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The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of an investigation into missionary-refugee relationships in Europe. The main research question guiding this study was: How do missionaries understand and describe their relationship with the refugees they serve? The data for this study were collected at an international consultation on ministry with refugees held in the fall of 2017 from 21 missionaries using semi-structured interview protocols. Findings demonstrate that missionaries shared a liminal identity with the refugees in their ministry, viewed hospitality as a Christian lifestyle, perceived Christianity to be an inclusive faith, and discussed the challenges and opportunities in their ministry with refugees. Based on the findings we offer implications for mission theorizing and practice in the 21st century church.

Many Mongols in Northern China grapple with threats to their cultural identity. Ongoing economic development, rapid urbanization, Hanification, and the state's historical assimilation policies threaten a distinct Mongolian cultural identity. One way that Mongols grapple with "cultural identity anxiety," is through representation. Material culture has become one mode to represent a distinct cultural identity and to uphold distinct ethnic boundaries. In this article, I analyze a piece of material culture in cartoon art form, titled "Repair," by Mongolian artist Babilig. I use cultural and political theory, historical shifts in Inner Mongolia, and Chinese state discourse and ideologies to demonstrate why material culture is used to construct and represent Mongolian cultural identity. I demonstrate how the artist uses different elements in piece of art critique the impact of the Chinese state's rapid urbanization on Mongol cultural space. I also posit that a distinct Mongolian cultural identity is promoted to debunk the long held Chinese state discourse in which Han are promoted over Mongols. Additionally, I argue that, ultimately, the representation of Mongols as reimagined pastoralists justifies state economic and urbanization policies aimed at ushering Inner Mongolia, and the Mongols who live there, into modernization.

Over the last 30 years, the world has watched as China has developed into an urban nation. Early scholarship on the missiological importance of urban centers framed cities as “the new frontier.” Over time, missiological inquiry continued ranging from new strategies for urban work to developing a theology of urban missions. The continued growth of cities around the world has kept the increasingly diverse environments of the city at the fore of missiological conversations. China’s aggressive urbanization development has meant large populations of rural-to-urban migrants have flooded into the cities in this period. There lacks, however, a robust discussion about the need for more rural-to-urban migrant churches in China. In this article I explore the possibilities for migrant churches in cities. To understand China’s urban context, I begin with a brief overview of rapid urbanization development. I then discuss the growth of the Christian population in China’s cities which is due, in part, to rural-to-urban migration. Following, I discuss some barriers of belonging that many rural-to-urban migrants experience, including barriers in urban churches. I end the article by suggesting possibilities of an establishment of migrant churches in China’s urban centers.

Over the years, we (the authors) have fielded many questions concerning qualitative inquiry (i.e., research whose findings are reported in descriptive narrative rather than concrete numbers). An oft-repeated theme of these questions concerns rigor (e.g., how can the study be rigorous when you collect people’s perceptions of things?). Hence, this article primarily addresses the issue of rigor in qualitative inquiry. However, given that rigor in qualitative inquiry touches on every aspect of its design and implementation, we have chosen to embed our discussion of rigor in an overview of what a qualitative inquiry consists of, as it is practiced in numerous academic contexts all around the globe. Taken in its entirely, the article seeks to enhance readers’ appreciation for the qualitative research paradigm, to whet their appetite to deepen their understanding of it, and to encourage them learn more about it so they might employ it rigorously in their own missiological research.