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Migration and Immigration Church Resources

Migration is a phenomenon as old as time and one that is deeply rooted in the history of Christianity and the Bible itself. To discern how God calls us to engage issues of migration and caring for people on the move or living in diaspora, we must first study what the Bible says about related issues, then apply these biblical principles to how we respond. This page provides migration and immigration resources for engaging the issues of migration and caring for people on the move or living in diaspora, both locally and globally.

Featured resources

Learn the steps that you can take as a Christian to help refugees and displaced people.

Read people’s personal stories of migration and hear how people have been impacted by engaging with migrants. Maybe even share your own migration story.

Examine what Scripture says about migration and the experience of being a foreigner. Reflect on how a theology of migration might inform your faith journey.

Liturgical, Bible study, and prayer resources about migration

Faithful Foreigners Bible Study

By Dr. Carol Bechtel

Sprinkled throughout Scripture are stories of “faithful foreigners.” Dive deeper into the stories of these biblical figures, including Rahab, Uriah, and Jesus himself.

A Prayer for Refugees

From Faithward

Pray this prayer in a congregational setting or on your own to lift up refugees and migrants.

The Immigrants’ Creed

From the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship

This creed professes the Christian faith through the experience of an immigrant.

Prayers for God’s Mercy in Ukraine

Amid the increasing tensions on the Russian and Ukrainian border, the church lifts these prayers to our merciful God.

How Our Cultural Context Impacts the Way We Interpret Scripture

Your cultural context shapes the way you understand the Bible, probably more than you realize.

Iowa Evangelicals Urge Congress To Grant Permanent Legal Status To Afghans

The Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT) sent a letter signed by 40 evangelical pastors, leaders and church members urging Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and the state’s U.S. representatives to provide permanent legal status to Afghans already resettled across the U.S.

Love Them as Yourself

Examining the biblical mandate for God’s people to show hospitality and compassion towards immigrants and foreigners. Drawing from the Old and New Testaments, see highlights how welcoming the stranger is deeply rooted in God’s character and commandments. 

Hymns and songs about immigration/migration

Those Children at the Border Hymn

By James Brumm

Lost, Defeated, and Forced to Roam Hymn

By James Brumm

You Bared Yourself to Outsiders Hymn

By James Brumm

Everyday We See Him Wander Hymn

By James Brumm

Podcasts about migration from a faith perspective

Lavish Hope: Jael Serrano Altamirano on Overcoming in the Immigration System

Jael’s husband was detained within weeks of their wedding. Join Jael Serrano Altamirano and Rev. Liz Testa as they discuss what overcoming has looked like in the face of immigration and detainment for loved ones.

Do Justice: Global Perspectives from JJ TenClay Part 1

In talking about her latest guest JJ TenClay host Kate Kooyman says, “From JJ… I was able to gain such a different perspective, a better perspective on the global-ness of the refugee situation around the world.”

Do Justice: Global Perspectives from JJ TenClay Part 2

In part two of this interview Kate Kooyman and guest JJ TenClay discuss how to stay hopeful in justice work.

The Luxcast: Alberto La Rosa on Theology of Immigration

Alberto La Rosa is a Duke Divinity School Th.D. candidate. His doctoral work focuses on a theology of immigration, and in this interview he shares why his work is important in today’s cultural moment, and what it is like to approach theology of immigration as an immigrant himself.

Migration and immigration stories

The Law and the Prophets film

The Law and the Prophets is a feature documentary that amplifies the voices of the brave, determined individuals who are trying to expose the destructive, unjust, and sometimes invisible ways in which Israel exploits and oppresses Palestinians.

How the Tamil Language Brought Me Home in the Middle of Iowa

Speaking his heart language with fellow Indians in Iowa brought things full circle for JP Sundararajan.

Gael Uwera on His Journey as a Refugee

In this video, Mara Norden, pastor at The Community Church in Ada, interviews Gael Uwera, an RCA Global Mission staff member and former refugee.

One Family’s Journey into Refugee Foster Care

Their daughter was barely a year old when God called them to become refugee foster care parents to a teenager. That didn’t stop them.

How Immigration Court Challenged What I Thought I Knew about Justice

I wonder if Jesus would ask, “Are all people who hop the wall criminals?”

These resources were curated by the Reformed Church in America’s Refugee Care Ministry. Learn more about this ministry.