Rationale for foreign-language ministry in the UK in 2021
Why should churches in the UK in 2021 be thinking about ministry in languages other than English?
Obviously, foreign-language Christians should not be isolated from the majority English-medium church and Christians. And no one is saying that those who have made the UK their home should not learn English. However, involvement with the broader majority church could, helpfully, be supplemented with provision for ministry in languages other than English, for as long as this is necessary (see below).
Here are some reasons why:
1.
The
first and obvious Biblical reason for foreign-language ministry is Pentecost. On that day, 50 days after Christ’s resurrection, God
opened up the people of God to the nations, demonstrating this by the gift of
tongues. The Jewish and proselyte pilgrims in Jerusalem, hailing from across
the known world, heard the wonders of God told not only in Hebrew, but in their
own languages. The first Christian church in Jerusalem was bilingual:
Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek. Later, starting with Cornelius and the Hellenes of
Antioch, non-Jews would be grafted into God’s people. Greek was the language of
Christian gatherings throughout the Roman Empire. In the fourth century ‘new’
liturgical languages were added: Latin, Coptic and Syriac, and also Armenian,
Georgian and Gothic. Later, most notably for the Slavs, the Eastern Orthodox
church translated the Bible and liturgy into the languages of other peoples.
While the western church retained Latin-only liturgy for many centuries, the Third
Council of Tours in 813 decreed that preaching should be “in the rustic Romanic
[i.e. an ancestor of the French language] or Germanic tongue, so that it will
be easy for all to understand what is said” ("en rusticam Romanam
linguam aut Theodiscam, quo facilius cuncti possint intellegere quae dicuntur").
At the time of the Reformation the Bible and church liturgy were likewise translated
into the vernacular (i.e. the actual languages of the respective peoples). In
Bible translation there is a concept of ‘heart language’; while a learned
foreign language such as English may be understood, it might not ‘reach the
same places’ as a native tongue spoken from childhood. It is for this reason
that the Bible should be translated into heart languages, even though people
might already have access to the Scriptures in a majority language.
2. Secondly, foreign language ministry has a long and established historical pedigree associated with the British Isles. The Scottish Reformer John Knox served as the minister of English-speaking churches first at Frankfurt (1554-1555), then at Geneva (1556-1559). At Geneva there was also an Italian-language fellowship meeting in the same building. Similarly, a French-speaking Reformed church met in Edinburgh from 1682 to 1786. And to this day in countries across the world there are fellowships which meet in foreign languages (ranging from informal gatherings to fully-fledged churches), including Gaelic services in Edinburgh. Likewise, countless English-speaking expatriates across the world worship in English.
3. Thirdly, we need to respond to the fact that non-English speakers represent a significant minority in the United Kingdom. The most spoken non-indigenous languages in Britain are Polish and Urdu, but it is estimated that in England and Wales four million people use a language other than English as their main language and 860 thousand have little or no English. A recent article on the BBC web-site (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53537062) highlighted the importance of translating the key messages for the Covid-19 pandemic into the estimated 88+ non-indigenous languages spoken in the United Kingdom. Likewise, local authorities make provision for non-English speakers, including in many cases opportunities for supplementary education in languages other than English.
4. Fourthly, it is wise to think about what is being ‘missed out’ if, perhaps in the name of ‘unity in Christ’, our churches offer only English-medium ministry. This can mean that the impact of the gospel, the depth of theology or challenging discipleship issues can literally be lost in translation, as the Bible is heard (misheard) differently by non-English speakers. The exclusive use of English very often means that issues specific to other cultures, such as culture-specific barriers to the gospel, are not addressed in the church’s ministry. Likewise, in an English-only medium cultural sensitivities will not be taken into account, making church foreign and ‘strange’. This is particularly an issue with those who have not yet come to personal faith or who are at the start of their Christian lives. In this setting, converts can either reject the foreignness or else assume a “British Christian” persona which might be abandoned should they return to their country of origin. It can also mean there is no scope to express their response to God in prayer and song in their native tongues. An alternative model could, for example, provide scope for foreign language input in English-majority services, suitable “interpreted” for all to be edified (1 Corinthians 14:5,27).
5.
A
fifth consideration is what may be termed transient and reverse migration. Those who have come to this country may not be here
for ever; they may return to their countries of origin or move on to a third
country. In many cases someone's stay might have a pre-programmed end-date. In this case
it is not a good idea to limit them to English-only. In the case of brothers and sisters in Christ who have been converted here, but who are due to return to their country of origin, in many
cases they may face persecution and other challenges. So it makes sense to prepare
them for involvement in churches in their home country.
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