94 - Distant Routes: Why This Journey Matters
2025 - No 94
So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth… Now the LORD said to Abram… I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.
—Genesis 11:8–9, 12
It’s hard to believe our first M2M3 post was published back in January 2022. Since then, fieldwork has taken us nearly a million miles, through more than 40 countries, many of them multiple times. Along the way, we have listened, learned, and tried to make sense of the migration movements unfolding around us. The heartbeat of it all has been a single question: What is God doing through African migration?
Most of our readers are pastors and mission leaders. They’re the ones meeting African migrants in their churches and neighborhoods. They see the faces. They hear the stories. And they’re asking deeper questions about mission, theology, maturity, and what it means to walk faithfully in a world that’s on the move. We hope that M2M3 has been helpful. And we pray that this upcoming season will be even more beneficial.
Over the coming months, M2M3 will evolve. A new layout will make the site more functional, searchable, and readable… especially for those discovering us for the first time. More of our content will be indexed and accessible to global search engines. Academic materials will be given a dedicated space. Audio blog posts will be added. M-Moments will be moved to the forefront of the site. Additionally, our Deep Dive articles, like this one, will have a better home, organized into series-based journeys that enable us to go further together.
But more than formatting is changing. The migration story is expanding.
When we began, our main focus was on the Mediterranean… migrants passing through Libya and Tunisia into Italy, or through Turkey into Greece. We followed those routes from post to post, country by country. That series is now complete.
So where do we go from here?
Some of the answer goes back to Genesis. God scattered the nations, humbled their pride, and then called Abram with a promise of blessing. He created distance, but never gave up on drawing people back to Himself.” Migration, in all of its complexity, is part of that story.
Our goal at M2M3 is to observe God’s hand in that ongoing work. Why focus on Africa? Because African migration showcases the full spectrum of laborers, students, refugees, entrepreneurs, believers, and seekers found in modern diaspora movements. If we can understand what’s happening among African migrants, we can begin to grasp the larger story as well.
This new series, “Distant Routes,” will extend the journey. We’ll explore beyond the Mediterranean to four major corridors: one to the North, one to the far East, one to the far West, and even one to the South.
But before we go there, we need to ask some deeper questions. Why now? Why “distant”? What patterns are emerging? And how can the Church respond?
That’s where this post begins.
Why Add Distant Routes? Why now?
I’ve learned something about journeys. They seldom end when you expect. Sometimes, just when you think you’ve reached your destination… the road opens up again. The main reason Distant Routes are essential is that African migration has expanded far beyond the Mediterranean. It has become an intentional, global movement influencing the Church worldwide.
We’ve worked in diaspora for over two decades. Ten years ago, we launched M2M3 to share material gradually, like writing a book in real time.
The early posts served as an introduction, laying out the theological and practical foundations of African migration.1 Then, we explored the Central Mediterranean Route, aiming to understand how and why sub-Saharan migrants crossed the Sahara through Libya and Tunisia to reach Italy.2 From there, we tracked the Western Mediterranean Route into Spain3 and later examined the Eastern Mediterranean Route through Turkey and beyond.4
Throughout the journey, we wrote as we traveled, keeping up with the people we met and the realities unfolding before us. One post every two weeks, month after month. It has been an incredible journey.
So are we really finished? Not yet.
It’s important to recognize that African migration isn’t just about refugees and economic migrants secretly crossing the Mediterranean at night. That story is true, but it doesn’t show the whole picture. In reality, most African migration today is intentional. Strategic. Legal. It is affecting communities worldwide: culturally, economically, and spiritually.
Consider this. Almost 20 million Africans currently live outside the continent. Half of them reside in Europe, while the remaining are spread across the Americas, the Arab world, and the Far East.5 Africa’s population is projected to nearly double by 2050, accounting for about one-fourth of the global population.6 By the end of this century, Lagos may well be the largest city on the earth. Nigerians are already some of the most prolific migrants. Based on these current trends, we can imagine that almost 50 million Africans are expected to live abroad in the next 25 years.
At the same time, Africa is becoming a destination for global migrants. Over 2 million non-Africans now live on the continent, coming from the very places where Africans are also migrating.7 Most hail from China, Lebanon, and Turkey.8 No one wants to estimate how that will grow in the next 25 years. And this doesn’t include the countless African migrants who will return home during that time, transformed by their journeys.
Distant routes are significant because they hold spiritual meaning. African movements inspire believers to pursue new mission fields, shaping the future of global Christianity. By 2050, one in three Christians worldwide will be African.9
It would be a mistake to overlook the fact that they will be the primary missional force of the next generation. And it won’t just be remittance-based missions. Their movements are establishing new churches, creating discipleship hubs, and opening new pathways that will have a lasting impact on the Kingdom of God.
