Mission on Our Doorsteps:

1
Mission on Our Doorsteps A Biblical Perspective
on Immigration
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A Missional Opportunity
A Missional Opportunity

• Jesus commands us to make disciples of all
  nations (Matthew 2819 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

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A Missional Opportunity
A Missional Opportunity

• The movements of peoples are part of Gods
  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 1726-27 NIV 1984)

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A Missional Opportunity
A Missional Opportunity
86 of the immigrant population in North America
are likely to either be Christians or become
Christians. Thats far above the national
averageThe immigrant population actually
presents the greatest hope for Christian renewal
in North America We shouldnt see this as
something that threatens us. We should see this
as a wonderful opportunity. - Dr. Timothy
Tennent Missiologist President, Asbury
Theological Seminary
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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, weve never faced such a
Great Commission responsibility. We have never
faced such a Great Commission opportunity. - Dr.
Albert Mohler President, Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary
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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)

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A (Missed) Missional Opportunity
A Missional Opportunity

• The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are
  few (Matthew 937 ESV)
• Fully 60 of those from non-Christian religious
  traditions in North Americamost of whom are
  immigrantssay they do not know any Christians
  (Center for the Study of Global Christianity,
  Gordon-Conwell Seminary, 2013)

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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
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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 primarily influenced 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)

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A Biblical Blind Spot

• But Thats 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, Gods people are called to love
  and seek justice for immigrants because we are to
  follow Gods example
• The Lord your God is the God of all gods and Lord
  of all lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God
  who doesnt play favorites and doesnt 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 1017-19 CEB)

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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 1469 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 79-10 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 223 ESV)

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A Biblical Blind Spot
God commands His people to remember their own
immigrant history

• You must not oppress foreigners. You know what
  its like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves
  were once foreigners in the land of Egypt (Exodus
  239 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 1933-34 NASB)

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A Biblical Blind Spot

• Christians are called to hospitality (philoxenia,
  literally, the love of strangers)
• Practice hospitality (Romans 1213 NIV)
• Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the
  husband of one wife, sober-minded,
  self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to
  teach (1 Timothy 32 ESV)
• Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,
  for by so doing some people have shown
  hospitality to angels without knowing it (Hebrews
  132 NIV)

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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
  131 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 529 ESV)
• Rick Warren The church must always show
  compassionA good Samaritan doesn't stop and ask
  the injured person. 'Are you legal or illegal?'

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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 58 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 systemwhere laws are
  selectively ignoredmocks the ideal of the rule
  of law we can all advocate for a more functional
  system that restores the rule of law

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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 44-6 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 1214-25)
• 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 1226 NIV)

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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 1916)
• 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

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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

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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

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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 Islandfrom 1892 to 192498
  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 worlds
  refugees, fleeing persecution (not fleeing
  poverty)
• Winners of an online lottery (odds about 1 in
  300), but only for certain countries

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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

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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
  Administrations 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

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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

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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

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A Christian Response
How Should I Respond?

• Prayer
• Listening
• Education
• Advocacy
• Service
• Evangelism

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A Christian Response
How Should I Respond? Prayer

• Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 517 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 102 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
  21-2 ESV)

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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 Gods heart for immigrants.
Full info at www.EvangelicalImmigra
tionTable.com/iwasastranger
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A Christian Response
How Should I Respond? Listening
Full info at www.TheStrangerFilm.org
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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

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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

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A Christian Response
How Should I Respond? Advocacy

• There are plenty of important ways that we should
  love our neighbors on an interpersonal
  levelthats 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

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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)

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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

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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
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A Christian Response
How Should I Respond? Advocacy

• Sign the Evangelical Statement of Principles for
  Immigration Reform (www.evangelicalimmigrationtabl
  e.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

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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.theimmigrationallian
  ce.org) is seeking to launch 1,000 church-based
  legal services sites

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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.

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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

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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

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Further Resources
Books

• The Church Leaders 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

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