Through a welcome team or during the worship service, a warm greeting of the visitor is one of the hallmarks of the identity of many local evangelical churches.

After the welcome, there will be a time of accompanying the integration process, if the visitor is considering membership. This is a rutine that is especially important for those who left their home country, either in search of a better future, or fleeing war and persecution.

 

A new group has arrived in your church

The new “migratory movement” can go unnoticed by the churches, because it does not come from another country, nor from war or persecution

But a country like Spain is experiencing a new “migratory movement” that may go unnoticed by the churches - it does not come from another country, nor is caused by war or persecution.

The number of Spaniards who have had to leave their hometown in search of opportunities is now multiplying. The educational and employment opportunities are the driving force behind many people's decision to relocate.

Young evangelical Christians are no strangers to this situation and there are many who are moving to a new city to start a new stage in their lives. They have surely also visited your church.

 

The difficulty of starting out in a big city

Those who have grown up in a big city have normalised, without being aware of it, living with long distances, commuting more than an hour to work and silent stress.

The weeks go by at a hectic pace from Monday to Friday with almost no social life and the weekends must be used to do everything that has not been done during the week, to rest and to count the hours until the dreaded Monday.

The newcomer will have to adapt to ahectic pace of life, with feelings of longing, loneliness and sadness for being away from what has was their everyday life

Leisure, time with friends and family survives that lifestyle with little effort.

However, this new lifestyle will be very challenging for those who, until now, could cross their twon from north to south in 15 minutes, spend time with friends and family from Monday to Friday, and make visits with a simple walk without traffic jams.

The newcomer in the big city will have to adapt to this hectic pace of life, along with the longing, loneliness and some sadness of being so far away from friends and family.

 

The challenge of joining a church

For young evangelicals, finding a church will be their priority and almost all will start searching for one.

They will have to travel a long way for Sunday meetings, and they will probably not be able to attend activities on weekdays as they did in their home towns.

All of this can be discouraging, since church life as they knew it will be almost impossible to find in the big city. The outcome may be to put an end to the church search early, with the risk of spiritual ''disconnection'' that this entails.

 

Lack of attention

On many occasions, it might wrongly seem that, because someone has come to the city to study or work, and already has a Spanish evangelical context, they do not need as much support as others.

This is a chance to coordinate churches that "send their young people" and those that "receive them"

After the first few days, the greetings decrease and these young people from less urban areas become anonymous in a church where they know almost no one. If they are teleworking from home, which is more and more common, the risk of feeling isolated is even higher.

Doubts about whether to continue attending a church where you don't quite fit in can creep in. And after some weeks, the time consuming cycle of visiting other places starts again.

After several attempts, there is a risk of discouragement and frustration.

 

Loss of several generations

Many of the most important decisions and the spiritual development happen at a young age, so the support of a local church will be crucial.

If the integration process in the big city is not successful, we risk losing several generations of young people who will live their spirituality away from the local church. In addition, the churches in the big city will lose the gifts, talents and opportunities that the newcomers bring.

 

Shifting the focus: a call to care

In order not to pigeonhole those who visit a church as "believers who have recently arrived in the city", a change of focus would be necessary:

1. To consider them as people who need help in their process of integration and who, despite already being part of the national evangelical culture, will not easily find their place.

2. To understand that they are going through a process of mourning, separation, changes and challenges to which we must respond with love and patience.

3. To respect their search and integration process as a personal priority.

4. To avoid creating categories of people such as "transient" or "uncommitted" just because they travel frequently to their home cities or maintain links with them.

5. To adapt and make some of the ways of operating in our local church more flexible to allow for their participation in ministries.

 

Opportunities

The arrival of young people in the big cities is a great opportunity for the development of the Kingdom of God.

Practically speaking, some of the opportunities might be:

1. The arrival of new ideas and gifts from people with a desire to serve and help.

2. A better unity and coexistence of the many cultures that coexist in Spain.

3. Coordination between churches that "send their young people" and those that "receive them", from which opportunities will arise for contact between pastors, friendships and relationships between churches, as well as possible new joint projects.

4. Visits by family and friends to both cities as a sign of coexistence and unity despite the distance.

 

Appreciation, gratitude and encouragement

Churches have the challenge, obligation and opportunity to respond to the current circumstances.

May we appreciate those who have left their hometown and made it a priority to join a church.

May we express thankfullness to their families and churches of origin for equipping them so that others may now receive their gifts.

Let us encourage all who are in the chain of caring for and integrating these young people who arrive to our city.

Ismael Rodelgo is a member of the Evangelical Church Agua de Vida La Vaguada in Madrid, Spain, and in recent years has actively served in the integration of young people coming to Madrid from other parts of Spain.