





































Ecclesial Futures
2024 – Volume 5 – Issue 2

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A R T I C L E

A Missiological Approach to Migration 
and Mission in the Apostolic Faith Mission 
International Ministry in the United 
Kingdom: a Pneumatological Missional 
Imagination

Mookgo Solomon Kgatle

Abstract
The intersections of migration and mission have been studied in past, but little has 
been developed regarding theoretical frameworks for approaching the subject from the 
discipline of missiology. This calls for the development of a framework that will assist in 
the missiological approach to migration and mission. The current study reflects on the 
current missiological approaches to migration and mission to identify the existing gaps 
such as relevance to Pentecostalism. To fill the gaps, this article brings together three 
theories of pneumatological imagination, missiological spirit and missional imagina-
tion to develop a pneumatological missional imagination. The findings are that a pneu-
matological missional imagination is relevant for dealing with some of the challenges 
in migration and mission in Pentecostalism such as an inability to minister relevantly to 
the host countries, cultural differences, and orientation to the mission of God. These 
challenges are outlined by using the Apostolic Faith Mission Ministry International in 
the United Kingdom (AFMIMUK) as a case study. The pneumatological missional imagi-
nation is relevant for witnessing to others, speaking foreign languages, and orientation 
to the mission of God.

Keywords: Missiology, Migration, Mission, Pentecostalism, Pneumatological imagination, 
Missional imagination, Missiological spirit, Apostolic Faith Mission International Ministry 
in the United Kingdom (AFMIMUK)

DOI: 10.54195/ef19723



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1 Introduction
Mission refers to the assignment given to an individual or communities. However, 
the theology of mission is the commitment and dedication of individuals and faith 
communities to understand God’s mission and God’s intentions for the world (Kirk 
1997). Migration is an important aspect of mission in the understanding of the inten-
tions of God for people living in the diaspora. The intersection of migration and 
mission is one of the important subjects in the study of missions and world Chris-
tianity in the disciplines of missiology, history, anthropology, sociology, develop-
ment studies and international relations. This relationship is important as believers 
around the world move from one country to another due to socio-economic chal-
lenges, political instability and wars. These have caused many Africans to move to 
the global North in search of a better life. These Africans carry their religious or 
Christian beliefs along with them when arriving in the host country, thus making the 
intersection of migration and mission very strong. But most recently, the conflicts 
between Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Palestine, have also made some find 
a  home in Africa. These are the dynamics of the intersections of migration and 
mission. The relationship between migration and mission is what has made the 
Christian mission transcend the  locality where Christianity became the world reli-
gion, hence the concept of world Christianity. Robert (2009: 9) points out that “Chris-
tianity thrives at the intersection of global or universal and the local or personal”. 
This intersection of global and local contexts in Christian mission is conceptualized 
as the intersection of migration and mission with implications for the intersection of 
Pentecost and mission (Boer 1961). This refers to the study of the Christian mission 
moving from one local area to the other including in the global context as argued by 
Robert (2009). Furthermore, the study of migration and mission is important as we 
explore the spread of the gospel in a religiously pluralist and culturally diverse world. 
In other words, what are the relevant missiological approaches to studying the inter-
sections of migration and mission in this diverse world? What are the relevant missi-
ological approaches in the exploration of the challenges of this relationship between 
migration and mission? These are some of the research questions that this article 
seeks to answer by developing a theoretical framework for studying the same.

Pentecostalism is one such Christian tradition where the intersections of migra-
tion and mission can be studied. Given the growth of the Pentecostal movement 
in world Christianity, the intersection of migration and mission becomes an impor-
tant area of study as we seek to explore the rationale behind the expansion of the 
movement. Wariboko and Oliverio (2020: 328) relied on the World Christian Encyclo-
pedia for the current statistics on the population of Pentecostals in the world which 
currently counts 644 million Pentecostals/Charismatics worldwide, including all the 
members of Pentecostalism’s 19,300 denominations and fellowships as well as all 



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charismatic Christians whose primary affiliation is with other churches. This is 8.3 
percent of the world population so one in twelve persons today is a Pentecostal or 
charismatic Christian. Looking at the current global distribution of Pentecostal/char-
ismatic Christians, the Encyclopedia counts 230 million in Africa, 195 million in Latin 
America, 125 million in Asia, 68 million in North America, 21 million in Europe, and 
4.5 million in Australia and Oceania.

