persian region. So in all of these examples that we can see that God is making Himself known by moving his people to a different place. Even the exile itself, it's suffering. I Know, all immigrants are not coming in a kind of comfortable way. There are immigrants who are coming to a different place in a very hard way. Even those exile, those people who came to a different nation because of the persecution that they're facing in their country, they have a message to tell they are coming with the gospel. So the exiles, we have seen the exiles actually preached the gospel or make their God known in a different country. When it comes to the New Testament references in the New Testament, you see the dispersed Christians after the death of Stephen, took the gospel to everywhere, basically. So in chapter, you know, in Acts, chapter 8, verses 1, it says, on that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judah and Samaria. That means that like diaspora, the term even diaspora mean the dispersed people or the scattered people. So this actually refers to the Israelites, the Jewish people at first, because they are the most discarded people, dispersed people across the globe, across the earth. So it has been used for the Israelites or for the Jews first, but now it is actually used widely to refer to the immigrants and refugee communities across the world. So in Acts 8. 4, it says those who had been scattered, dispersed preached the word wherever they went. So this is really at the heart of God's mission when he's actually moving people, it's for his mission. So I think that is why I'm actually mobilizing these communities to see the missional aspect of their movement. So it's to say that, like, it's an ancient concept, Diaspora mission is an ancient concept, as see it from the Scripture. But when it comes to the current understanding of diaspora missions, it seems like people are talking. When people are actually describing it, it seems like it's a kind of recent phenomenon just because of the intensity of the movement of people. Because as time goes by with the technological advancements and other, you know, situations that actually foster migration, because of all that reasons, most people are actually on the move today and more than any time ever. So currently, people are thinking that it is a kind of recent phenomenon or like a kind of approach that is emerging. But I would say, or I would argue that like diaspora emissions is an ancient concept.
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B
Well, that's very clear. I appreciate that. So you're writing about a field of study called diaspora mission, and you focus particularly on the dispersal and movement of a particular people, Ethiopian people. Can you say a word about what brings or what brought or currently brings Ethiopian people to the U.S. i think you wrote about three waves, and I wonder, it might be interesting to listeners to understand that better.
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C
Right? Yes. So specifically I wrote actually about Ethiopians in the States in the United States. So Ethiopians actually are dispersed or scattered across the world. So my research is focused on only Ethiopians moving to the United States. So Ethiopians are the second largest African immigrants in the U.S. excuse me, could.
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B
I hear that again? Yeah, that sounds like an important point.
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C
Exactly. So Ethiopians are actually the second largest African immigrants in the United States.
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B
Thank you.
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C
Next to Nigerians, basically. So over 140 Ethiopian diaspora churches are there in America. And they came actually in three waves. Ethiopians came to the States in three waves. The first wave of migration was before 1974. So these people are more sojourners in the sense that they don't have any, you know, purpose to stay in the States. But you know, most of them are actually, were actually students, government officials and so forth. So they always are actually thinking about like going back to their country after they finish whatever they, they, they do. So they have a kind of sojourner mentality where they don't want, they don't have any idea or they don't have any purpose to stay in the States. But when it comes to the second wave, that is between 1974 to 1991, basically this movement followed actually the political situation in Ethiopia. So during that time, the Derg region, the communist government was there in Ethiopia. So because of that harsh treatment of the government, they had to leave their country. Most of them are actually political refugees. So between 1974 and 1991, in the second wave, most of Ethiopians came to the United States are actually refugees. Those who flee from the communist government were welcomed by the US Just because of the political dynamics even between2 these two countries. In the first and second wave of migration, it was not a lot of Ethiopians who were able to make it to the US comparing to the third wave, the third wave actually began in 1991 to present. So Ethiopian population in the US exponentially grew in the third wave, specifically because of the diversity visa lottery, we call it divi lottery. And Ethiopia ranked actually first from DiVi recipients across the world in 2004 and 2009. So Ethiopians were able to come as a family. That means that the dynamics even shifted because in the second wave, most people who came to the states are actually predominantly male. And there was no kind of family concept, basically. But in the third wave, you know, those people who are single in the second wave were able to unite it with their families. And even in the third wave, most people were able to come, you know, as a family. So that actually enhance Ethiopians to grow exponentially in the us. So these are actually the three waves of migration and most Ethiopians are actually living in the DMV area and the second largest population of Ethiopians living outside of Ethiopia is actually in Washington D.C. otherwise you can find Ethiopians in the states in any metropolitan areas. Good, good population in different places. So that's how I can describe the movement of Ethiopians to the us.
