California Evangelical Statement on Refugees and Immigration
Stand with Christians across California urging state leaders to uphold policies rooted in the biblical principles of compassion, justice, and hospitality.
Why a Statement from California Evangelical Christians?
As evangelical Christians across California, we are called to reflect Christ’s love through our words, actions and public witness. The California Evangelical Statement on Refugees & Immigration offers an opportunity to affirm our shared biblical convictions — upholding the dignity of every person, protecting family unity, safeguarding religious liberty and extending hospitality to the stranger.
Rooted in Scripture, this statement invites our leaders to consider policies shaped by compassion, justice and respect for human life. We encourage you to read and sign the statement — joining with others across our state who are committed to honoring Christ by advocating for immigration policies that reflect the heart of the Gospel.
California Evangelical Statement on Refugees & Immigration
As evangelical Christians in California, our perspective on immigration is grounded in the authority of Scripture. While immigration is a political issue, we see it first as a biblical one—deeply connected to the mission of the Church both locally and globally. We affirm the need to clearly express the biblical principles that guide our views, so that immigrants—many of whom are fellow members of the same Body of Christ and all of whom are our neighbors (Luke 10:27)—know we stand with them. We urge believers of all backgrounds to prayerfully live out these truths, and we pray that our elected leaders will be guided by this same wisdom.
Recognizing Human Dignity
Christians affirm that every human being is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God (Psalm 139:14; Genesis 1:27), regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, stage of development, legal status, or any other distinction. This foundational belief calls us to uphold the dignity of all people, reject dehumanizing rhetoric, and model Christlike compassion, even amid disagreement. Immigrants, like all image-bearers, carry God-given potential to create, contribute, and flourish. We gratefully recognize the many ways immigrants enrich our churches, communities, and economy, including the estimated $168.1 billion in annual taxes paid by immigrants in California.
Demonstrating Compassion and Hospitality
Throughout the Old Testament, immigrants are consistently grouped with orphans and widows as among the most vulnerable to injustice. God expresses His deep love for these individuals (Deuteronomy 10:18; Psalm 146:9) and commands His people to do the same—to love, protect, and seek justice for them (Deuteronomy 10:19; Jeremiah 22:3; Zechariah 7:9–10; Malachi 3:5). These commands carry both personal and societal implications, as seen in laws that promote compassion and provision for the marginalized (Deuteronomy 24:19–22).
In the New Testament, this call to care for the vulnerable continues. Followers of Jesus are urged to “practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13)—literally, to love strangers. This radical welcome is portrayed as sacred: in doing so, we may unknowingly host angels (Hebrews 13:2) or even Christ Himself (Matthew 25:31–45).
Respect for the Rule of Law and Governmental Authority
While the Church is clearly called to demonstrate love, compassion, and to proclaim the gospel, Scripture also affirms a distinct and vital role for government as a God-ordained institution (Romans 13:1–5). We recognize the government’s responsibility to protect its citizens, which includes maintaining secure borders and removing individuals convicted of violent crimes who pose a threat to public safety.
However, such enforcement must always uphold the principles of due process, ensuring that authorities remain “not a terror to good conduct, but to bad” (Romans 13:3, CSB). At the same time, we affirm the constitutional right to peacefully protest policies we believe to be unjust. We reject all forms of violence—whether by civilians or by government officials acting beyond their rightful authority—and call for accountability and restraint in the pursuit of justice and order.
Protecting Family Unity and the Wellbeing of Children
Even before God established governments, he instituted the family, at the very beginning of Creation (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6), which is why nine out of ten evangelical Christians tell Lifeway Research that immigration policies should protect the unity of the immediate family. Except in rare cases involving public safety, our government should not separate spouses or children from their parents – those whom God has joined and entrusted with care. In California, about 960,000 U.S. citizen children live with at least one family member at risk of deportation. Unless these individuals pose a real threat, they should be allowed to remain with their families through humane restitution, such as paying a fine.
Jesus emphasized the value of children in God’s kingdom (Mark 10:13–15; Matthew 18:6, 10). Public policies should reflect that priority by protecting children’s well-being and ensuring they have access to education, opportunity, and family stability—regardless of legal status.