The phenomenal growth of the Pentecostal movement is worth exploring in the 
study of missions and world Christianity. In addition, this study is worth exploring 
considering the factor of migration in the growth of Pentecostalism. In other words, 
Pentecostalism as a movement that has spread beyond the local context to the global 
context in what is known as global Pentecostalism is an important tradition for the 
exploration of the intersections of migration and mission.

While we recognize the importance of the study of the relationship between migra-
tion and mission in Christian mission in general and the Pentecostal movement in 
particular, there is also a need to develop theoretical frameworks to address the 
subject missiologically. I developed what I have framed as the pneumatological 
missional imagination using the theories of pneumatological imagination, missiolog-
ical spirit and missional imagination. I argue that this approach is relevant in studying 
the various challenges that are faced by the migrant churches such as witnessing rele-
vantly to the host country, cultural differences, and orientation to the mission of God. 
These are not peculiar to the Apostolic Faith Mission Ministry International in the 
United Kingdom but also other African Pentecostal migrant churches. I have divided 
this article into five main sections. First, I will look at the previous studies on the inter-
sections of migration and mission to identify the gaps in the missiological approaches 
of the same. The second section is dedicated to the development of the pneumatolog-
ical missional imagination. In the third section, I introduce the Apostolic Faith Mission 
Ministry International in the United Kingdom as a case study. In addition, I identify the 
current challenges faced by migrant churches in many parts of the world. In the last 
section, I demonstrate how the pneumatological missional imagination is relevant for 
studying different challenges at the intersections of migration and mission.

2 Research Methodology
A literature review in qualitative research on the intersection of migration and 
mission is the approach for the study. The study looked at the literature, particu-
larly concerning the missiological approaches or the theoretical frameworks thereof. 
In the identified theories of pneumatological imagination and missiological spirit, I 
relied much on the works of Yong (2012, 2015, 2019, 2020). The theoretical frameworks 



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for migration and mission activity culminated in the theological approach. Therefore, 
a pneumatological missional imagination becomes the theological approach for a 
missional imagination in a Pentecostal context. However, in the theoretical frame-
work of missional imagination other works such as Roxburgh and Boren (2009), Beard 
(2015), and Smith and Niemandt (2022) helped summarize the aspect of the theory. 
The works of Bevans (2013), Fredericks and Nagy (2016), and Haug (2018) helped 
explore the previous missiological approaches to the intersections of migration and 
mission. When identifying the challenges that are faced by migrant churches, I specif-
ically looked at an African Pentecostal church, the Apostolic Faith Mission Ministry 
International in the United Kingdom (AFMIMUK) using the participation observation 
method where the researcher attended the services in some of the assemblies in the 
AFMIMUK. The examples coming from AFMIMUK were important so the challenges 
of migration and mission are not discussed generally. Therefore the current study 
does not remain superficial but is enriched by concrete examples coming from the 
AFMIMUK. Therefore, a case study method was used for the choice of the AFMIMUK. 
A case study drew on the literature of migrant churches and theoretical missional 
frameworks for a Pentecostal context. However, no interviews were included in the 
study but only reflections from the author’s observations. The work of Sande (2019a, 
2019b) was helpful in the historical developments of the AFMIMUK in the United 
Kingdom and its link with the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFMZ). Data was 
analysed by using thematic analysis as I explored important themes in the intersec-
tions of migration and mission.

