Since its founding almost 250 years ago, the United States of America has been a destination for migrants from all over the world. We have come here for various reasons: some seeking religious freedom, some as enslaved persons, some as indentured servants, some escaping terror and persecution in our homelands, some seeking a new and better life, some joining families already living here, some wishing to invest our resources in a promised land. For whatever reason we have come, migrants have made an indelible mark on the life of the nation. We have fueled its political, economic, territorial, cultural, intellectual, and religious growth. As migrants, we confess that we have also joined in the nation’s brokenness and its failure to honor all human life and the created order. Yet the United States is unimaginable without the contributions of migrants.
As members of the American Society of Missiology, we deplore the growing maltreatment of migrants in our nation. We denounce the current dehumanization of our country’s migrants. As Christians, we firmly believe that all persons – including those with whom we disagree – are created in God’s image, and thereby deserve dignity and respect. We are commanded to love our neighbors, who are especially known to us as strangers in need, and to deal with them with compassion. The Bible constantly and consistently calls on the people of God to treat the stranger and the resident alien with justice, dignity, and compassion. As students, teachers, and practitioners of Christian mission, we are called to proclaim and enact God’s desire for healing, wholeness, and flourishing of all of creation, including the migrant and sojourner in our midst.
The status and condition of migrants have varied dramatically throughout the nation’s history. The words on the Statue of Liberty, as well as the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, reflect the welcome that migrants have sometimes received in this nation. At other times, however, policies and attitudes have excluded and marginalized newcomers. Across generations, decisions by many leaders and administrations—past and present—have contributed to the current complexities of immigration and migration. These realities remind us that migration is not merely a political issue but a deeply human one, calling for wisdom, compassion, and justice rooted in the gospel.
There are several examples of the mistreatment of migrants at this time in U.S. history. The current administration has expanded the deportation of migrants across the United States, pushing government officials to meet daily goal of detaining up to 3,000 persons per day; it has invoked the “Alien Enemies Act” to deport people immediately, without due process of law, created a registry of immigrants which could be seen as targeting them in particular ways, and has now permitted its agents to conduct raids in schools, hospitals, and places of worship. Furthermore, the administration has revoked the visas of thousands of students, has greatly reduced the issuing of new student visas, has revoked the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants, and put at risk the temporary legal status of millions more. The southern border has been closed to those seeking asylum, and has suspended refugee admissions, and the President of the United States of America has expressed the desire to end birthright citizenship, which is protected by the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Our Commitment as a Society
ASM recognizes the complexity of migration issues and the diversity of viewpoints among our members. Our society seeks to model dialogue that is thoughtful, civil, and informed by both Scripture and scholarship. We believe that faithful missiological engagement should prioritize understanding and reconciliation over reaction and polarization.
We are committed to:
Promote research, teaching, and dialogue that advance biblical and missiological understanding of migration. Encourage practices of hospitality and justice through the work of churches, organizations, and individual members. Foster spaces of learning and empathy where differing perspectives can be discussed in the spirit of Christ’s love.
By doing so, ASM remains faithful to its mission—to advance Christian mission studies that serve both church and world, and to embody the gospel’s call to love our neighbors, especially those who journey in search of safety, belonging, and hope.
We affirm that migrants and refugees are beloved of God. We commit ourselves to ongoing reflection, research, and action that bear witness to God’s reconciling mission in the world. May our words and deeds together reflect the compassion of Christ and the wisdom of the Spirit, bringing healing and hope to all who sojourn among us.