Reverse Mission: African Christians in Cambridge London and Lagos

This thesis presents a new approach to reverse mission, providing a qualitative portrayal of church members and local church leaders in two Nigerian-origin Pentecostal denominations, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM). The area of interest in reverse mission lies beyond engaging with the methodologically-flawed concept of a defeat of secularisation occasioned by non-white migrant Christians converting white non-migrant non-Christians. Instead, this study explores how mainly-Nigerian church members articulate and act upon their divinely-commissioned purpose in their country of residence, the UK. The observations emerge from ethnographic fieldwork conducted between the two churches (RCCG and MFM) in suburban London, in each of the churches’ prayer camps outside of Lagos and in Cambridge between March 2015 and November 2016. Having established this study’s approach, the thesis then situates both churches within their historical context, in both Nigeria and the UK. This demonstrates the heterogeneity of Nigerian Pentecostal denominations, and therefore shows Nigerian-origin Pentecostal denominations’ particular experiences must be carefully distinguished from one another. The main body of the thesis explores what I have dubbed the four pillars of reverse mission: evangelism, money, prayer and children. For these church members evangelism is a contextual, grounded practice, undertaken by volunteers to demonstrate their own piety. The use of money establishes the new ethical demands made upon Christians in the diaspora, as providers to both financially vulnerable local churches and transnational, spiritual kin. Prayers made by church members suggest Nigerian Pentecostals consider themselves to occupy a special role as guardians against perceived spiritual and material threats to the church and the country; they view themselves as Christian watchmen announcing the impending arrival of terror attacks in Britain or an Islamic subjugation of Europe. Children are vanguards of these churches, which eagerly desire to encourage their youth to be formed as model Christian Britons capable of achieving both academic and economic success in the UK. This study concludes by considering how these observations inform the scope and method of the field of reverse mission, urging further comparative, ethnographic work.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Cambridge

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Klair, James Alexander

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Cabrita, Joel Marie

• Mission
• Pentecostalism
• Ethnography
• Nigeria
• London
• Theology

Licence

• https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/86280cd5-6431-420c-a734-53cd5e871eb6/download
• https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier.doi

https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.50866

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/303786