3 Missiological Approaches to Migration and Mission
This current study looks at the previous missiological approaches on migration 
and mission to identify the research gap. One scholar who looked at the different 
approaches to studying the intersections of migration and mission is Storstein Haug 
(2018), who highlights four main missiological approaches that have been used in the 
intersection of migration and mission: historical, empirical, descriptive-analytical, and 
theological studies. The historical perspective looks at how the theme of migration 
and mission has developed over the years in missions and world Christianity. Haug 
(2018: 282) says that the historical approach is also helpful in studying the contempo-
rary developments within the same subject of migration and mission. Therefore, the 
historical reflection does not only involve the past but also the present in the inter-
sections of migration and mission in missions and world Christianity. The historical 
approach can navigate the changes that happened in countries that were previously 
recipients of the gospel and have lately become the givers of the gospels in what 
others describe as a  reverse mission. Bevans (2013: 158) explains: “The migration 
of peoples within the Global South but perhaps especially from the South to the 



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Global North is ushering in a new missionary era, both in terms of pastoral practice 
and theological insights.” These historical shifts are worth exploring in the context 
of migration and mission. Furthermore, the historical approach helps investigate 
how the relationship between migration and mission works in different contexts. In 
using this approach for example we can investigate how migration and mission have 
evolved in different contexts historically. However, the same historical developments 
would require proper reflection as migration and mission in the Pentecostal move-
ment are informed by the role of the Holy Spirit in these developments. Therefore, 
the historical inquisitions in migration and mission need to be balanced for example 
with how the Holy Spirit has been involved in migration and mission over the years.

Storstein Haug argues that more empirical research is needed to “document and 
critically examine the whole range of mission practices of churches, organizations, 
and individuals among migrants” (2018: 288). Dorottya Nagy and Martha Frederiks 
add that this involves how the relationship between migration and mission affects 
people at a personal level but also at a communal level (Nagy and Frederiks 2016). 
This can be done as Nagy does (2016: 38) by bringing the idea of human experi-
ences in the intersections of migration and mission. However, in Pentecostalism, the 
human experience is informed by the experiences and encounters with the Holy 
Spirit. Therefore, in doing empirical research on the intersections of migration and 
mission there is a need to involve the work of the Spirit in such study. The human 
experiences do not only relate to the human encounters with other human beings 
in the context of migration but also the encounters with the divine through the Holy 
Spirit and how such encounters affect the intersections of migration and mission.

In the descriptive and analytical approach, Storstein Haug (2018: 290) points out that 
“Missiology has been concerned with describing and discussing how Christian faith 
takes form in different cultures and contexts and elucidating the relation between 
gospel and context”. In other words, it is within this approach that missiologists 
can investigate how the intersections of migration and mission have been affecting 
individuals in communities. This approach is important for example in looking at 
the challenges of globalization, transnationalism and migration in the intersections 
of migration and mission in world Christianity. Frederiks (2016: 24) points out for 
example that theologians and missiologists are faced with the task of contextualizing 
the gospel amid globalization, transnationalism and migration. Fredericks continues:

This “task” comprises the development of a conceptual and methodological toolbox 
that enables meaningful reflection on the contextualization processes of the Chris-
tian faith, amidst the complex realities that globalization and migration produce, thus 
attempting to keep the Christian tradition relevant and germane.



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This points to the approach of descriptive and analytical approach that a missiolog-
ical approach cannot just be about descriptions and analysis of the status quo on 
migration and mission. However, there is a need to also investigate the current chal-
lenges posed by globalisation, transnationalism, and migration as posed by Fred-
eriks. The main question is how can this be done in response to Frederik’s suggestion 
almost a decade ago (2016). In this current study, I try to come up with an approach 
that can respond to current challenges posed by the intersections of migration and 
mission. Even here the role of the Holy Spirit is pivotal in navigating the challenges of 
globalization, transnationalism and migration. Therefore, there is a link between the 
intersections of migration and mission and the role of the Holy Spirit in migration.

