Living Narratives, Living Ecclesiology: Migrant Voices Reframing Norwegian Baptist Ecclesiological Perspectives

This research explores how migrant narratives reshape ecclesiological understandings and practices within Norwegian Baptist congregations. The motivation for this research stems from my personal experience as a Nigerian migrant who has served as a Baptist minister in both an ethnic Norwegian Baptist church with a small migrant community and a multicultural Baptist congregation. This reflection has guided my study’s focus and led me to choose narrative inquiry as my method. This approach helps explore and understand the social and cultural forces influencing integration, as viewed through the lived experiences of those directly involved, and how these experiences impact Norwegian Baptist congregations. The research question for my dissertation is as follows: How do migrants’ experiences in Norwegian Baptist congregations, as articulated through stories of integration in Norway, confront and challenge existing ecclesial practices while offering new or renewed insights into embodying a Baptist way of being church? Using narrative inquiry as both a method and a theological lens, my dissertation argues that migrants’ lived experiences of displacement, belonging, and church participation serve as theological sources that critique and enrich Baptist ecclesiology. While Norwegian Baptist theology officially emphasizes covenantal community, regenerate church membership, and congregational participation, this study highlights a persistent gap between the “taught ecclesiology” in doctrinal statements and the “lived ecclesiology” migrants experience daily. The study's nine semi-structured interviews revealed themes of societal exclusion, mixed church receptions, and experiences of welcome, spiritual kinship, and renewed belonging. The study makes three main contributions. First, it advances narrative theology within practical ecclesiology by viewing migrant stories as theological texts rather than mere social reports. Second, it identifies dissonance within churches, as Baptist congregations sometimes fail to embody their stated beliefs. Third, it argues that migrant lived experiences cultivate renewal by reframing belonging through a covenant rather than cultural assimilation. The study concludes that migrant stories offer vital theological insights for Baptist communities seeking faithful diversity and urges the church toward ongoing reformation in doctrine and practice.