Preserving Religious Liberty
For the Church to faithfully live out its biblical mission, the protection of religious liberty is essential. Government must not impose restrictions on churches, individuals, or faith-based organizations that offer spiritual or material support to immigrants—regardless of legal status. This freedom should extend to all people of faith, ensuring that the gospel can be proclaimed freely and received without coercion (Acts 28:31). Our commitment to religious freedom also calls us to welcome those fleeing persecution, including refugees and immigrants who have suffered for their faith in Jesus. We urge California and the broader United States to continue offering refuge and due process to asylum seekers seeking safety and freedom.
Conclusion
We are grateful to live in a state and nation that allows us to live out our biblically rooted convictions, disciple those under our care, and engage our leaders with these values. We recognize that faithful Christians, equally committed to the authority of Scripture, may at times differ in how they apply these principles. Even so, we pray that our state will honor God as we navigate both the challenges and opportunities presented by immigration and the global movement of refugees.
*Organizational affiliations are mentioned for identification purposes only.
Organizational affiliations are mentioned for identification purposes only.
Alphabetical List of Signatories:
Scott Agee, Missions Pastor, University Covenant Church, Davis, CA
Rev. Alex Aguas, Priest, Restoration Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Dr. Peter Altman, Associate Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
Rev. Benito Amaya, Reverand, City Gateway Covenant Church, Long Beach, CA
Sean Arisco, Lead Pastor, Society Church, Sacramento, CA
Rev. Jason Ashimoto, Senior Pastor, Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles, Rosemead, CA
Dan Baumgartner, Senior Pastor, The Cove Fellowship, Santa Rosa, CA
Seth Beardsley, Director, Central Presbyterian Church, Merced, CA
Rev. Kenton Beshore, Pastor, Mariners Church, Newport Beach, CA
Anne Bierling, Executive Director, La Canda Presbyterian, Porter Ranch, CA
Jennifer Blue, Director, Servant Partners, Los Angeles, CA
Rev. Tim Boynton, Pastor, Shoreline Church, Pebble Beach, CA
Sheri Briggs, President, Bridge of Hope SD, Inc., San Diego, CA
Rev. Kyle Brooks, Pastor, Tapestry Church, Oakland, CA
Martin Cachero, Pastor, Risen Church, San Diego, CA
Rev. Elizabeth Carroll, Senior Pastor, Oakland City Church, Oakland, CA
Curtis Chang, Executive Director, Good Faith Podcast, San Jose, CA
Rev. Raymond Chang, President, Asian American Christian Collaborative
Heather Chapman, Executive Director, Unidos South OC, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Rev. Noemi Chavez, Lead Pastor, Revive Church, Long Beach, CA
Will Chung, Lead Pastor, Beloved Church, Fullerton, CA
Jessica Chen Feng, Director, Fuller Theological Seminary Asian American Well-being Collaboratory, Pasadena, CA
Dr. James Choung, Author, Longing for Revival, Torrance, CA
Dr. E. Trey Clark, Dean of Chapel, Asst. Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
Dr. Clark Cowden, Pastor, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Redondo Beach, CA
Rev. Paul Cunningham, Senior Pastor, La Jolla Presbyterian Church, La Jolla, CA
Dr. Sarah Gonzales, Vice President, Real Life Church LA, Glendora, CA
Dr. David Dufault-Hunter, Board Chair, Mountainside Communion, South Pasadena, CA
Dr. Erin Dufault-Hunter, Author, Asst. Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary, South Pasadena, CA
Rev. Bernard Emerson, President, Converge PacWest, Oakdale, CA
Susie Fikse, Executive Director, Hope for San Diego, Poway, CA