The theological approach refers to the theological dispositions on the intersections 
of migration and mission. In other words, it is within theologizing of migration and 
mission where theological reflections can be made on migration and mission. Stor-
stein Haug (2018: 286) points out that “Some examples of these migration theolo-
gies include immigration theologies that use biblical and other theological resources 
to criticize ways of thinking and acting that violate human rights”. In other words, 
it is in the theological reflection where the Bible particularly the migration biblical 
texts becomes useful in studying the intersections of migration and mission. Nagy 
(2016: 42) states that  if “migration is identified as an additional locus theologicus, 
it needs to be brought in relationship with other loci of the theological assessment 
through the scriptural reading of a more complex ‘reality’.” Theologizing migration 
and mission is also helpful in demonstrating that God is the God of the migrants 
from Genesis to Revelation. Storstein Haug (2018: 287) continues to say that proper 
biblical reflections on migration can lead to a deeper understanding of what God 
has been involved in throughout history in using migration for the propagation of 
the gospel. The research gap that this current study wants to fill is the approach to 
migration and mission particularly concerning Pentecostalism or its theology of the 
Spirit, pneumatology. This current study works with three theories of pneumatolog-
ical imagination, missiological Spirit, and missional imagination to construct a missi-
ological approach to migration within the Pentecostal movement.

4 Framing a Pneumatological Missional Imagination 
in Migration and Mission

The pneumatological missional imagination is developed here using three theories 
of pneumatological imagination, missiological spirit, and missional imagination. In 
addition, it is developed to make important contributions to historical, empirical, 
descriptive and theological reflections on migration and mission.



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4.1 Pneumatological Imagination
This theory, developed by Yong (2020: 152) is developed on Spirit Engagement, 
Sensory Engagement and Creation Engagement and can make an important contri-
bution to the theological reflections on migration and mission. The pneumatological 
imagination is not only based on the encounters between God and human beings 
through the Holy Spirit but also on the encounters between an individual and other 
fellow human beings (Yong 2019: 29). This is seen in the Pentecost narrative when 
those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit did not just speak in other tongues (glos-
solalia) but also spoke in human languages (xenolalia). The pneumatological imag-
ination does not only make the connections between the divine and the humane 
but also the connections between human beings. “Pneumatological imagination is 
a modality of engaging with and then reflecting on the world that is both interper-
sonal and intersubjective and can be so surely in and through dynamically embodied 
relations” (Yong (2012: 191). In this way, pneumatological imagination becomes a 
framework not only for divine encounters but also for religious and interreligious 
encounters. These encounters are important in the juxtaposition of migration and 
mission in mission and world Christianity. But most importantly and in the context 
of this current study, pneumatological imagination is relevant for the encounters 
between people of different nations in pluralist and diverse nations. This means 
that the pneumatological imagination is relevant to the study of how strangers can 
understand each other in the context of migration and mission.

4.2 The Missiological Spirit
The missiological Spirit (developed in Yong 2015) is distinguished from pneumato-
logical imagination as a missiological approach. It is not introduced as another Spirit 
but as part of the triune God, the Father, the Son and the Spirit. God the Spirit is the 
missiological Spirit. “Theologically, then, the missiological Spirit is also the spirit of 
God. More expansively, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Trinitarian or triune God” 
(Yong 2015: 227). The contribution of the missiological Spirit in migration and mission 
is that it is the Spirit that empowers the believers to be able to minister to people 
of other nations. Acts 1.8 states “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit 
has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea 
and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”. Therefore the missiological Spirit is the 
force behind the empowerment of believers to move beyond the local area to other 
nations in the propagation of the gospel. This means that the role of witnessing to 
other nations cannot happen until the missiological Spirit empowers the believers. 
This is important in the context of migration and mission, particularly in the under-
standing of the ability of the Pentecostal movement to move the gospel to other 
nations.



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There are three roles of the missiological Spirit in the intersections of migration and 
mission. First, the missiological Spirit empowers the believers to be able to engage 
in mission work as seen in the Pentecost narrative in Lukan-Acts where the early 
church was involved in missions because of the missiological Spirit. The second role 
is the empowerment of the missiological Spirit to communicate the gospel to others 
even if they are of different nations. Lastly, it is the role of the missiological Spirit in 
turning the believers to become real witnesses of the gospel opening up the possi-
bility of every believer becoming a witness (priesthood of all believers) as opposed 
to assigning this task only to evangelists and missionaries.

