The Immigrant Canary Stuck in the American Evangelical Coal Mine
"When it comes to how American churches understand the Great Commission in our generation, the canary in the coal mine is the Evangelical response to refugees and other immigrants coming from vulnerable situations into America."
In the week leading up to the 2024 Presidential election, I wrote an article arguing that when it comes to how American churches understand the Great Commission in our generation, the canary in the coal mine is the Evangelical response to refugees and other immigrants coming from vulnerable situations into America.
Put another way, the narrative American Evangelicals believe and use to frame refugees and immigrants in our country are closely tied to their motivations for global mission.
There are several ways to mobilize American churches towards short-term trips and overseas projects that feel like participating in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). But when it comes to the deepest motivation for obeying what Jesus fully meant by “making disciples of all nations,” (Matthew 28:19) what does it say when local gospel-preaching churches have a fearful, and even resentful, posture towards refugees and immigrants coming into their community?
Furthermore, what does it say when pastors and church leaders avoid teaching on these issues, not because they missed how pervasive the issues actually are in the Bible, but because they feel pressure and pushback from church members and the community at large?
Among other actions, the January 2025 Presidential executive orders included pausing refugee resettlement in America and launching mass deportation efforts especially focused on populations that have come through the Southern border. While most American Christians would agree that our nation has an outdated immigration system, only very few are aware that these actions could put us at odds with some of the world’s most vulnerable people struggling through displacement, crisis, and even violence.
When it comes to the deepest motivation for obeying what Jesus fully meant by 'making disciples of all nations,' (Mt. 28:19) what does it say when gospel-preaching churches have a fearful posture towards refugees and immigrants? Share on X
Courageous Conversations About Refugees, Immigrants, and the Great Commission We Must Initiate
Rather than writing an article that laments our broken immigration system or cheers naively that “the best is yet to come,” I want to invite faith communities into three courageous conversations that church leaders need to have right now that can greater harmonize our compassion for refugees and immigrants with our passion for the Great Commission:
- Talk openly about the existing tensions between immigrants and other American minority groups.
American cities are filled with the beauty and tension of black, brown, and other racial minority groups trying to forge mosaic communities within a common space. Existing tensions and scarce resources can make it feel overwhelming to have to think about welcoming yet another group of vulnerable people into your community. In particular, the history of divestment among these communities needs to be a huge point of discussion when it comes to how churches can, and still should, welcome refugees and immigrants. Tensions flare when leaders ignore histories and minimize the experiences of one community over the other.
Among other institutions and organizations, the local church can and should be the place where, like in Antioch, the convergence and eventual harmony of local and global people is a testament to the power of Christ and those called Christians (Acts 11:26).
American cities are filled with the beauty and tension of racial minority groups trying to forge mosaic communities within a common space. Tensions flare when leaders minimize the experiences of one community over the other. Share on X
- Talk about how Americans are more influenced by a political sociology than a biblical theology of migration.
It’s true that many Americans get their views from cable news or their social media feed. It’s just as true that American Christians form their views of their immigrant neighbors from how much politics shape their personal and social identity. This certainly doesn’t mean that being Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or Independent determines if a Christian will love, hate, welcome, or disregard immigrants and refugees. But it does mean that the degree someone is committed to a political system, regardless of actual policies, will frequently tempt a person more often than not to have a herd mentality when it comes to their immigrant neighbors, especially towards groups they don’t know and understand.
The changing cultural climate and growing biblical illiteracy amongst American Evangelicals in particular almost demands that church leaders go back to every book, chapter, and page of the Bible to see that God is present among displaced people. This is the only way church leaders will ever understand that God is always on the side of the widow, orphan, poor, and foreigner. And while God is not the author of evil, violence, or conflict, he uses those things to fulfill his purpose. And at their best, the people of God have always identified as and with people on the move.
God is present among displaced people. This is the only way church leaders will ever understand that God is always on the side of the widow, orphan, poor, and foreigner. (1/2) Share on X
And while God is not the author of evil, violence, or conflict, he uses those things to fulfill his purpose. And at their best, the people of God have always identified as and with people on the move. (2/2) Share on X
- Talk about the needs of today’s immigrant churches who are foundational to the future of Christianity in America.
It’s time for “American” church leaders to leave behind patronizing and condescending attitudes about immigrant churches. But it’s also important that they don’t romanticize or exoticize them as well. Making disciples of all nations, especially on American soil, doesn’t end by simply welcoming immigrants and refugees into our borders. It includes maintaining deep relationships in order to co-create and authentically experience wins and losses together. The range of struggle for immigrant church leaders is on one hand dealing with the “Americanizing” of their church and on the other, losing their next generation to other churches or to secularization itself. And among the American multi-ethnic church movement, if we aren’t careful, we can contribute to a brain drain by taking the most talented young leaders away from immigrant churches or participating in tokenism and cultural misappropriation for the sake of optics. The Bible is the platform through which we can have these conversations, because nearly in every book of the New Testament, the early church was already dealing with these issues as it went from Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria to the ends of the world (Acts 1:8).
Ultimately, the constant reorientation towards philoxenia (Greek, meaning “friend of stranger”) away from xenophobia (Greek, meaning “fear of stranger”) is a battle for the heart and for deep affection. We can never see “the stranger” as our neighbor if we do not first see them the way we first saw Jesus – as someone with whom God meant for us to live a life of reconciliation. Perhaps that is why Jesus himself said, “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).
It’s not so much that immigrants are “the strangers” among us. Rather, it’s that we don’t see the potential of Jesus in them as we continue to live estranged lives from them, yet maintain that we are faithful in God’s Kingdom.
If a local church will spend tens of thousands of dollars per year to do important Christian work in far away places over land and sea – which it probably should and must do – what does it say if it remains apathetic or even fearful of those who are hungry, thirsty, and displaced from their homes waiting to arrive near ours?
Refugees and immigrants from vulnerable situations may not be the most important priority for your local church. I don’t think they have to be. But from my perspective, they certainly are the canary in the coalmine for American evangelicals.
And I hope we can get them unstuck and to safety, for everyone’s benefit and for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
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Three Immediate Next Steps To Engage the Immigrant Crisis Today
- To learn more how your church can start these conversations towards action, visit: http://www.churchesofwelcome.org.
- Sign and share World Relief’s statement on Sustaining the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program.
- Donate to our friends and Kingdom co-laborers at World Relief so they can continue their mission of compassionate engagement with the most vulnerable among us.
Ultimately, the constant reorientation towards philoxenia (Greek, meaning 'friend of stranger') away from xenophobia (Greek, meaning 'fear of stranger') is a battle for the heart and for deep affection. (1/3) Share on X
We can never see 'the stranger' as our neighbor if we do not first see them the way we first saw Jesus – as someone with whom God meant for us to live a life of reconciliation. (2/3) Share on X
Perhaps that is why Jesus himself said, 'I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me' (Matthew 25:35). (3/3) Share on X
