My affiliation with immigrant churches has been a defining aspect of my life, spanning different stages and countries. From my upbringing in Oman, attending Diaspora Indian immigrant churches, to raising a family in Indian immigrant churches upon moving to the United States, these communities have been an integral part of my journey. The profound camaraderie and belonging they offered filled the void left by departing from our family of origin.
While my family eventually transitioned to a more multiethnic church, the connections and relationships forged in the immigrant church continue to endure. Some days, I find myself lamenting the mistakes made in immigrant churches, and other times, I long for the community and easy relationships one can build there.
With all the cultural shifts, divisions, and challenges the American church faces, we can look towards the immigrant church and learn from them. Like all churches, they are not perfect, but I believe there is much that White-majority and multiethnic churches can learn from them, especially about community and discipleship.
To be clear, my experience comes from the Indian immigrant church, comprised of first-generation immigrants in the United States. I do not have experience with churches from other ethnic backgrounds (Korean, Chinese, or Hispanic), and their experiences may be unique from mine.
1. The Sunday experience is a space for organic community
In the Indian immigrant church, we came for service on a Sunday morning and spent the entire day together. After the service, everybody lingered to have coffee and talk. We then had Sunday school and Bible study classes, which ended around noon, followed by lunch together.
In the early years, when money was tight, we gathered for potluck-style meals in someone’s home. As everyone settled into good jobs, we would go to an Indian restaurant with a buffet lunch. Everybody would sit together and have a meal, and then we would chat in the parking lot some more and inevitably end up in someone’s home for Chai. Around 5 p.m., everyone would gather the children and return home to prepare for Monday.
This kind of community was never orchestrated or put on the calendar. It just happened because people lingered after service. No one had an agenda for their Sunday: no football games to watch or children’s sports. We intentionally lived this way, creating space for an organic, natural community. The children played, and the adults visited. It was a simple life with no expectations.
We talked because everybody needed community. We were all new to this country and didn’t have our families. We didn’t have built-in friends, but we had time. We wanted to get to know each other and were willing to create the space for this inconvenient community.
We were also ready to be stubbornly committed and were prepared to be let down. Sometimes, there were disagreements, and sometimes, we did not get along, but we expected that. We did not let those things define us. And we never allowed our children’s friendships to dictate adult relationships. That was a no-no!
In the American community, we often struggle when we meet difficult people. Parents have difficulty building friendships if their children don’t get along. Everyone wants people of similar life stages, similar backgrounds, and children who get along swimmingly. But that is not real life! We have to be willing to get uncomfortable.
I suppose one could argue that the purpose of the Sunday worship experience is apparent in an American church—you hear the word of God and go home. But when you have such a limited vision, you don’t have a method of increasing the connectedness of people in the church. Everybody just does their own thing and leaves.
What if we stayed at the end of service just to help someone connect? It doesn’t necessarily have to be through a connections card and speaking with an elder, deacon, or pastor. We could be the person who speaks to the new family. We could be the reason they come back the following Sunday.
Having a new members class is very good, but creating space for the organic growth of the community is essential in churches, and we need to learn to let go of our expectations and structures a little—like the immigrant church.
2. The immigrant church teaches us to live as foreigners-in-exile
Although I have lived in the United States for nearly two decades, I still view myself as a foreigner. Most people in the immigrant church feel similarly. We might have become citizens over the years and gained the right to vote, but we still feel like we live in a country that is not wholly ours.
This mindset of being in exile or foreigners sojourning through this land to reach what God has promised us gives a nuanced way of looking at America, learning the politics of this nation, and praying for the country. Because we don’t see ourselves as entirely belonging anywhere, we genuinely believe in being good citizens, fighting for justice and liberty.
In the same way, the immigrant church often views itself as in exile. We are not the mainline denomination, and we are on the periphery. Therefore, we know how to live as pilgrims, holding loosely onto what the country and culture promise us but holding tightly onto God’s promises and faithfulness towards us. We have already left so much behind to come to live here. We have made sacrifices and hard choices, so choosing not to be swayed by culture or people often is easier.
Within the immigrant church, there is a process of refining and radical dependence on God. We live in the “in-between” all the time. As with other congregations, we also risk becoming complacent, but being in a community in the immigrant church is a constant reminder that going along with the culture can be a dangerous mindset.
3. The importance of volunteer leadership
Many Indian immigrant churches rely almost wholly on volunteers to operate. Senior and associate pastors are often the only paid positions.
This gives an immense opportunity for the church to build, raise, and invest in leaders. Lay members are given opportunities to head committees, lead praise music, run programs, and teach the Bible. This allows men and women to step out boldly, be mentored by older congregants, and refine their skills.
As a young wife and mother, I was given multiple opportunities to lead and teach at church. Interestingly, those opportunities dwindled as I gained a seminary education and moved away from the immigrant church.
That’s because most American churches depend on paid staff for every department, especially heads of departments. While it is good to have a few leaders, you can often lose the perspective between mission and business by staffing every department.
I believe mainline denominations and mega-churches in America can learn to lean on their congregants from immigrant churches. We have many members who love the Lord well and have the skills and the desire to teach and lead. We can lift the lay and empower them by allowing them to exercise their spiritual gifts. This also allows the church members to engage and creates an environment of belonging and community.
I will not say having a volunteer-run church is easy. The tech team will make mistakes, the music might not be the most professional, and you might not always have good coffee. But when a church is volunteer-run, people can step up, giving lay members greater responsibility. There is a sense of being part of a community accountable to your heavenly Father.
Learning From One Another
I am grateful for the many years spent in the immigrant church, the lessons learned, and the people who have prayed, mentored, and invested in me.
I am also grateful for the multi-ethnic church teaching me to be a culturally flexible and adaptable leader. I want to be a bridge builder across cultures, and the American multiethnic church allows me the space to be that type of leader.
So, if you attend an immigrant church today, continue to love and invest in her patiently. The immigrant church gives us a faith legacy, and we need that.
If the immigrant church has hurt you, and I know many have, know that you are seen and loved. We can keep the good and the painful times in perspective, celebrating and mourning the other. We might need to find a way to forgive the church, which may take time.
If you are part of an American or multiethnic church, I encourage you to attend an immigrant church. You might not understand the language or culture, but their hospitality and love will significantly bless you, and they will inspire you with their resilience and radical dependence on God.