4.3 The Missional Imagination
Lastly, the missional imagination is important in mission and migration in the orien-
tation of the whole church towards the mission of God. The proponents of the 
missional imagination Roxburgh and Boren (2009: 20) advocate for the church being 
centred around the mission of God rather  than its mission. Smith and Niemandt 
(2022: 6) explain:

In terms of a missional imagination, the habitus of the missional church opens partic-
ipants to the reality of the missio Trinitatis. Congregants imagine that mission is now 
possible within the every day and not just the privilege of the elite. This missional 
habitus invites participants into the bodily movements and poetics of the Trinitarian 
God which is radically different from the habitus of a church that is caught in modes of 
Christendom that distorts the mission by directing it back to the church alone.

Therefore according to Beard (2015: 191), missional imagination can be defined as

…the role of God as the originator and motivator of mission shifting the relationship 
between the church and mission from the church having a mission to the mission of 
God having a church. If God is indeed the originator of the mission, and if he expects 
his people to join him in that mission, then the missional church and missional disci-
ples must be in tune with the Holy Spirit to determine where and how God is working.

This is important in migration and mission to avoid the temptation of focusing on 
the mission of the church rather than the mission of God. Therefore, a pneumato-
logical missional imagination is grounded on three principles. First, the role of the 
Holy Spirit in making it possible for believers to encounter people of other nations 
as it happens on the day of Pentecost. Second, the role of the missiological Spirit in 
empowering believers to become witnesses and communicate the gospel to others. 
Lastly, the orientation of the migrant church is the orientation of the mission of God 
as opposed to focusing on its mission.



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Pneumatological missional imagination can be defined as the orientation of the 
migrant church towards the mission of God through the empowerment of the Holy 
Spirit in encountering people of other nations. This is important in the context of 
African Pentecostal migrant churches in the recognition of the Spirit empower-
ment to reach out to the people of other nations. This means that pneumatolog-
ical missional imagination is a framework to preach the gospel beyond the people 
of one’s same nation. Pneumatological missional imagination is also a framework 
developed on the recognition of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in the disci-
ples’s ability to become the witnesses rather than remain members of a particular 
church. Believers as witnesses is a necessary step towards the utilisation of local 
church members who are familiar with the cultural aspects in the host country.

The pneumatological missional imagination is a framework designed to orientate the 
African Pentecostal migrant churches towards the mission of God as Spirit empow-
ered churches rather than the fulfilment of their own mission. Therefore, this frame-
work makes a contribution to missional imagination on spirit empowerment in the 
orientation of the missional church towards the mission of God.

5 The Case of the Apostolic Faith Mission Ministry 
International in the United Kingdom

The AFMIMUK is an African Migrant Pentecostal church in England, Wales, and Scot-
land. It forms part of the Apostolic Faith Mission International (AFMI) with other sister 
churches in different countries in the world. Several reasons demonstrate that the 
AFMIMUK is a migrant Pentecostal church. In the first place, the church has its roots 
in the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFMZ). The church was planted among 
migrants who experienced challenges highlighted in the introduction, including 
socio-economic challenges and political instability in Zimbabwe (Sande 2019b: 270). 
However, some had left Zimbabwe to pursue better economic, educational, and 
even work opportunities. Most of these migrants were already part of the church in 
Zimbabwe and therefore gathered to form a new church away from home. There-
fore, there are different links between the foundation of the AFMIMUK and migra-
tion, which is the link between migration and mission. One can point out that this 
kind of link is continuous since the migration trend from Zimbabwe to the UK has 
not stopped since it started in the last quarter of the twentieth century. With Brexit, 
there are even more opportunities for many Zimbabweans to come to the United 
Kingdom in search of greener pastures. Therefore, this church is relevant as a case to 
explore the relationship between migration and mission in the twenty-first century.



