In the decades following the Second World War, especially since the 1970s, Christianity has exploded in many countries around the world. Today, in the third decade of the twenty-first century, both Africa and Latin America have higher numbers of Christians than Europe. In Africa, countries and people-groups that barely had any Christians just two or three generations ago now boast many—millions—who follow Christ and attend church every Sunday, many of them with a highly active faith life, reading their Bibles, holding prayer vigils, and seizing every opportunity every day of the week to worship and evangelise others. This explosion has caused the entire Christian faith to undergo a seismic demographic shift. One and a quarter centuries ago, in 1900, eight in every ten Christians in the world were white and lived in Europe and North America (with a few in Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand). Today, only thirty percent of Christians around the world are white and live in the West. English is spoken by only ten per cent of Christians while Spanish accounts for at least sixteen percent of world Christians. Above all, Christ is now worshipped in every major language in the world.
One of the most significant changes following this shift in the distribution of Christians in the world has been that, for the first time in many centuries, Christianity has become the religion of choice of millions upon millions of poor and economically disadvantaged people.
“Christianity has become the religion of choice of millions upon millions of poor and economically disadvantaged people”
As it has expanded beyond the West in the past 100 years, Christianity has been embraced by the poor majority around the world. In Africa, for example, a typical Christian lives in a rural village, far away from the urban cities, on just one pound or two a day. With basic primary or, in exceptional cases, secondary school level of formal education, they live in a house without electricity or running water and grow most of their own food. Following Christ in these circumstances, Christians have had to make theological sense of the fact that the good news of the lordship of Jesus ought to speak to people in their context of need and poverty. Of course, good discipleship often lifts some people out of poverty, but for many, it is simply a shift from one level of poverty to another. As we see in the gospels, it is to poor people like these that Jesus ministered back in the first century CE. The Galileans, among whom Jesus grew up and ministered, were poor rural farmers and fishermen. His twelve disciples were primarily fishermen, and without making them rich, Jesus sent them to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew. 28:18).
How migrant Christians may help
In a research report published in August 2024, the Pew Trust suggested that at least forty-seven per cent of all international migrants in the world are Christians. Many of these Christians who find their way to the UK from Africa, Asia, and Latin America will have some experience working in contexts of poverty. They will have an understanding of poverty that is difficult for many UK people to imagine. Many will have served Christ among people trapped in multi-generational cycles of poverty with no end in sight. Some of them—and this, in my estimation, is the majority—will have lived in poverty for some time. I know this well because, of course, where I grew up, which looks like where many of these Christian migrants came from, you only need to have a radio or a bicycle to be considered wealthy. Even after they have reached the UK, many of them continue to live in contexts of relative poverty.
“Followers of Christ who have come from less affluent societies have a key role in helping Western Christians reimagine their call to attend to those in need among them”
These followers of Christ who have come from less affluent societies in other continents have a key role in helping Western Christians reimagine their call to attend to those in need among them. In Europe and North America, where Christianity is a religion of the somewhat wealthy and educated (or those aspiring to be)—many have written about the suburban/middle class captivity of the Western church—having Christians who have experienced the dynamics of preaching Christ and discipling people at the economic margins of society is a great gift. Many of them will not only have relatable stories that help them connect and identify with the experiences of the poor in Britain. They will also have the capacity to better empathise with those around them who are in need. Above all, many will have well-grounded theological tools to help us understand our common humanity—that we all rise or fall together—and that following Christ means that we will often have to share the little God gives to us with the less fortunate among us. “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (Jam. 2:14-17). Many UK Christians need help understanding this and, gratefully, God has given that help through the many migrant Christians who live in our cities.
To make practical sense of this, I would argue that one of the ways migrant Christians help in this work is by showing UK Christians that when working with the poor, there is no “us” and “them.” Getting rid of the chasm between the rich and the poor in the way we do church is one of the first steps to sharing the gospel in economically distressed parts of our cities. We cannot serve the poor from a distance — doing charity work does not really get to the root of things. To effectively show the goodness of God among the poor, we have to be one with them. This, I am confident, is something that many migrant Christians will do well.
“Getting rid of the chasm between the rich and the poor in the way we do church is one of the first steps to sharing the gospel in economically distressed parts of our cities”
For example, I am connected with an African church here in Liverpool that is adamant that it exists for the poor in its community. Its approach has been twofold. First, as part of every Sunday gathering, members are encouraged to generously bring non-perishable foodstuffs to church to make available in their community food bank. In addition, the congregation provides a hot meal for unhoused people in the area three times a week. The fact that the congregation’s leaders are required to help serve at these meals makes them stay connected with others in their neighbourhood.
Second, and possibly because of this close proximity to the poor in its community, the congregation is committed to advocacy on behalf of those who, for various reasons, cannot raise their own voices. When I spoke with their pastor, she had four words for me: “No faith without advocacy.” As a result of this, they not only help the poor in their community, but they also seek to dismantle unjust powers and institutions that keep people impoverished. They speak truth to powerful structures to ensure the poor in their community have a chance at the abundant life God has made possible for all humanity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I suggest that the beautiful presence of migrant Christians in the UK presents a significant opportunity for us to rediscover our call not only to walk in solidarity with those among us living with poverty but also to seek to create a world in which all humans have enough. With a lived experience of poverty and a deep faith in a just God, these brothers and sisters bring invaluable insights and compassion that can help us to bridge the divide between wealthy Christians and those in poverty. This, I believe, is a gift God has given to the UK Church. The important question is, will UK Christians allow Christians from around the world to guide them towards a more authentic expression of the faith—embodying Christ’s message of solidarity, love and freedom for those in poverty? If, indeed, following Christ, caring for the poor, and advocacy for the needy go hand in hand, how best can our congregations embody them in their communities? What three small steps can we take this week to stand in solidarity with and serve the poor among us?