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B
Thank you for that.
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D
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B
Contiguous US only running through various directions. We could go here, but this focuses research focuses specifically on the churches. I wonder if you could segue into talking about the Epithee open churches which they then founded and grew here in the us what about the characteristics of that? And that would lead into the characteristics of the different generations, which is a major part of your book and so on. Let me just turn you free to talk about Ethiopian churches and what you.
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C
Found exactly so you know the evangelical Ethiopian Evangelical churches. The growth of Ethiopian evangelical churches in the US is really followed by these three waves of migrations in the first wave of migration, as I said before, there was no intention to really establish any institution. So there was no Ethiopian churches back then in the first wave of migration. But few students were able to gather together to form a kind of annual conference, they call it Chicago Conference, which turned into this student fellowship kind of gathering because most of them were students. And then it eventually turned into Ethiopian Evangelical Churches fellowship. So there was no really in the situation in the first wave of migration. But that seed with few students gave birth to actually, you know, during the third wave of, especially during the second wave of migration when few churches start to be planted, these students fellowship became a fellowship of churches, Ethiopian churches in the US So it's during actually the second wave of migration that most Ethiopian churches were planted. So especially in Washington D.C. and in California, these are the two places that started actually these churches around 90, that beginning of 1980s. And then during the third wave, it exponentially actually grew because of, for two factors actually. One is the massive movement of Ethiopians from Ethiopia to the US As I said before. But the second one is it's actually, it has to do with the growth of evangelical Christianity in Ethiopia as well. So during the first and second wave of migration, you know, even I think, you know, evangelical Christians in Ethiopia were actually less than 5% in Ethiopia. So with that, you cannot expect that many evangelical Christians would be moving to the US So that's why we have few people, even evangelical believers in the U.S. but as time goes by, you know, the evangelicalism in Ethiopia has grew exponentially. And that actually is a reflection of the bigger population of evangelical Christians in the US Specifically, you know, during the second wave of migration, those who flee from the communist government are coming from the northern part where the persecution is very intense, the harsh condition is very intense. So the northern part of Ethiopia is really known for the Coptic order, Orthodox Christianity. So in that case, we cannot expect evangelical Christians coming to to the US but when it comes to the third wave, it's really from all over Ethiopia that people are moving, specifically those people who are coming from the western part of Ethiopia and the southern part of Ethiopia, which is predominantly evangelical Christians, they were able to come to the states. So that is why during the third wave of migration, the Ethiopian evangelical Christians grew very exponentially. So that is how I can see the growth of Ethiopian evangelical churches in the US Followed by these three wave of migrations.
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B
So this is the population among whom you did research. What were you trying to find out as you then did this, as you said, both qualitative and quantitative research, what were you hoping to find out? As you. Well, you could talk to us about your methods too. But as you did surveys, as you did interviews, what were you trying to find out?