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The roots of the AFMIMUK in the AFMZ can be traced by the members of the 
AFMZ who arrived in the UK and established this church in 1998 (Samushonga & 
Sande 2020:17; cf. Sande 2019a: 73). After five years of operation mainly in south-
east London, the church was formally registered in 2003. As many migrants from 
Zimbabwe arrived in the United Kingdom many more branches were started. This 
connection between the expansion of the AFMIMUK and migration has caused the 
church to become more faithful to the home church in Zimbabwe. Although adminis-
tratively the church received its autonomy in 2009, in practice it is still very much part 
of the AFMZ. The foundation of AFMIMUK, unlike other sister branches of the AFMI in 
Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa cannot be attributed to a specific individual but 
a group of individuals, thus confirming its status as a migrant church. Nonetheless, 
some individuals can be credited as being there in 1998 when the church started. 
These include Rev. Trust Ndlovu, a graduate of the Living Waters Bible College (Sande 
2019b: 277). Another important figure in the foundation of the AFMIMUK is Rev. 
T. I. Murefu, who worked with lay leaders who had preceded him such as Patrick Sena 
(then National Administrator), Sebastian Nyamande, Josh Chigorimbo (then General 
Secretary) and several others. In addition, many more individuals contributed to the 
foundation of this church by hosting spiritual services in their houses as the church 
did not have buildings in its early inception. This speaks to the AFMIMUK as a migrant 
church which makes the links between migration and mission very strong.

Currently, the membership of the AFMIMUK is at about 3,500 from its different 
36 branches in the four regions. The church has some governing structures that are 
similar to the sister churches in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia and others. These 
structures are used for the governance and the regulations of the church in the 
country. In the national structure, they are led by the National Apostolic Committee, 
which reports to the National Workers Council and the National Board of Trustees. 
This structure is similar to the National Office Bearers in South Africa. The AFMIMUK 
is also governed through a regional structure where the branches are supposed to 
report on the progress of their churches and missions. The church currently has 
four regions, namely the Northern Region (with nine assemblies), the Midlands 
Region (with eleven assemblies), the Central Region (with eight assemblies) and the 
Southern Region (with eight assemblies). Therefore, in the short time since its incep-
tion, the church has been able to establish itself in different parts of England. This 
is a sign of growth in the context of migration and mission. However, various chal-
lenges can impede this growth, necessitating some reflections in the context of the 
intersections of migration and mission. The same challenges can be contextualized 
on migration and mission in Pentecostalism by using AFMIMUK as a case study as 
discussed below.



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Some challenges faced by churches like the AFMIMUK include the inability to minister 
to local people in the host country because of the cultural challenge to the mission. 
The context of many cities in the United Kingdom is very much multicultural. There-
fore, the idea of always wanting to retain the monoculture emanating from the AFMZ 
in the AFMIMUK does not work. The AFMIMUK is facing a challenge with those who 
want to maintain the cultural practices that they have brought with them when 
coming to the United Kingdom. Samushonga and Sande (2020: 28) explain:

The Shona language and culture are predominant in the Zimbabwean population 
in general. This ethnic segmentation explains why the Shona language has domi-
nated and shaped the practices and expressions of the AFMIMUK. Although many 
Zimbabweans are proficient in the English language and spend most of their time 
immersed in the British systems, the study demonstrates that it is not easy to change 
one’s language and reach the same depth (i.e., from Shona to English) when it comes 
to spiritual practices.

These dynamics are caused by the church’s association with the AFMZ. Some 
members of the AFMIMUK are refusing to let go of their own experiences of their 
home country. Sanushonga and Sande say that this quest to maintain the cultural 
practices within the church has led to the failure of the AFMIMUK to reach the local 
people. I must add that this is not only the failure to reach the local people but also 
the failure to reach out to other fellow African migrants from Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana, 
Cameroon etc. Some Zimbabwean migrants prefer attending other migrant churches 
which are open to other cultures rather than their migrant, monocultural church.

There is also an inability of some of the assemblies of the AFMIMUK to reach out to 
local people because of the styles used in mission praxis, particularly when it comes 
to praise and worship (Okyerefo 2014). This can be very frustrating, particularly for 
young people who are very willing to adapt to new styles of praise and worship. 
These young people, the second generation of AFMIMUK, unlike the first genera-
tion are not so connected to the AFMZ and therefore seek newer styles of praise 
and worship (Nyanni 2018, 2020). Therefore, the issue of praise and worship affects 
not only the local people but young African migrants. In Pentecostalism, praise and 
worship are dedicated to singing songs, dancing, clapping hands and shouting. 
Praise and worship become the expression of spirituality amongst the congregants, 
particularly during a Sunday worship service. However, it can be reiterated that in 
many of the African Pentecostal churches, not just the AFMIMUK, praise and worship 
are expressed using the African styles more than those of the locality where these 
churches find themselves. This in a way becomes an impediment in reaching out to 
local people as some cannot assimilate to the African styles. In addition, the way 



