Mission and Diaspora

The Southeast Regional meeting of the Evangelical Missiological Society will meet at Columbia International University March 28-29. This year's topic will be on the theme of "Diaspora Missiology." If you are a member of EMS and would like to propose a paper, send a topic and 200-300 word abstract to Ed Smither (edsmither71@gmail.com) by January 30, 2014. Off topic papers will also be considered. You may join EMS or renew your membership HERE. 

The complete call for papers reads:

It is widely evident that globalization, economic and security needs and other dynamics have driven increased internal migration in some countries and international migration among of others. Increasingly, mission agencies, individual gospel workers and churches in receiving countries wonder how best to respond to these diasporas where significant numbers of a nation or people, move from their homelands to areas of greater opportunity or security. Diaspora Missiology seeks to integrate biblical and theological insights with those of the social sciences to help understand and respond to this phenomenon.

You may choose a topic from the list below to make your contributions by seeking to:

1.     Develop biblical and theological dimensions (“why”) of diaspora missiology;

2.     Illustrate the “how” of  “missions to, through, by/beyond the diaspora” historically and practically OR conduct a case study;

3.     Apply missionary methods to diaspora missions and missiological research to diaspora missiology;

4.     Strategize diaspora missions in terms of urban mission, contextualization, globalization, partnership;

5.     Propose ways and means to integrate diaspora missiology with church planting, pastoral ministry, theological education, and Christian counseling;

6.     Offer new direction for the practice of diaspora missions OR suggestion for future research in diaspora missiology;

7.     Review relevant literature of diaspora missiology (OR related disciplines) and derive missiological implications;

8.     Appraise current theory, methodology and practice of diaspora missiology and provide correctives/solutions.