Internationals seek community and belonging. They are in the country but do not belong there. We, as a church, have to offer much more than just a community, but a family in faith with a message that will have an eternal impact on their lives!
Internationals in Lisbon
Expats in Portugal have steadily increased in the last years. At the beginning of 2020 there were 590,348 foreigners living in the country, their number increased to 662,095 at the end of 2020, to 698,887 at the end of 2021 and up to 781,915 at the beginning of 2023. Immigrants in Portugal largely come from Latin America, Eastern Europe, Lusophone nations in Africa, and South Asia.
Major groups of immigrants to Portugal include Brazilians, Ukrainians, Moldovans, Americans, Romanians, Russians, Chinese, Venezuelans, Angolans, Bissau-Guineans, Nepalis, Indians, Cape Verdeans, and São Toméans. Brazilians made up the largest foreign community in the country (239,744) followed by Britons (45,265) and Cape Verdeans (36,748).
Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal’s capital leads the pack when it comes to attracting foreign residents. Out of the nearly three million residents in Lisbon (as of 2022), an impressive 343,995 are from overseas. Its recent emergence as a tech hub is attracting talented professionals to the city. Non-nationals make up to almost 10% of Lisbon’s total inhabitants.
Even Portuguese people may not feel at home. Many are from the little villages (“da terrinha”) and may feel unstable when coming to the big city – Lisbon. Or even Portuguese born in Lisbon may feel this way because this is a land for everyone, and therefore, nobody’s land.
Oeiras
Oeiras, a city 20 min from Lisbon downtown is a strategic city with a high number of middle-upper class, and high number of university students residing in this area. In the past couple of years Oeiras has had a high influx of international community due to the internationalization of the city (big international companies, or just internationals working remotely from Portugal).
We felt the Lord opening the doors to reach and serve the international community in Oeiras and surrounding areas. We’ve seen great opportunities to reach not just the Portuguese, but people from all over the world who are hungry for community.
We plan to plant an international church in Oeiras that will make disciples among the English-speaking people living in Oeiras and surrounding area.