Sanctuaries Of Identity: African Christians Thrive Amid Growing Diaspora Challenges
In cities, both big and small, across large swaths of Europe and North America, it is becoming common to see groups of Africans engaging with the Christian faith.
As African migration — driven largely by economic hardship and the search for better opportunities — continues to grow, churches are becoming more than just places of worship.
Churches have evolved into spiritual lifelines and vital community hubs that help preserve cultural identity, reinforce moral values and provide a sense of belonging far from home. In addition to preserving the African way of worship, these churches have also made Christianity vibrant across large parts of North America and Europe, where faith has lost much of its cultural and societal importance.
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African Christians are increasingly occupying a prominent place within the multicultural religious and social landscape of these communities. In the past four years, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have topped the list of African countries with the highest numbers of immigrants to the United Kingdom. Alongside this trend, there has been a notable surge in African churches across the U.K. and Europe.
This dynamic has taken on many forms. For instance, services in these African-dominant churches are characterized by energetic singing, dancing and lengthy preaching. The doctrine is typically rooted in Pentecostal or evangelical traditions, with emphasis on divine intervention, prosperity, healing and spiritual warfare. Many incorporate African music styles into worship.
“This cultural grounding is especially important for youth, helping them negotiate their dual identities as both African and Europe,” said Pastor Derrick Adeyemi, a Nigerian-born minister based in the English city of Birmingham.
Tinashe Chambati, a lecturer of theology based in Zimbabwe, said the presence of African-led churches in Europe is not a new phenomenon.
“It can be traced back to the post-colonial migration waves of the 1950s and ‘60s, when students, professionals and labor migrants from former British, French and Portuguese colonies settled in European countries,” he said. “Many of these early migrants attended mainstream Protestant or Catholic churches. However, the lack of cultural resonance, experiences of racism and doctrinal differences led to the establishment of independent African churches.”
Chambati said that African Pentecostalism in particular experienced rapid growth starting in the 1990s and throughout the early 2000s.
“These churches offered dynamic worship experiences, charismatic leadership and a theology of empowerment that appealed to diaspora communities facing economic hardship, social alienation, and immigration challenges,” he added.
This spiritual approach resonates with many African immigrants who face various forms of adversity in the West, from unemployment and housing insecurity to racism and xenophobia. Churches frame these challenges not just as sociopolitical issues but as spiritual battles that require faith, perseverance and divine guidance.
“Church is not just where we worship — it is where we fight our battles," Adeyemi said. “For many of us, it is the only place where we feel fully seen and heard.”
Dr. Afe Adogame, a scholar of religion at Princeton Theological Seminary (Princeton Theological Seminary photo)
Effective community outreach
A report by the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland in 2015 highlighted that African churches were often more effective than traditional British denominations at reaching Black and minority ethnic groups.
The report noted that these churches not only addressed spiritual needs but also restored a sense of dignity and belonging to marginalized communities.
African churches are playing a pivotal role in sustaining languages, customs, music and values. Services are often conducted in native languages or bilingual formats.
“It is keeping our faith focused, building our communities with emphasis on peace, love and respect. These are things which are keeping most Christian Africans together in the diaspora,” said Afe Adogame, a scholar of religion and the African diaspora at Princeton Theological Seminary.
These churches are also filling a void. The Anglican Church in the U.K., for example, used to do much of this community outreach. In recent years, as church attendance has continued to drop, it’s African churches that are increasing efforts to provide both spiritual and financial support.
Despite their numerous contributions, African churches in Europe face criticism. Some have been accused of promoting prosperity Gospel teachings that overemphasize material wealth as a sign of divine favor. Despite the challenges, many African churches are engaging in interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Some churches are also participating in climate activism and anti-racism campaigns.
“The growth and expansion illustrates how African churches are not merely importers of culture but co-creators of new religious expressions in the West,” Adogame said.
African clergy across several Christian denominations are spreading the Gospel in the West. (Unsplash photo)
Increase in Catholic priestly vocations
The diaspora isn’t limited to African Protestants. Catholic churches in North America and Europe have faced declining vocations and the sobering reality of empty seminaries. Yet, while vocations falter in traditionally Christian nations, they are flourishing in Africa — and in the vast majority of cases, White congregations are benefiting from it.
For example, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Uganda produce thousands of seminarians each year, many of whom are stepping into roles once filled by Irish, Italian or French missionaries.
According to the Vatican, the number of Catholic priests worldwide stood at around 410,000. While regions like Europe and North America have seen significant declines in ordinations and active clergy over the past 30 years, Africa has experienced robust growth. Between 1980 and 2020, the number of Catholic priests in Africa more than tripled — from approximately 16,000 to over 50,000. There are 53,659 priests from Africa in the world, representing just over 13% of the world’s total Catholic clergy.
For example, in the Archdiocese of Chicago, one of the biggest in the U.S., nearly two-thirds of its priests under 50 were born outside the U.S. Recent studies by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate estimated the U.S. hosts some 6,600 international priests and more than 4,000 international nuns, many of whom hail from various parts of Africa.
The reasons for this increase in African vocations are multifaceted. In many societies across Africa, the church plays a central role in both spiritual and social life. Catholic institutions throughout Africa provide education, health care and community services. As a result, the priesthood is regarded as a respected vocation. Cultural factors, such as strong family and community support, further reinforce the appeal of undertaking a religious life.
However, Africa’s Catholic bishops have voiced concern about a growing number of priests who fail to return home after training or ministering in Europe, a violation of the rules.
“Many priests respect agreements by coming back after working in Europe, but we’re concerned about those who don’t,” Father Emmanuel Wohi Nin, general secretary of the bishops’ conference in Ivory Coast, told Catholic News Service in 2018.
In that same interview, Nin said, “While it’s true we have plenty of vocations and a vibrant popular religiosity, this doesn’t necessarily mean our faith is stronger. We still have a lot of work of our own to do in building up our church communities.”
Calvin Manika is an award-winning international journalist based in Zimbabwe.