Mission on Our Doorsteps: A Biblical Perspective on Immigration

1. Mission on Our Doorsteps: A Biblical Perspective on Immigration

2. A Missional Opportunity A Missional Opportunity • Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19 NIV) • God is at work through migration in multiple directions • Many immigrants are already strong believers, who become agents of mission within their own ethnic communities and beyond • Others arrive with a nominal faith or from entirely unreached people groups and are much more open to the gospel than they might be in their home country • There are more unreached people groups present in the United States (361) than in any other country except for India and China

3. A Missional Opportunity A Missional Opportunity • The movements of peoples are part of God’s sovereign plan to draw people to Himself • From one man [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him. (Acts 17:26-27 NIV 1984)

4. A Missional Opportunity A Missional Opportunity • 86% of the immigrant population in North America are likely to either be Christians or become Christians. That’s far above the national average…The immigrant population actually presents the greatest hope for Christian renewal in North America… We shouldn’t see this as something that threatens us. We should see this as a wonderful opportunity. • - Dr. Timothy Tennent • Missiologist & President, Asbury Theological Seminary

5. A Missional Opportunity A Missional Opportunity • For the first time in American history this immigration wave is touching not just the coast and not just the major cities, but much smaller areas as well… Right here in the United States, right in our own towns, we’ve never faced such a Great Commission responsibility. We have never faced such a Great Commission opportunity. • - Dr. Albert Mohler • President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

6. A (Missed) Missional Opportunity A Missional Opportunity • But many churches are missing this missional opportunity • Most churches in the US do not have any sort of ministry or ministry partnership focused on immigrants (LifeWay Research, November 2014) • Why? Perhaps because evangelical Christians tend to view immigrants negatively • 57% of evangelical Christians (and 69% of white evangelicals) believe that the arrival of recent immigrants to the U.S. represents • A drain on economic resources, • A threat to law and order, • A threat to the safety of citizens, and/or • A threat to traditional American customs and culture • Only 42% of evangelicals say that the arrival of recent immigrants represents an “opportunity to introduce them to Jesus Christ” (LifeWay Research, 2015)

7. A (Missed) Missional Opportunity A Missional Opportunity • “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37 ESV) • Fully 60% of those from non-Christian religious traditions in North America—most of whom are immigrants—say they do not know any Christians (Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Seminary, 2013)

8. A (Missed) Missional Opportunity A Missional Opportunity • Something is missionally malignant whenever we are willing to make great sacrifices to travel the world to reach a people group but are not willing to walk across the street. • - Dr. J.D. Payne • Missiologist, Author, and Pastor, Brook Hills Church

9. A Biblical Blind Spot A Biblical Blind Spot • By their own admission, most Christians do not think about immigration from a biblical perspective • Just 12% of evangelical Christians say that their views on immigration are primarilyinfluenced by the Bible (LifeWay Research, 2015) • Why? Perhaps because just 21% of evangelical Christians have ever heard a message at their church about reaching out to immigrants (LifeWay Research, 2015)

10. A Biblical Blind Spot • But That’s Not because the Bible is Silent on the Topic • Ger, the Hebrew word closest to “immigrant” in English, appears 92 times in the Old Testament • Fundamentally, God’s people are called to love and seek justice for immigrants because we are to follow God’s example • The Lord your God is the God of all gods and Lord of all lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who doesn’t play favorites and doesn’t take bribes. He enacts justice for orphans and widows, and he loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love immigrants(Deuteronomy 10:17-19 CEB)

11. A Biblical Blind Spot God recognizes immigrants as uniquely vulnerable to injustice, alongside the fatherless and the widow • The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow(Psalm 146:9 NIV) • Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion… Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor” (Zechariah 7:9-10 NKJV) • Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness… And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place (Jeremiah 22:3 ESV)

12. A Biblical Blind Spot God commands His people to remember their own immigrant history • You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt (Exodus 23:9 NLT) • When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt(Leviticus 19:33-34 NASB)

13. A Biblical Blind Spot • Christians are called to hospitality (philoxenia, literally, the love of strangers) • Practice hospitality(Romans 12:13 NIV) • Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach… (1 Timothy 3:2 ESV) • Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2 NIV)

14. A Biblical Blind Spot • Christians are Called to Submit to the Law • Most immigrants in the US have legal status • But 30% of immigrants are present unlawfully, so we also need to wrestle with passages that speak to how Christians should relate to the law • Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God(Romans 13:1 NIV) • For the US citizen, there is no conflict between welcoming immigrants and following the law • Were laws to change, and ministry to be made illegal, Scripture makes clear that there are certain instances where “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29 ESV) • Rick Warren: The church must always show compassion…A good Samaritan doesn't stop and ask the injured person. 'Are you legal or illegal?'

