A Brief Pastoral Topography for Migrating People

Like God, humans are always on the move. Migrating people reflect the imago Dei of God the Earthroamer. Unlike God, humans do not always move with freedom as geopolitical forces, from societal disintegration to war and climate change, force migration. The experiences within migration reflect elements of a “personal knowledge” (Michael Polanyi). This essay recognizes that much of the migrating experience may escape verbalization, which not only impacts migrating people but also the scholars and researchers studying migration. Drawing on narratives in the Judeo-Christian tradition, the essay identifies seven pastoral-theological polarities to describe the migrating experience: Anticipation and disappointment; trouble and restoration; curse and blessing; at home and being a stranger; becoming and continuity of being; articulation and silence; and alone and in communitas. These themes are illuminated by pastoral-theological, cultural, psychological, and psychodynamic theories.