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the sermon is presented by some of the preachers in churches like AFMIMUK also 
becomes an impediment to reaching local people. In some cases the service, particu-
larly the preaching of the sermon, would take longer than expected by the locals. In 
Africa for example, a preacher can preach for two hours non-stop and this is accept-
able to the congregants. One cannot do the same in other regions of the world such 
as the UK. These are some of the challenges of mission praxis that are important to 
reflect on in the intersections of mission and migration.

Lastly, migrant churches are preoccupied with assisting fellow migrants in obtaining 
work visas, employment and other needs (Chimbidzikai 2021). This at times makes 
churches such as AFMIMUK lose focus on the missio dei (the mission of God). The 
reason some of the migrants join churches like the AFMIMUK is the desire to have 
a sense of belonging and to receive help when in difficult situations. At times this 
sense of belonging impedes having new members, particularly local people, as they 
too feel as if they do not belong. In this way, religion is used as a unifying factor for 
many migrants who are away from home. When a new person comes into churches 
like the AFMIMUK, it is not easy to become part of the unified group that is formed 
based on common culture, language and ethnicity, or even formed on the basis 
of meeting each others’ needs as migrants. This takes us back to the reasons why 
churches like AFMIMUK were formed. Some of the reasons as highlighted by scholars 
such as Sande (2019a) were to create a support structure for the migrants. Other 
reasons include maintaining their religious practices as practised from back home. 
It is for these reasons that some of the migrants are very resistant when it comes 
to adjusting worship styles to accommodate the local people. Many would rather 
maintain the status quo for fear of losing their own religious identity and sense of 
belonging. While it is good for the migrants to have a sense of belonging, this is not 
necessarily the mission of the church. As discussed above, the mission of the church 
should be aligned with the mission of God in reaching out to the people in their diver-
sity. This calls for churches such as AFMIMUK to rethink their mission praxis to reach 
out to the local people in fulfilment of the mission of God.

6 Pneumatological Missional Imagination: 
a Contribution to Mission and Migration

The framework in this current study is relevant for challenging the current missio-
logical approaches to the study of migration and mission. In addition, it is relevant 
in dealing with some of the challenges to migration and mission in the Pentecostal 
tradition. A pneumatological missional imagination is a framework for the empower-
ment of the Spirit in witnessing to others. Through the empowerment of the Spirit, 
there is a possibility of being able to minister to people of different ethnicities. This 



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means that the empowerment of the Spirit is necessary for the packaging of the 
gospel so that it is relevant to people in their diversity. This means that through the 
empowerment of the Spirit, as happened in the Pentecost narrative, the failure to 
reach local people is overcome through Spirit-filled gospel, Spirit-filled songs and 
Spirit-filled sermons. This means that in the pneumatological missional imagina-
tion, the goal is not to push for one’s language or even culture but the empower-
ment of the Spirit. It is through this Spirit empowerment that leads to a possibility 
for the church in any place in the world to be relevant to the believers. Therefore, 
this calls for African Pentecostal migrant churches such as AFMIMUK to pursue the 
empowerment of the Spirit as opposed to affinity or loyalty to the home church in 
Zimbabwe. The gospel should be allowed to find resonance where it is located, this is 
only possible through the empowerment of the Spirit.

