Sharing Christ in the Land of Sisu: African Reverse Mission in Finland

Document from the year 2025 in the subject Theology - Practical Theology, Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary, language: English, abstract: Helmuth Garoëb, a Namibian missionary working in Finland, examines the phenomenon of African reverse mission in his host country that historically sent missionaries to his southern African homeland. Comparing the ministry of African Christians in Finland with African mission work in the United Kingdom, Garoëb identifies several parallels but also some significant differences. There are aspects of Finnish culture and living conditions that present unique challenges to African Christians who engage in evangelism and church planting. However, there are also many opportunities for them to reach out to both expatriate and indigenous communities in the land of sisu. Whether their still relatively small numbers will have a lasting impact on the Finnish church remains to be seen.