Abstract:
Previously identified as an entrenched Egyptian community, Copts have propelled themselves
into the greater Africa through two main phenomena: migration and mission. Copts have recast
displacement to transcend powerlessness and loss by highlighting the sovereign opportunity
to consolidate identity in new contexts and widen the fold of the Coptic community, expressed
through ecumenism, holistic ministry, cultural sensitivity and the presentation of the Coptic
Church as essentially ‘African’. In migration, the Coptic Church creates identity through
physical presence (church buildings), recasting the narrative (African originality), employing
a rubric of sovereignty (agency rather than passivity) and engaging others ecumenically
(gaining Orthodox legitimacy). Beyond reaching out to migrants, much energy has been
devoted to mission by establishing institutions, including a missionary training department
at the Institute of Coptic Studies and a Department of African Studies in Cairo. In mission, the
Coptic Church extends its influence beyond migrants to include non-Copts and non-Christians
through ecumenism, social programs and the presentation of Copts as essentially African.
