expat – a person taking up residency in another country.  

Being with other expats brings much joy.  This joy gives a sense of normalcy, community, security, and familiarity. But in the midst of the host nation culture  it can become an obstacle to ministry. It may remove you from opportunities to learn and interact with local people. This as you well know, is the reason you have come.

The more expats you get to know, the more invitations you will receive to special occasions.  Their birthdays, anniversaries, and holiday celebrations start eating away at your non-work time.  One day you realize (I hope) that almost all your free time is now spent away from local people.

Spending time with people from cultures similar to your own easily becomes your safe haven. It lets you escape the realities  and challenges of being with local people.  It takes you away from people of your host nation and coworkers from other nations.  But these are the very people who do not have access to the Gospel in their homelands.

The International Church

The ultimate expat trap is being too involved in the international church. This is the same church that in almost all closed countries forbid their own people from attending. Your isolation from local people is complete whenever you are in an international church. 

Let me hasten to add that going to church is vital for your own spiritual welfare and not attending (especially if the authorities know you are a Christian) would bring some level of suspicion. Becoming so involved in the church that you have little or no time left for developing relationships with locals is a tragedy and a huge loss for the Kingdom. 

Here is one story I have heard more than once 

A young man spent years preparing to be a tentmaker in a specific, very closed country. He prayed passionately and regularly at home and even started a prayer group for the people of this country. Through his passion the church even adopted this people group. He could not talk about this people group without tears welling up.

Then he finally left and on the first Sunday in his new country, he attended the international church. The email from him on Monday said: “You know, I have always had a dream of being a worship leader and I can’t believe that the expat church offered me a full-time position as worship leader! This must be the reason God brought me here! I am so excited.”

Do you think God gave him such a passion and love for this people group and then instead led this western man to be a worship leader in a church that already had many African believers leading culturally familiar worship?

By Ari Rocklin