Nestor Abdon on Multicultural Ministry in Canada, Welcoming Newcomers, and Second-Generation Immigrants as Cultural Bridges
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Nestor Abdon is a Filipino-Canadian pastor serving as Global & Local Outreach Pastor at Bramalea Baptist Church in Brampton, Ontario. Having ministered among newcomers, refugees, and diaspora churches across Canada, Nestor carries a deep passion for hospitality, multicultural mission, and the vital contribution of diaspora communities to the life and future of the church in Canada.
In this conversation, Nestor traces his journey from growing up in the Philippines to arriving in Canada in 2010, pastoring within a Filipino church, serving at a refugee centre, and eventually leading newcomers and diaspora ministries at large churches in the Toronto area. His life and ministry have been shaped by the conviction that migration is not just a social reality but a biblical lens, that God is gathering the nations in Canadian cities, and that welcoming newcomers is central to the church’s participation in the gospel today.
Together, Nestor and Jason explore:
How Nestor’s own experience as a newcomer to Canada shaped his pastoral calling among immigrants, refugees, and international students,
Practical ways churches can embody hospitality, through ESL programs, settlement partnerships, shared meals, and newcomer fellowships,
The importance of a listening posture and intercultural competence in majority-culture churches, rather than rushing to fix problems without hearing people’s actual needs,
The unique role and strengths of diaspora and ethnic monocultural churches within the wider “gospel ecology” of Canadian cities,
How majority-culture churches can move diaspora leaders from the margins to the centre, offering real voice, leadership, and shared decision-making,
The tensions and possibilities of first and second generation dynamics, and why second-generation immigrants can serve as “cultural bridges” for the church,
What it means to contextualize the gospel across cultures and why diaspora Christians give Nestor deep hope for the future of the church in Canada.
Nestor speaks with warmth and a reflective wisdom formed in the overlap of the academy and local church. His story invites pastors to see their city as a global mission field, to make room for diaspora leaders at the table, and to embrace the beautiful, diverse foretaste of Revelation 7 that God is already bringing to life in Canada.
Nestor Abdon
Nestor Abdon is a Filipino-Canadian pastor serving as Global & Local Outreach Pastor at Bramalea Baptist Church in Brampton, Ontario. Formerly Newcomers Ministry Pastor at The Peoples Church and Local & Global Missions Pastor at Knox Presbyterian (Toronto), he has helped pioneer settlement hubs, ESL programs, and collaborative initiatives that serve newcomers, refugees, and diaspora churches across Canada. Holding advanced degrees in public administration, missiology, and intercultural studies, Nestor’s research and ministry focus on the marginality of ethnic leaders, the missional influence of diaspora churches, and the crucial role of second-generation immigrants as cultural bridges in the Canadian church.
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