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C
Well, my hope as I was doing this research was for Ethiopian churches in the US to grow from potential to actual engagement in. So, you know, there is this notion that is going on today that like the center of, you know, Christianity is moving from Global south for Global north to Global South. So people do believe that there is a potential among, you know, the non Westerners for missions and today. But this potential needs to be translated into engagement. So I would say yes, there is a potential among Ethiopian diaspora communities in the states as the second largest African immigrants in the U.S. but it's not really, you know, maximized or actually the engagement is so weak. So I want Ethiopian diaspora communities believing Ethiopian diaspora communities who are actually in Christ or disbelieving immigrants to grow from potential to actual engagement in missions beyond their own community. And also like, not only beyond their own community, but also across the generational lines within themselves because their children are actually living in a different culture than the first generation. The first generation being, you know, those people who speak their language, they have a strong tie with their own culture in with their own home country. But the second generation who are born and raised in the US they don't have that tie with the home country and home culture. Their tie is more into with actually the, the hosting country. So in that case, I think this missional mindset is helpful for the first generation to cross the cultural barrier to really reach out to their own children in a different land. So this is really my heart, you know, for the engagement of missions across, you know, nations or beyond their own community and also across the generational alliance of their own community. So that's really where my heart is. I hope that this book encourages these communities, my Ethiopian fellow immigrants, but also other immigrants who can benefit from this research as well, to see the missional aspect of their movement and also how they can really pass down the gospel into the next generation who are living in a different culture than the first generation.
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B
You mentioned the first generation. That's 1.0, right? You mentioned the second generation 2.0, but you also identified in between there 1.5. I wonder if you could say a word about those different generations and how they approach things.
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C
So Ethiopians only have second generation and third generation is coming up now. So it's a very young community that we have, basically. So first generation refers to those who migrated at the age of 22 and over, I get, I gave it a clear demarcation because those people who are coming after the age of 22, they don't have the opportunity to go through the American school system where they can learn more about the culture and they identify themselves with the hosting community. So they have more attachment with their home country than the hosting country. And when it comes to the 1.5 generation, it's a kind of in between kind of generation who migrated between the age of 11 and 21. So the formation stage is actually completed in their homeland. For instance, if they're Ethiopians, the formation stage is done in Ethiopia. But then like, they have an approach, they have this opportunity to add on what, what they already are actually formed in terms of culture, which is those people who came, you know, between the age of 11 to 21, at least they have the opportunity to go through the American system beginning middle school. So yes, they have, you know, a concept of their home country culture, but they can also add, you know, some views and some cultural worldviews from the hosting culture. So they are able to converse with both home and hosting culture. In that case, the second generation are those people who are migrated before the age of 10 or born and raised in the hosting country. So they are basically more attached to the hosting culture. And their worldview is actually shaped by the home culture for the most part. So this is how we can actually describe these three generations that we have among the Ethiopian diaspora churches. So when it comes to the church practice among the Ethiopian communities, in line with these generational differences, the first generation is really practicing a church that is exclusively working for itself, which is very much home culture driven. Whatever happens in Ethiopia, for instance, directly affects the first generation congregation, which is the political situation or economic situation. Anything that has to do with Ethiopia can affect directly the first generation congregation, which is basically that's because, like, the first generation has a huge attachment with their home country, basically. So with that, for instance, like Ethiopian churches, most of them actually, not most of all of them actually use Amharic for their services, while in Ethiopia we have actually about 80, more than 80 ethnic groups. So there are other churches who do their church services in Romania or Tigrinya or in different language they prefer. But for the most part, most of them actually use Amharic for their church service. So when it comes to the second generation, you know, they're not picking that language. They prefer to speak in English. And even like, what happens back home cannot directly affect them because they don't have any tie with the home country. So in that case, because the first generation is not really crossing the cultural barrier and preparing the platform for the second generation to really understand the gospel in a way they can understand, they are actually facing a kind of massive exodus which is graduation from high school is also graduation from the church, because there is no any platform for the second generation for them to understand the gospel in English, basically. So only five, four or five English speaking churches has been planted in America by the second generation in the last 50 years. So half a century since Ethiopian churches has been established in America. It has been 50 years, it has been half a century, but it's only like four or five churches that has been planted by the second generation for English speaking community. So that's very sad to see. But you can see that there's a challenge between, you know, this generational dynamics and in between, this 1.5 generation is really having a kind of stressful, stressful situation in the sense that like some of them are actually advocates of the second generation and they want to reach out to the second generation, but most of them follow the pattern of the first generation. So that is why the Amharic service, which is exclusively designed for the first generation can continue with the 1.5 generation. So still that isolation of doing exclusively church for themselves by neglecting the context itself is something that can continue because of the 1.5 generation that would like to actually follow the pattern of the first generation. So how does that's how it is working actually in the Ethiopian community.