A pneumatological missional imagination is a framework relevant to the spreading 
of the gospel to other nations. The popular phrase is “to the ends of the world”. This 
means that the gospel is not limited to reaching out to African migrants or fellow 
Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom but to the ends of the world. The same Spirit 
which Amos Yong calls the missiological Spirit empowers the believers to become 
witnesses. This means that the preaching of the gospel is not only the task of elite 
evangelists and missionaries but also the task of every believer who is filled by the 
Spirit. The Spirit-filled believer has the potential to reach out to the people of other 
nations as it happened on the day of the Pentecost. The spirit-filled believer does 
not only witness to fellow migrants but to others as well as is inspired by the Spirit 
to speak other languages. The Spirit goes wherever it wills and therefore cannot be 
limited to the African migrants as is the case in most assemblies in the AFMIMUK. 
The role of the Spirit in migration and mission is to spread the gospel beyond locality. 
This is the reason the Pentecostal movement has become a recognisable force in 
world Christianity because of its ability to move from one city to the other or even 
from one country to the other. Similarly, the AFMIMUK through a missional imagina-
tion can expand their reach beyond just African migrants as inspired by the missio-
logical Spirit.

Lastly, a pneumatological missional imagination is relevant for the orientation of 
African Pentecostal migrant churches like the AFMIMUK toward the mission of God. 
The pneumatological missional imagination is not only based on the Spirit empower-
ment but is also aligned with the mission of God. This calls for the orientation of the 
AFMIMUK towards the mission of God as being inspired by the same Holy Spirit. The 
church does not have its mission but its mission is based on the primary mission 
of God in the world. Therefore, any migrant church in any part of the world does 
not fulfill its mission but should align with the mission of God. The pneumatological 



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36

missional imagination contributes to the orientation of the church to the mission 
of God. Therefore we should reimagine churches AFMIMUK as churches beyond 
the sense of belonging or even helping one another in obtaining work visas or even 
maintaining the religious practices from the home country. The church should rather 
be preoccupied with the need to fulfil the mission of God here on earth which is 
the redemption of the world. God desires that all human beings be reconciled with 
him, anything else that the church does should align with this main mission in the 
context of migration and mission. Therefore, while it is not wrong to help people 
with visas and jobs, these should be done without compromising the mission of God 
in the world. Therefore, the pneumatological missional imagination is important for 
the fulfilment of God’s vision which as argued here is important for reaching out 
to believers beyond the African migrants. In essence, a pneumatological missional 
imagination is not only a theological approach but is also relevant to be integrated 
into the life and praxis of the faith communities such as the AFMIMUK. It encourages 
the believers to take up action to reaching out to the people of God in the UK in fulfil-
ment of the mission of God. This framework is relevant not only for the AFMIMUK but 
also for other migrant churches across the globe.

7 Conclusion
This article was based on the conceptual framework of the intersections of migra-
tion and mission. The context is Pentecostal-oriented migrant churches finding their 
place in the mission of God and the selection of the AFMIMUK. This subject is impor-
tant to locate within the Pentecostal movement given the current challenges faced 
by many migrant churches across the world such as the  inability to minister rele-
vantly to the host countries, cultural differences, and the orientation towards the 
mission of God. However, before delving much into the Pentecostal nuances, the 
article also analysed previous missiological approaches to the study of the inter-
sections of migration and mission with some identified gaps in their relevance to 
Pentecostalism. The contribution of this article is the development of the Pneumato-
logical missional imagination as a relevant framework to the study of migration and 
mission. The article brought the theories of pneumatological imagination, missio-
logical spirit, and missional imagination to develop this framework. This framework 
is important in studying the challenges concerning witnessing to people of other 
nations, dealing with cultural differences, and orientation to the mission of God as 
identified in the AFMIMUK. Therefore, a pneumatological missional imagination is 
relevant as a missiological approach to the intersections of migration and mission in 
Pentecostalism. Future studies on migration and mission can use the same frame-
work to engage further on the subject.



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About the Author
Mookgo Solomon Kgatle holds a PhD in Theology and is a Professor of Missiology at 
the College of Human Sciences, UNISA. He is interested in the history, mission, and 
theology of African Pentecostalism. He has published several peer-reviewed arti-
cles and books in the field. He is the founder and president of the Southern African 
Society of Pentecostal Studies. He is an NRF-rated scholar and appeared in the 2024 
Scopus list of the Top 2% of Scientists worldwide. He received visiting scholarships 
to the University of Birmingham and Oxford University (2020–23). He won several 
other awards including the Unisa Principal Award for excellence in research (2024). 
Contact: kgatls@unisa.ac.za

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