We’ve been tracking the trail across the Mediterranean for years. But something has changed. The routes are becoming longer. The destinations are farther away. And the fingerprints of God are appearing in places we never expected.
What Does “Distant” Mean—Geographic or Spiritual?
The second reason Distant Routes matter is because distance isn’t just physical. It’s also spiritual. And if we ignore that... we miss the whole point.
“Distant” can definitely refer to miles: border crossings, continents, passports, visa stamps, and long lines in unfamiliar airports. But in Scripture and much of the world today, distance also describes a condition of the heart. It’s a separation from God. It’s longing for home, even when you can’t name the place. It’s a hunger for something that can’t be bought, traded, or earned.
“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat... “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?... Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live. —Isaiah 55:1-3
Pew Research predicts that by 2050, four out of every ten Christians will be African—more than one billion believers. A billion men and women, most of them young, mobile, and on the move. They will carry their faith with them, not just as a belief but as a vibrant, vocal, community-driven expression of life in Christ.
And this is where a significant divide begins to show.
In the Global North, especially within Western societies, migration is often viewed through the lenses of economics, politics, and statistics. We focus on security. We consider costs. Even in our churches, we tend to see these movements as crises to be solved rather than stories to listen to. For many, the spiritual impact is secondary… if it’s considered at all.
But in the Global South, that hierarchy is reversed. Spiritual purpose takes priority. When African believers talk about moving, they mention prayer, dreams of God’s hand opening or closing doors. They don’t ask, “Is this safe?” They ask, “Is this right?” The decision to migrate is never just practical. It is deeply spiritual… and often, profoundly missional.
That’s one of the reasons M2M3 exists. We don’t just want to track how or where people are moving. That’s part of the story, but not the whole picture.
We want to see those movements within the larger context… God’s picture. Paul reminds us that God controls the times and boundaries of people’s lives so they might seek Him and find Him. He has always been at work in people’s movements.
“He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” —Acts 17:26-27
It’s not enough to just explain why Africans are arriving in Europe. That might seem like someone else’s problem. It feels too distant. Too political. Too complex.
But what about your neighborhood? What about your city? What about the African man who drops off your packages or the woman who quietly sits in the back row of your church? The question isn’t just what they’re doing here, but what God might be doing through them.
Secondary Migration and Strategic Patterns
The third reason why Distant Routes are important is that migration is becoming circular and redemptive. Africans are returning home with transformed faith, reshaping the Church wherever they go.
We are beginning to see something remarkable. In countless conversations among believers across the continent, a quiet pattern is emerging. Those who left… are starting to return. Sometimes they are pushed out, and other times they choose to come back. But what’s becoming clear is that they are not returning as the same people who left.
Some return wounded, others refined, but almost all return changed. They have worshiped in unfamiliar languages. They have navigated cultural shifts and spiritual hunger.
They have faced rejection, temptation, discouragement, and spiritual isolation. In those moments, stripped of familiar support, they have had to choose Jesus again and again. When they come back, they carry a faith no longer rooted in culture but grounded in conviction. They have been tested by fire, and in many cases, strengthened through the trial.
And this leads us to something we need to discuss. For years, mission conversations followed the Acts 13 model of intentional sending.
That model is important. It’s the one where the Church in Antioch sets apart Barnabas and Saul, lays hands on them, and sends them out. It’s intentional, prayerful, and supported by the local church. For generations, it has influenced the Western missional mindset. It’s straightforward. A church sends, a missionary goes, a field is entered, a people group is reached, and a church is planted.
But Acts 8 shows another model: believers scattered by persecution, preaching as they went, and the Church took root.
We’re seeing a similar pattern today. Migration in the Global South doesn’t always follow the traditional sending model. Usually, it begins with movement… and mission somehow emerges.
People leave for work or school, to escape conflict, or to chase opportunity. But somewhere along the way, they encounter the living Christ… or rediscover Him with a deeper understanding… and that journey becomes redemptive. Sometimes, when the timing is right, they return home.
But here’s the part I don’t want us to overlook: they’re not just coming back with stories. They’re returning with substance.
Migration is becoming circular. Like blood sent from the heart to the farthest extremities of the body and back again, it brings life in both directions. African believers are leaving and returning. But they do not come back empty-handed.
They bring worship expressions shaped by distant lands, theology refined by hardship, and testimonies forged along the way. Their return is not symbolic; it is a strategic move of the Holy Spirit. They carry with them the lived wisdom of movement and are discipling others with what they’ve learned. These sons and daughters are not just returning home; they are returning as leaders.