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B
Thank you for that description. It really helps us understand the situation with the churches. I wonder if we could segue into then your findings as you did your interviews and so on. What did you hear from your respondents?
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C
Yeah, that's a good question. So since it's about like mission engagement that I was really, really trying to understand about the Ethiopian diaspora churches, I think I can describe that in two ways. One is understanding of missions. How did my respondents really reflect on their understanding of missions? And the second one is how they are actually practicing missions. So on the first one, you know, most respondents actually reflected that like their understanding of missions is really shaped by the traditional approach, which is from the west to the rest, from the half ones to the north half ones. So basically when I'm asking a question, you know, if you know, what are the countries today or what are the continents today, who are missionaries sending continents or countries? Most of my respondents responded that like, you know, they would say Europeans or Americans or the west in general. So it shows that like, they're still in a kind of receiving end in terms of, like, okay, sending countries are still like, those people from the West. And then I asked if, you know, what about, like, recipients who are the recipient countries and continents, by and large. Actually, most of them responded that, like, Africa is the recipient of missionaries. So that shows to me that, like, still the traditional approach from the west to the west is still the understanding of missions. So I'm not a missionary. Somebody from the west is a missionary. So is a kind of understanding that needs to be addressed, basically. So I would say, as a diaspora Missouri, that is one of the things that we have to define and redefine, which is missions now is from everywhere to everywhere, not from the west to the rest anymore. So that is how they understood missions. And also, for the most part, their understanding of missions is shaped by the Great Commission verse. When it comes to their biblical view of missions, it's not really taking the whole counsel of the Scripture, the whole counsel of God, as we call it, which is, you know, God is a missionary God. And from the beginning to an end, the scripture talks about, like, how God has been redeeming his people and the world back to himself. But most of the respondents actually reflected that, like, their understanding of missions is shaped by the Great Commission verse, which is, go and make disciples of all nations. So these are some of the understandings that highlighted, actually, in the research. And when it comes to the practice, you know, most Ethiopians see that they have the potential for missions, the desire for missions. You know, like when it comes to evangelism outreach, for instance, like, every month, at least once in a month, every. Like, almost all Ethiopian evangelical churches in the US have evangelism outreach campaign. But then when it comes to really crossing the cultural barrier and giving a platform for those people who would be willing to come to Christ, that's another thing to really talk about, which is, you know, yes, there is a potential. But when it comes to the practice, are you doing it, like, in a way that can host those people who would come to Christ is another question. So there is a kind of potential and practice difference in that way. For instance, even the desire itself, like, if I ask the whole congregation, basically, I would say, you know, about 90% of them would say that, like, yes to missions. But when it comes to practice, it takes a kind of, you know, exposure, willingness to go beyond their own community, be sacrificial in their finances and all that. So when it comes to the practice, and really a kind of formal mobilization, we are a little Bit behind. So I would say potential is not, is not really enough, but they have to go beyond the desire. The other thing that I realized in the study is that like, you know, when I ask how they practice missions, most of them say that like we have missions back in Ethiopia. So it's very much inwardly focused, which is for them, missions is doing something back home. So it's not really beyond their own community. And there's nothing wrong by focusing, you know, on oneself, you know, by focusing on themselves. I mean, it's not wrong, but I think for the sake