15. A Biblical Blind Spot • Christians are Called to Submit to the Law • Christians here unlawfully need to wrestle before God with their situation • Many came out of desperation to provide for their families • if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8 ESV) • Most undocumented immigrants within the Church are eager to get right with the law, but current law does not allow for this reconciliation • Our current immigration system—where laws are selectively ignored—mocks the ideal of the rule of law; we can all advocate for a more functional system that restores the rule of law

16. A Biblical Blind Spot • Immigrants Are an Integral Part of the Church • Biblically, there is one Church— one Body… one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV) • Each part of the Body is interdependent on each other part, so no part can say to another part that it is unneeded (1 Corinthian 12:14-25) • Immigrant congregations represent the fastest growing segment of evangelical churches in the U.S. (Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Seminary) • About 25% of evangelical Christians in the U.S. are non-white, many of them immigrants or their children, up from 19% in 2007 (Pew Research Center, 2015) • If one part [of the Church] suffers, every part suffers with it (1 Corinthians 12:26 NIV)

17. The Facts about Immigration A Note on Sources and Fact-Checking • Charles Spurgeon: A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on. • Not everything shared in an email or even reported by television or radio is accurate • We need to be careful not to spread misinformation about immigrants, especially in ways that disparage their character, lest we be guilty of slander (Leviticus 19:16) • Many misconceptions about immigrants are produced and spread by groups opposed not just to illegal immigration but to most legal migration as well, because they are driven by a population control ideology • See • WORLD Magazine, “Friend or Foe,” March 9, 2013 • Human Life Review, “Hijacking Immigration?,” October 28, 2012

18. The Facts about Immigration Who Are Undocumented Immigrants? • There are about 40 million immigrants currently living in the U.S., representing about 13% of the total US population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census) • There are likely between 11.3 million and 11.5 million undocumented immigrants living in the US (Pew Research Center, 2014, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2013, respectively) • About 70% of all immigrants in the U.S. have valid legal status, primarily either as naturalized U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents

19. The Facts about Immigration Who Are Undocumented Immigrants? • Between 40% and 50% of undocumented immigrants entered lawfully, with a non-immigrant visa, but then overstayed; the rest crossed a border illegally • Most come from Latin America, but there are also millions of undocumented Asians, Europeans, and Canadians • 2 in 9 Korean Immigrants is Undocumented • 1 in 6 Filipino, Chinese, or Vietnamese Immigrants is Undocumented • 1 in 7 Indian Immigrants is Undocumented

20. The Facts about Immigration What Are Some Common Myths and Misunderstandings about Immigration? • Myth: Immigrants today are different than those of past generations who came the legal way • Fact: Our federal immigration laws have changed dramatically, such that there is presently no line to get into to migrate legally for many would-be immigrants • Prior to 1882, there was no illegal immigration because there was no federal immigration law • Even through Ellis Island—from 1892 to 1924—98% of immigrants were admitted and there was no requirement of a visa • Now, lawful immigration is tightly limited by law and usually possible only for: • Close relatives of US citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (sometimes with long backlogs) • Limited numbers of highly-educated employer-sponsored immigrants (but only 5,000 employer-sponsored visas annually can possibly go to those not “highly-skilled”) • A fraction of one percent of the world’s refugees, fleeing persecution (not fleeing poverty) • Winners of an online lottery (odds about 1 in 300), but only for certain countries

