Faith in Motion: Christian Education and Faith Formation in Contexts of Migration and Displacement
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Theologies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 March 2026 | Viewed by 2
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, entitled "Faith in Motion: Christian Education and Faith Formation in Contexts of Migration and Displacement", which is to be published in Religions. This Special Issue explores how Christian communities, educators, and theologians engage the formation of faith in the lives of people on the move—refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and others living in conditions of mobility and marginalization.
Migration is not only a sociopolitical or economic phenomenon but a profoundly theological and educational one. As individuals and families navigate dislocation, border regimes, and cultural displacement, faith becomes both a source of resilience and a contested site of identity, belonging, and transformation. However, much theological discourse has remained disconnected from the lived realities of migrants and their spiritual journeys.
This Special Issue aims to bridge that gap by focusing on Christian education and faith formation in migrant contexts, especially as they intersect with trauma, intercultural identity, ecclesial belonging, and social justice. Authors are invited to consider how faith is transmitted, transformed, or resisted in spaces marked by instability and transition, and how educators and ministers might practice hospitality, critical pedagogy, and intercultural accompaniment.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Christian education in refugee camps, shelters, or diaspora communities;
- Intergenerational faith formation in migrant and displaced families;
- Liturgical, ritual, and sacramental practices in mobile or transitory spaces;
- Faith-based responses to migration crises and border violence;
- Decolonial and postcolonial approaches to Christian pedagogy in displaced contexts;
- Migrant children's spirituality and theological agency;
- Community-based theologies of hospitality and resistance;
- Trauma-informed spiritual formation practices for displaced persons.
We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new research and practice at the intersection of migration, theology, and education, as well as highlighting the resilience, creativity, and prophetic witness of migrant faith communities.
We request that prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor for thematic coherence. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review process.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Heesung Hwang
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- Christian education
- faith formation
- developmental theories
- migration and displacement
- intercultural theology
- trauma-informed formation
- postcolonial theology
- border and belonging
- diaspora churches
- hospitality
- resilience
- theological pedagogy
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