of the gospel, they have to go beyond their own communities and they have to reach out to all nations. So their missions is basically to Ethiopians here in the States and to Ethiopians back home. So it's very much inwardly focused. The third thing that I see when it comes to like practices is that like it is actually getting from survival to isolation in a sense that like in the beginning, you know, like since most of them were actually refugees, there's a kind of survival mentality. But you know, during the third wave of migration, they grew exponentially and most of the most Ethiopian churches now have their own facilities. So in that case, from survival mentality or from survival context where they are actually sheltering themselves actually under the American churches to isolation, which is now we are self sufficient and we don't have anything to do with the American churches. So in that case there's no collaboration. There's no. That isolation itself is not really helping for the missional endeavor that the Ethiopian communities can have. And you know, at the end, which is the exclusive approach versus the intergenerational approach is also another thing that I have discovered which is the first generation is really exclusively designing the church to work for itself while neglecting the second generation. So in that case they're not only missional for beyond their own communities, but also they're not missional for, you know, to reach out to their own children basically who are living in a different culture. So that is, you know, when it comes to practice and missions, there's a need in terms of like crossing the cultural barrier to reach out to their children as well. So, so basically these are some of the things that I see and I would say still, still I believe that there is a desire, there's a potential for missions, very vibrant, community oriented. There's a lot that can be done, but unfortunately, very much inwardly locked and still the intergenerational dynamics is not really mobilized comprehensively for missions. That is what I find out in my study.
- [47:38]
B
Yes, well, I'm assuming that having heard from all these respondents, perhaps you, not only in writing the book, but maybe in your own speaking and travel, you have the opportunity to kind of hold up this picture that was presented to you as the researcher and hold that up as kind of a mirror and let people look at that and see themselves. Oh, this is how we are, this is how we're thinking, and so on. Again, there's so many directions. If you don't mind. Whenever I read a book like yours, a research book, and whenever I come across a first person quotation, somebody saying what they think in their own words, and the researcher puts that right in the text, I perk up. And if I may, I mean, this is your interview, right? But you wrote, quoting someone, my parents live in America, but their heart is in Ethiopia. The news they hear, their conversation with their friends, the prayer and fasting are all about Ethiopia. Even the dream they have is to go back to Ethiopia eventually. Everything's about Ethiopia. I sometimes wonder, what about us? And now about America. So many things are happening here too. We want them to pay attention to what's happening here. That was a powerful quotation. It sounds like it reflects what you're telling me right now, right? Yeah.
- [49:02]
C
Yes, yes. So basically that's the cry of the second generation, pay attention to us kind of thing. So without context, you know, without realizing that context, it's really hard for them to be missional, basically. So they're not living anymore in Ethiopia, but they are in the States. So how can they pay attention to the context and to their children, basically. So that's the cry of the second generation.
- [49:28]
B
One of the aspects of the book that also caught my attention is you created a multi page list of what I would call contributions of Ethiopian churches, characteristics of Ethiopian churches that can be of great benefit to non Ethiopian churches. I don't recall if I kind of threw a question that way in preparing for this, but you mentioned things like hospitality, spiritual fervency, simplicity, a family model versus a business model, a certain cultural resourcefulness in the churches. As I'm reading this, I'm not Ethiopian, but I'm thinking those sound appealing. I wonder if you want to say a word about that. And maybe to the extent that Ethiopian churches recognize these riches that they have that might be of benefit to the larger society.
