When I began my doctoral research project a few years ago, I spent a lot of time reading about intercultural mutuality within diaspora churches in the US. I look forward to sharing more of that work in the future. For example, one researcher notes that there are now more than 60,000 immigrant churches in the United States. When the American church does think biblically about immigrants and refugees, it often sees them primarily as objects of evangelism. This is a good impulse and should be encouraged. However, more than half of immigrants and refugees in the US already identify as Christians—and yet most vibrant immigrant churches remain unnoticed by established non-immigrant congregations. These churches are often doing effective ministry among their own communities, including reaching those who do not yet know Christ.
One theme that appeared repeatedly in the literature was the significance of the immigrant’s bicultural identity. This is especially important for younger generations who are constantly navigating life in two cultures. At home, their parents may mainly speak their original language; at school and in public spaces, these bicultural youth speak English and absorb American culture.
What’s striking is that this ability to move back and forth between cultures is actually a gift to the church. If recognized and nurtured, bicultural identity equips young people to become bridge builders and reconcilers in our increasingly multicultural congregations and communities. Scripture itself is full of examples of men and women whom God used precisely because they were cultural hybrids.
The Bible highlights many prominent bicultural or multiethnic figures. Joseph spent much of his life in Egypt—imprisoned by or working for Pharaoh—and married the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Moses was a Hebrew raised as an Egyptian and later married into a Midianite family. In exile, God’s people were forced to integrate into Babylonian and Persian cultures. Like Joseph and Moses, Daniel rose to high status and authority in a foreign land. Every era of the Old Testament reveals the challenges and realities of sociocultural hybridity.
In the New Testament, Paul—“a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Phil 3:5)—was also a Roman citizen with a strong Hellenistic background. His encounter with Christ added a new identity, and together these multicultural layers became a tremendous advantage for spreading the gospel. He moved easily between Jews in the synagogue and Greeks in places like Athens and Corinth. Timothy, the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother (Acts 16:1), carried credibility on both sides. His mixed background allowed him to serve as Paul’s trusted envoy in complex ministry contexts (Phil 2:19–22). And at the center of it all, Jesus himself was both divine and human, with diverse ethnicities flowing through his veins from women of no fewer than four non-Jewish peoples! So much for ethnic and cultural purity.
All of this matters for Christian mission. These individuals operated across cultures and identities to fulfill God’s redemptive purposes. Their mixed cultural and ethnic affiliations gave them access to multiple contexts, enabling prophetic witness and faithful leadership. Their bicultural identities were not compromises—they were missional advantages woven into the biblical story. As younger bicultural generations rise within multicultural North American churches, missiologists and church leaders must recognize this reality and embrace the value these young people bring to the body of Christ. Diaspora Christians often live in a liminal space between cultures, uniquely equipped to bridge immigrant and host communities.
For now, consider Esther as one example of a young bicultural leader. Scripture presents her as both bilingual and bicultural—able to exert significant influence on the Persian king at a crucial moment for the Jewish people. And like Esther, today’s gifted bicultural youth also need Mordecais—mentors who encourage, guide, and remind them that God may have placed them exactly where they are “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
Without youth in our systems, churches, and decision-making spaces, our understanding of what God is doing will always be incomplete. Scripture declares, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young will see visions. Your elders will dream dreams” (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17). Young people are not merely the future of the church—they are vital to its life and mission right now. And if there is to be revival and renewal in the American church, they will be at the forefront, both native-born and immigrant.