21. The Facts about Immigration • Myth: Immigrants are a drain on the economy • The Facts • Immigration has a positive impact on the American economy as a whole and on most individual Americans • 96% of economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal said that illegal immigration, in particular, had “been beneficial to the economy” • Immigration also has a net positive impact on our fiscal health • Immigrants do bring costs, but their fiscal contributions are greater than their costs • The American Enterprise Institute reports that, on average, foreign-born adults pay $7,826 in taxes while their families receive $4,422 per year in governmental benefits in a given year

22. The Facts about Immigration • The Facts • Immigrants contribute economically as: • Workers (typically in jobs that complement those done by US citizens) • Consumers (immigrants are about 13% of the US population) • Taxpayers • Undocumented immigrants pay local and state taxes which amount to: • $7.1 billion in sales/excise taxes • $1.2 billion in local/state personal income taxes • $3.6 billion in property taxes • 75% of undocumented immigrants also pay federal payroll taxes, according to Social Security Administration’s Chief Actuary • They contribute as much as $15 billion annually to Social Security, though ineligible for benefits • Many undocumented immigrants also file federal income tax returns with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number

23. The Facts about Immigration • Myth: Immigrants are not integrating into our society • Fact: While immigrants are not monolithic, most immigrants bring strong values and integrate into our communities • As compared to native-born US citizens, Hispanic immigrants are: • More likely to attend church on a weekly basis • More likely to be pro-life • More likely to have traditional views of marriage • Immigrants tend to have a very strong work ethic, with labor participation rates amongst undocumented adult males of 96% • As has been the case with immigrants throughout U.S. history, immigrants are striving to learn English: by the second-generation, 88% of Hispanic immigrants are fluent

24. The Facts about Immigration • Myth: Immigrants are Criminals • Fact: Most immigrants are present lawfully in the U.S and have not been convicted of a crime • Even for those who are undocumented, unlawful presence is a civil, not a criminal offense • Unlawful entry is a misdemeanor criminal offense, but relatively few immigrants have been convicted of this offense • While the number of undocumented immigrants tripled from 1990 to 2013, FBI data shows that violent crime decreased by 48% and property crime decreased by 41% • 1.6% of immigrant males ages 18-39 are incarcerated, compared to 3.3% of native-born U.S. citizens • U.S. cities along the Mexico border have lower crime rates than the national average

25. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? • Prayer • Listening • Education • Advocacy • Service • Evangelism

26. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? Prayer • Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV) • The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest (Luke 10:2 ESV) • First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV)

27. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? Listening • “I Was a Stranger…” Challenge • For 40 consecutive days, commit to reading one Scripture passage per day about God’s heart for immigrants. • Full info at www.EvangelicalImmigrationTable.com/iwasastranger

28. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? Listening • Full info at www.TheStrangerFilm.org

29. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? Education • Disciple others toward a biblical view toward immigrants • Preach on the story of an immigrant in Scripture • Only 21% of evangelical Christians say they have ever been encouraged by their local church to reach out to immigrants in their community • And only 12% say their views on immigrants and immigration are primarily influenced by the Bible • But 68% say they would like to hear a sermon focused on how biblical principles and examples can be applied to immigration • Preaching Resources are available at www.EvangelicalImmigrationTable.com/Preach • Videos of prominent pastors’ sermons on immigration • Sermon Illustrations, Quotations, and Statistics • Sample Sermon Outlines

30. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? Education • Additional Discipleship Ideas • Challenge your congregation to take the “I Was a Stranger” Challenge • Focus on a distinctly biblical response to immigration in an Adult Education class or in small groups (Download curriculum at www.EvangelicalImmigrationTable.com, under “Additional Resources”) • Schedule a screening of The Stranger • Write a blog on this topic • Use social media to point to biblical perspectives on immigrants and immigration

31. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? Advocacy • There are plenty of important ways that we should love our neighbors on an interpersonal level—that’s most of the missional work we do • But when systemic injustice is at the root of a problem, loving our neighbors means advocacy as well • On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. • -Martin Luther King, Jr., April 1967

32. A Christian Response • Many evangelical leaders advocate immigration reforms that would: • Make it harder to immigrate unlawfully • Make it easier to immigrate lawfully • To meet needs of U.S. labor market and economy • To keep families together • Continue to provide refuge to those fleeing persecution • Allow the undocumented to come forward, pay a fine for having violated the law, and earn permanent legal status and/or eventual citizenship over the course of several years • These sort of reforms are supported by: • Most evangelical Christians (LifeWay Research Poll, March 2015) • Most evangelical pastors (LifeWay Reseach Poll, November 2014) • Most Republicans, Democrats, and Independents(Pew Research Center, June 2015)