This isn’t just a theory. It’s already happening. The African Church is being shaped not only by missionaries who arrive but also by those who’ve gone out and returned home. They are not strangers; they are family. And many are quietly becoming some of the most spiritually mature voices in their communities.
That’s why this section matters. Because the future of African Christianity will not rely solely on migration. It will depend on the returning. The replanting. The rediscovery of faith that was tested in motion… and proved strong enough to return.
Preview of Key Regional Shifts
The fourth reason Distant Routes are essential is that understanding different regional pathways helps the Church respond both locally and globally to God’s scattered people.
In the coming months, we will explore four different migration corridors that demonstrate how broad the African story is becoming. Each route highlights not just where Africans are heading, but also how God is moving in and through them. We’re calling these the distant routes.
They aren’t distant because they’re disconnected from the migration patterns we’ve studied before. In fact, most of them begin in the same places: West and East Africa, the Sahel, and the Horn. But they extend beyond the well-documented European crossings. They reflect secondary decisions, complex journeys, and new destinations. And they call for fresh attention.
First, to the North: secondary migration from Europe to the UK and the Nordic countries. These are not new arrivals, but migrants who tried one system and now move again, reshaping churches in their wake.”
Second, the Near East: East Africans continue moving into the Gulf under the restrictive kafala system. Despite hardship and the shadow of history, God is planting churches in spaces meant to silence His people.
Third, Asia: though small in number, African migrants are arriving for study, work, and trade. In China and beyond, new fellowships are forming, while the Philippine church offers a model for discipling workers before they depart.
Fourth, North America: nearly three million Africans now live in the U.S. and Canada. Their presence is revitalizing churches and engaging lostness, even as immigration policies and identities continue to shift.
Finally, to the South: migration to South and Central America is rising, though under-researched. In Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and even as far as Australia, Africans and local churches are responding in ways still unfolding.
Conclusion
The migration story is far from finished. And neither is ours.
When we first launched M2M3, we aimed to trace the paths of African migrants across the Mediterranean. However, as we went on, it became clear that the journey goes much farther. The routes are longer than we expected. The reasons are more profound. And God’s purposes are reaching even further.
That’s what this new series is about. It’s not just an effort to record movement. It’s an invitation to view that movement with spiritual eyes… and to help others see the same.
There is always a temptation to see migration as a political issue, a humanitarian crisis, or a matter of national security. However, when we focus only on economics and borders, we miss the deeper story. We miss the hand of God. We miss the image of God in the lives of those who are moving. And we risk losing the chance to walk alongside them.
What is happening today with African migration is not random; it is purposeful. As we’ve aimed to show, this moment is about more than just where people are going; it’s also about who they are becoming along the way.
In Revelation 19, John writes, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.” That’s where all of this is heading. Not just a border or a job, but to a wedding. To a people prepared. A bride made ready.
Migration is not separate from that story. It’s at the heart of it.
So we pay attention, slow down, and follow. This isn’t just a blog post but an invitation to walk with the Spirit and with those He is scattering and gathering.
1 M. Augustus Hamilton, "Who Is My Neighbor?," M2M3, accessed August 22, 2025. https://m2m3.org/1-who-is-my-neighbor.
2 M. Augustus Hamilton, "South to North Movements: The Choices Are Not Always Easy," M2M3, accessed December 7, 2022. https://m2m3.org/24-south-to-north-movements-the-choices-are-not-always-easy.
3 M. Augustus Hamilton, "The Western Route," M2M3, accessed April 8, 2023. https://m2m3.org/40-introduction-the-western-route.
4 M. Augustus Hamilton, "The Eastern Mediterranean Route," M2M3, accessed April 5, 2025. https://m2m3.org/blog/67-introduction-eastern-mediterranean-route.
5 M. McAuliff; A. Triandafylidou, World Migration Report 2024 (Geneva: International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2024), 56, https://publications.iom.int/books/world-migration-report-2024.
6 David Lam, "The Next 2 Billion: Can the World Support 10 Billion People?," Population and Development Review 51, no. 1 (2025): 66.
7 World Migration Report 2024, 56.
8 See "Chinese South Africans," Wikipedia, accessed August 22, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_South_Africans? See also, "Lebanese Diaspora," Wikipedia, accessed August 22, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_diaspora? And Mogopodi H. Lekorwe et al., "China's Growing Presence in Africa Wins Largely Positive Popular Reviews," Afrobarometer Dispatch, no. 122 (2016), https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/ad122-chinas-growing-presence-africa-wins-largely-positive-popular-reviews/?
9 Pew Research Center, The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050 (Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, 2015), https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/04/02/christians/.