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It takes a global community to walk alongside refugees and immigrants — and churches are central to fostering that welcoming community.
In Austin, Texas, one church has been leading the way in walking alongside refugees and immigrants. For the past two years, Hill Country Bible Church has partnered with World Relief to show God’s heart of welcome — not seeing this ministry as another “to-do list” item, but recognizing it as an opportunity to further live on mission.
We recently caught up with Andy Rodriguez, executive director of outreach at Hill Country, to hear more about the church’s heart for welcoming their refugee and immigrant neighbors. Read more below:
Thanks for sitting down with us, Andy. To get started, can you share a little about Hill Country Bible Church?
Hill Country Bible Church is a gospel-centered, disciple-making church located in Austin, Texas. From the very beginning, our vision has been clear: to saturate Austin with the love of Jesus so that everyone has the chance to hear and respond to the gospel.
We are a multi-generational congregation with people from all walks of life, united around a passion for following Jesus and living on mission together. On Sundays, we gather in worship that is both engaging and biblically grounded, and throughout the week, our people live out their faith in neighborhoods, schools and workplaces across the city.
One of the distinctives of Hill Country is our DNA of church planting. Over the past three decades, we’ve been part of planting dozens of churches in and around Austin because we believe new churches are one of the most effective ways to reach people far from God. At the same time, our church has a strong culture of serving in our local community, whether that’s caring for vulnerable children and families, engaging in refugee and immigrant ministry, or simply loving our neighbors well. Our people are deeply committed to living out the gospel in word and deed, not only inside the church walls but in the everyday spaces God has placed them.
What drew your church to partner with World Relief?
As a church, we’ve always felt called to reflect God’s heart for the nations, both by sending people globally and by caring for the nations that God has brought to our doorstep here in Austin. Over the past several years, we’ve noticed a growing number of refugees and immigrants in our city. We realized that this wasn’t just a demographic shift. It was an opportunity to reach the nations for Christ as God brings them to our community.
However, while we had a heart and a desire to make an impact in the refugee community, we didn’t know how to get started in a meaningful way. Then we heard that World Relief was opening an office in Austin. They provided the training, structure and pathways to mobilize our people well. We appreciate World Relief’s holistic approach that not only cares for physical and relational needs, but spiritual needs as well. World Relief has helped our congregation know how to welcome the stranger, share the hope of Christ and live out the love of Jesus in tangible ways.
What highlights have stood out to you since starting this partnership?
One of the most beautiful highlights has been watching ordinary church members stepping into relationships with refugee families and walking alongside them through the challenges of resettlement. These relationships have opened eyes and hearts in profound ways.
Our hope at Hill Country is that every single member of our church would find their role in fulfilling God’s global mission. Sometimes people think the only way to do that is by being a missionary or giving money to a missionary. But our partnership with World Relief has provided opportunities for normal businessmen and women, stay-at-home moms, retirees and young adults to personally engage in global missions while not leaving the Austin area.
What advice would you give other churches that want to serve refugees and immigrants, but don’t know where to start?
First, I would encourage churches to remember that God is the one who brings the nations to our neighborhoods, and he is already at work. I am well aware that there are folks in our church who have different political convictions regarding immigration. But it is possible — I have seen it firsthand — for folks with differing political persuasions regarding immigration to work together to share Christ’s love with the immigrant population among us.
Second, you don’t need to have all the answers to begin. Many churches feel paralyzed because they think they need a fully developed ministry strategy before they can act. In reality, the best first step is simply to build relationships. Hospitality, sharing a meal, helping with a practical need, listening to someone’s story — relationships open the door for deeper ministry and mutual transformation. Serving refugees and immigrants is not just about what you can give. It’s also about what God will give you through the relationships that are built.
Samuel Heard serves as a content specialist at World Relief. His writing has appeared in a variety of outlets, including Baptist Press, Mere Orthodoxy, the Center for Faith and Culture and elsewhere. He lives in Upstate South Carolina with his wife and three children.