(Training Next Gen Culturally Diverse Leaders Part 7)*

by Darren Cronshaw

 

Many immigrants who have come to Australia have amazing stories of courage and perseverance from their country of origin. The need for courage and tenacity continues as their families face challenges of settling in Australia including learning language, gaining education and employment, and coming to terms with a new cultural setting. The best way to learn about these challenges, and how our churches can support immigrants, is through coming alongside and talking with them. But I have also been learning form some of the existing research into the experience of migrants, migrant families and churches. As BUV explores how best to resource and train Next Generation leaders from our Languages other than English (LOTE) churches, it is important to understand the social and other challenges that migrants newly arrived in Australia face.   

For example, Mary Noseda investigated the Catholic Church’s relationship with Vietnamese Migrant women and how churches help migrants with resources as they arrive, and with stability and belonging as they settle. (2003: 10-13) She notes belonging involves some embracing and some letting go of their home and new cultures. Vietnamese migrants have maintained the central importance of family values and respect for parents and the elderly. Women usually maintain traditional roles of homemaker/mother but also become the main liaison with welfare and schools and extend into employed work, while Vietnamese men often take lesser jobs. She also notes other studies which underline that migrant priorities are English language mastery and employment – the basis of other goals including home ownership, children’s education and family reunion. There is overlap in what Noseda found among Vietnamese migrants and their challenges around English, employment and negotiating work roles and other migrant groups. Yet it is important for us to continue to talk with LOTE Baptist communities directly and understand what challenges they face with settlement and how BUV can help.

The most recent Christian Research Association (CRA) research relevant to LOTE Next Generation training explored how churches help or hinder migrant and refugee families as they settle. (Hughes 2015) Immigrants often find a sense of community in a faith community with whom they share language and values. Their children want to find a place in Australian society and necessarily navigate the cultural differences and family expectations. Other research has addressed the “tug-of-war” that second generation immigrants feel between their background culture that sometimes ignores their Western influences or education, and Western society that does not always recognise their cultural uniqueness (e.g., Tiatia 1998). But there has been minimal research on the faith of second generation Australians and how churches help or hinder. CRA interviewed small groups of youth, parents and leaders from a Sudanese and Chinese church about differences in culture and worship patterns.

The Sudanese church, mainly refugees, had struggled with English. They held a strong sense of community and interdependence. They appreciated church supporting them like a big family, and offering lots of youth activities – sport, music, socials and youth group. The Sudanese expressed a strong sense of faith and gratitude, despite famine and war they had experienced. They said they were not as distracted by material things causing them to forget God like Australian neighbours. The community was feeling the tension of different forms of discipline for children in Australia, and navigating age and gender-related roles. Sudanese girls felt pressure to look after younger siblings and do more housework, and there was some questioning of their dowry system. A strong respect for older people meant children were expected not to question parents, and younger leaders in church were expected not to publically disagree with elders. The church has leaders with an Anglo background and has morning services in English, which helps the youth negotiate Australian culture. Parents and students said they would especially appreciate help with English language and extra tutorial support for their young people to get to University. (Hughes 2015: 2-6)

The Chinese (Cantonese) Church interviewees also noted a greater respect for older people and parents, and more reserve with feelings and opinions than other Australians. They said that people in China and Australia both tend not to take religious faith very seriously and are more concerned with family life and making money. Most children of the first wave of immigrants worship in a neighbouring English church or nowhere. The Chinese church was doing more than the Sudanese church to preserve Chinese language and culture, but this may be isolating for some youth. They feel the tensions of cultural and generational differences. (Hughes 2015: 6-8)

Hughes concluded that most denominations are multicultural and need to understand cultural differences and sensitivities around values and roles. CRA is eager to extend this project among other churches. (Hughes 2015: 6-8) A similar study among BUV Chin and Karen churches could be valuable to help us understand how they are navigating life and faith in Australia, but also investigating how they understand and practice mission. BUV needs to help resource all our churches in helping immigrant families settle in Australia and maintain their faith.

Part of the challenge is that young people have arrived from Burma or via refugee camps where they had lots of free time and have missed school years. Rev Kung compassionately explains they can fall into a vicious cycle of purposelessness fuelled by stress, depression, local of education and English, unemployment, distrust of police, alcohol and drug abuse, shame and isolation, and gambling. (2016) Karen and Chin churches support people through all sorts of social care issues and it would be valuable for BUV to explore how best they might help. 

 Of 5,607 Burma-born people in Victoria in 2011, 31% are aged 0-25 and another 22.7% are 26-34. They are very young churches with a high proportion of teenagers and young adults. 63.4% are a couple family with children (compared to 47.1% in the broader population). Youth and family ministries are critical. Many parents and church elders want to maintain their cultural identity, but do not want to isolate themselves or their children as they learn English and adapt to local careers, gender roles and parenting styles. The young people themselves are usually eager to adapt, and sometimes struggle to decide to what extent they can honour or whether they need to leave their culture behind. 

It has been a privilege beginning to learn from the life and mission of Karen and Chin Baptist churches in Australia, recognising the new opportunities and challenges for multicultural ministry that 8,500 Baptists from Burma have brought to Australian Baptists over two decades.  ADDIN EN.CITE
Cronshaw20159419(Cronshaw
et al. 2015)941994195Darren
CronshawStacey
WilsonMeewon Yangalso
with Ner DahSi
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CronshawRosemary DewerseWe are Pilgrims: Mission from, in
and with the Margins of our Diverse World263-2782015MelbourneUNOH(Cronshaw et al. 2015) They have tremendous strengths but also particular challenges, including English and employment help in general, and specifically the need for leadership training and hosting networks.

 Bibliography

• Cronshaw, Darren, Stacey Wilson, Meewon Yang, also with Ner Dah, Si Khia, Arohn Kuung and Japheth Lian (2015). God Called Us Here for a Reason” … Karen and Chin Baptist Churches in Victoria: Mission from the Margins of a Diaspora Community. We Are Pilgrims: Mission from, in and with the Margins of Our Diverse World. Edited by Darren Cronshaw and Rosemary Dewerse. Melbourne, UNOH: 263-278.
• Hughes, Philip (2015). “Migrant Families and Churches.” Pointers 25(3, September): 1-8.
• Kung, Arohn (2016). Interview. Chin Baptist Church Pastor. Kings Park, 14 March.
• Noseda, Mary (2003). “The Relationship of the Catholic Church to Vietnamese Migrant Women in Australia.” Christian Research Association Bulletin 13(3): 10-13.
• Tiatia, Jemaima (1998). Caught between Cultures: A New Zeland Born Pacific Island Perspective. Auckland, NZ, Christian Research Association.

 

This article is part 7 of a 9 part series, drawing on a paper “Transforming Training for Next Gen Karen and Chin Leaders” to be presented at the Children, Youth and Mission Study Group at the Assembly of the International Association for Mission Studies, August 11–17, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea, and a longer version BUV background paper “Training Next Generation Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Baptist Leaders for Mission” to be published in Philip Hughes (ed). Changing Faith in the Australian Culture (Melbourne: CRA, forthcoming 2016). The research is part of a 2016 Collier Charitable Fund supported BUV project “Training Next Generation Multicultural Baptist Leaders”. As author, Darren appreciates conversations with LOTE Church leaders and BUV staff, and welcomes feedback to darren.cronshaw@buv.com.au 

 

Source: BUV News