- [50:38]
C
Right. So for the most part, like this research, identified actually challenges of Ethiopian churches when it comes to missions. You know, staying in their comfort zone, church splitting, lack of discipleship, you know, missional. You know, with missional Mindset among, you know, across the generational lines, these are the challenge. But when it comes to the, you know, the opportunities, you know, like Ethiopian diaspora churches are very much community oriented, which is very much needed in the US Very individualistic and you know, loneliness is a pandemic in the US basically. So how can we bring that community oriented way of understanding Christ in the body of Christ in America is one of the things that Ethiopian churches can think about. For instance, like I am actually part of the EPC church, I'm pastoring actually one of the EPC churches. We know that like about 4,000 churches are actually closing their doors every year in the US So instead of really saying that like they're in a decline and we are actually thriving and having this community, why don't we go to one of these declining churches and engage in church revitalization and bring a community oriented church in those churches for who we say, who we call it that, like they're kind of dying churches. So I and my wife intentionally went to that church and we are actually engaging in that church revitalization and I'm pastoring actually that church in Denver. So that is one of the examples that Ethiopian churches can do in America if they see themselves as missionaries. The second thing is spiritual fervency. So the prayers and even like, you know, how they believe the faith itself is really something that can, you know, be taken as advantage as opportunity for Ethiopian communities to really serve people beyond their own communities. The simplicity itself, like to be on missions is easy. I mean, you don't have to raise funds, so and so amount and all that. But you, you go by faith, you know, that's how we do it in Africa. So that simplicity itself is very, you know, it's a good opportunity to use that mindset and also the cultural resourcefulness in terms of like, you know, they came all the way through, you know, different countries and there is a kind of cultural resourcefulness comparing to the hosting, you know, to the people in the hosting country. They have much, much to give. So this all opportunities actually shows that like they have much to give than to receive basically. So I would say America is a mission field today. So I want Ethiopian immigrant churches or even other diaspora communities to see the missional aspect of their movement and not to limit God for themselves, not to limit their calling to themselves, but to go beyond their own community. That fervency in spirituality, that community is needed in, in the U.S. that simplicity is needed in the U.S. so I think that's, that's how I. I want to encourage, you know, my fellow Ethiopian diaspora communities and other immigrant churches as well.
- [54:34]
B
Yeah, I hear you and well said. I mean, when, when you read a book like this, which is a dissertation, it's kind of academic and it's supposed to be. But I'm hearing more than just academics here. I appreciate that it's been out, the book has been out for a while. I'm just wondering what kind of feedback you may have received from other scholars or from practitioners. Is there anything on that line you'd like to share with us?
- [55:02]
C
Yeah, I had an opportunity to, you know, have some, you know, book launching events and also speaking in different conferences as well. So I believe that like the book is well received. So. And also it's a kind of timely kind of book and it talks about like, you know, the challenge of Ethiopian diaspora churches, but also like there's much to learn from that. Like other immigrant churches also are actually taking a kind of their lesson from that as well. And even like American churches to understand who we are is something that they benefit from that. So I'm getting like, you know, good responses from people who read it. So far so good. But I think I still need to get the word out for people to know more about diaspora missions, specifically from the case of Ethiopian diaspora churches that I wrote.
- [56:12]
B
Very good. I'm sitting here feeling grateful to you for giving of your time and investment in talking with us about your book as we wrap up. One of the things I always ask, in fact, other hosts on New Books Network asked this question as well. Are you working on another book or what's coming next for you?
- [56:37]
C
So I am planning to write another book, but I'm sure it's not coming very soon. But until then I think I'm more engaged in a kind of speaking and also writing some articles in different places. So I'm engaged more in the speaking and writing some articles and contributing some chapters for some books. So that's really where my focus is right now with the coaching ministry that I have, which is, you know, coaching immigrant churches, immigrant families to really effectively navigate their intergenerational dynamics and you know, to see themselves as missionaries in the US and beyond. And I'm also engaged in church revitalization process with APC and that is taking, you know, much of my time as I'm actually setting a model or as I'm actually really giving a kind of example how we can be a blessing to this nation as immigrants. So these are some of the things that really occupies my time for the coming, you know, years, so sure, sure.
- [58:06]
B
Understand that. And we wish you well in that. Well, Mehari, I really want to say thank you to you for being on the podcast today and talking about your book and your heart that comes through your book. So thank you so much for being with us.
- [58:20]
C
Thank you for the opportunity. Again, Dave, thank you so much.