33. A Christian Response • The Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform • As evangelical Christian leaders, we call for a bipartisan solution on immigration that: • Respects the God-given dignity of every person • Protects the unity of the immediate family • Respects the rule of law • Guarantees secure national borders • Ensures fairness to taxpayers • Establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents • www.EvangelicalImmigrationTable.com

34. A Christian Response Signatories Jo Anne Lyon, Wesleyan Church Russell Moore, Southern Baptist Convention Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Steve Moore, Missio Nexus Luis Palau, Luis Palau Association Doug Nuenke, President, Navigators Paige Patterson, Southwestern Baptist Seminary John Perkins, CCDA/Perkins Foundation William Roberts, The Salvation Army Samuel Rodriguez, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference Philip Ryken, Wheaton College Mat Staver, Liberty University/Liberty Counsel Rich Stearns, World Vision Ed Stetzer, LifeWay Research Joseph Stowell, Cornerstone University John Stumbo, Christian & Missionary Alliance Gary Walter, Evangelical Covenant Church George Wood, Assemblies of God Daniel Akin, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Leith Anderson, National Association of Evangelicals Mark Bailey, Dallas Theological Seminary Noel Castellanos, Christian Community Development Association Matt Chandler, Acts 29 Network Jim Daly, Focus on the Family David Dockery, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Eugenio Duarte, Church of the Nazarene Tony Evans, Oak Cliff Fellowship (Dallas, TX) Ronnie Floyd, Southern Baptist Convention Bill Hamel, Evangelical Free Church of America Alec Hill, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Bill Hybels, Willow Creek Community Church Richard Land, Southern Evangelical Seminary Jim Liske, Prison Fellowship Max Lucado, Author

35. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? Advocacy • Sign the Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform (www.evangelicalimmigrationtable.com/sign-the-principles) • Set up a meeting with your Member of Congress or his or her staff • Write a letter to your Representative and/or Senators • Write an Op-Ed or a Letter to the Editor of the local newspaper

36. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? • Service • One of the biggest needs in immigrant communities is for affordable, authorized immigration legal services • Churches and other non-profit organizations can, with adequate training and technical support, become authorized to give immigration legal advice (even without an attorney on staff) through the Board of Immigration Appeals recognition program • The Immigration Alliance (www.theimmigrationalliance.org) is seeking to launch 1,000 church-based legal services sites

37. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? • Service • Refugee Resettlement provides a unique opportunity for churches to welcome individuals who have fled persecution • Refugees are resettled through “voluntary agencies” that partner with the federal and state governments, as well as with local churches, community organizations, and individual volunteers • World Relief (www.worldrelief.org) is an evangelical organization which serves as a refugee resettlement agency, with resettlement programs in various parts of the U.S.

38. A Christian Response How Should I Respond? • Evangelism • As we befriend, serve, and advocate with immigrants, we have the opportunity to share the gospel, the good news of a transformative relationship with Jesus Christ • We can look to immigrant pastors and leaders for guidance and leadership in sharing the gospel in cross-cultural contexts

39. Further Resources Books • Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion and Truth in the Immigration Debate (InterVarsity Press, 2009), by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang • Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible (Baker Academic, 2008, 2013), by Daniel Carroll Rodas • Strangers Next Door: Immigration, Migration and Mission (InterVarsity Press, 2012), by J.D. Payne • Immigration: Tough Questions, Direct Answers (InterVarsity Press, 2014), by Dale Hanson Bourke

40. Further Resources Books • “The Church Leader’s Guide to Immigration” • Provides a biblical/theological foundation for ministering to immigrants • Debunks misconceptions about immigrants • Includes guidance on legal issues related to immigrant ministry • Available as a free download or printed-to-order under “Additional Resources” at www.EvangelicalImmigrationTable.com

41. For access to a template version of this presentation and for many other resources, please visit www.EvangelicalImmigrationTable.com