Dr. Elyse Fitzpatrick, Author, Elyse Fitzpatrick Ministries, Escondido, CA
Joel Fitzpatrick, Author, Pastor, Escondido, CA
Rev. Cindy Frost, La Cañada Presbyterian, Pasadena, CA
Rev. Gary Gaddini, President, TBC, Redwood City, CA
Susie Gamez, Lead Pastor, Midtown Church Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, CA
Dr. Oscar Garcia-Johnson, Author, Fuller Theological Seminary, San Gabriel, CA
Rev. Dave Gibbons, Reverend, Newsong, Lake Forest, CA
Rev. Mary Glenn, Reverend, Cities Together, Pasadena, CA
Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, President, Fuller Theological Seminary, San Gabriel, CA
Rev. Brad Griffin, Pastor, Mountainside Communion, South Pasadena, CA
Jin Hyun Guzman de Leon, Pastor, La Verne, CA
Rev. Matt Hammett, Lead Pastor, Flood Church, San Diego, CA
Dr. Stanley Haauerwas, Author, Church of the Holy Family
Mary Charles Heath, Making Way Ministries, Pastor
Rev. Héctor Hermosillo, Senior Pastor, Misterio Internacional SEMILLA, Tustin CA
Dr. D. A. Horton, Asst. Prof, Director, Intercultural Studies, California Baptist University, Riverside, CA
Julie Hwang, Director, Citizens Church of Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Roy Inzunza, Executive Director, Square Patch, CA
Dr. Russell Jeung, Author, New Hope Covenant Church, Oakland, CA
Kevin Kang, Pastor, Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church, Glendale, CA
Tom Kang, Senior Pastor, NewStory Church, Los Angeles, CA
Rev. Bryan Kim, Senior Pastor, EKKO Church, Annaheim, CA
Kevin Kim, Crazy Love, Basil Tech CEO, San Mateo, CA
Roy Kim, Renew Church Orange County, Walnut, CA
Dave Kitani, Pastor, New Life Community Church - Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, CA
Heidi Kwon, Clergy, EKKO Church, Annaheim, CA
Rev. Hyuk Been Kwon, Lead Pastor, Seed Church, La Mirada, CA
Karo Ku, President, Overflowing Ministries, Irvine, CA
Dr. Mark Labberton, Author, President (Retired), Fuller Theological Seminary, Piedmont, CA
Dr. Daniel Lee, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
Dr. Hak Joon Lee, Author, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
Leslie Lemmon, Assistant Pastor, Eureka Faith Center, Eureka, CA
Rev. Lee de Leon, Pastor, Templo Calvario, Santa Ana, CA
Rev. Andy Lewis, Lead Pastor, Faith Community Church, Santa Cruz, CA
Joshua Lim, Lead Pastor, Family Chapel, Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Christina Littlefield, Pepperdine University, Thousand Oaks, CA
Ryan Maroney, Lead Pastor, Branches Church, San Clemente, CA
Deborah Masten, Director, Serve Globally and Evangelical Covenant Church, Redondo Beach, CA
Dr. Michael McClenahan, Executive Director, The Fellowship Community, La Crescenta, CA
Crystal McKiernan, Director, Love Stanislaus County, Modesto, CA
Rev. Darin McWatters, Lead Pastor, Fullerton Free Church, Fullerton, CA
Molly Meyer, Director, Valley Christian School, San Jose, CA
Jason Min, Lead Pastor, Citizens LA, Los Angeles, CA
Kyung Min, Senior Pastor, Nachimban Church, La Habra, CA
Rev. Phyllis Myung, Lead Pastor, New City Church of LA, Los Angeles, CA
Patrick Nagle, Lead Pastor, Redeemer Modesto, Modesto, CA
Christine Nolf, Pastor, Redemption Church, Costa Mesa, CA
David Nusz, Clergy, Orange County Dept. of Probation, Newport Beach, CA
Dr. Janette Ok, Reverend, Fuller Theological Seminary & EKKO Church, Orange, CA
Diane Pate, Pastor, Salinas Valley Community Church, Salinas, CA
Nicola Patton, Pastor, The Church We Hope For, CA
Ryan Pfeiffer, Lead Pastor, North Coast Calvary Chapel, Encinitas, CA
Jeff Pishney, CEO, Love Our Cities, Modesto, CA
Rev. Brannin Pitre, President, Together LA, Pasadena, CA
Dr. Soong Chan Rah, Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
Ryan Reed, Pastor, Lakeside Church, Folsom, CA
Willie Register, Assistant Pastor, North Coast Calvary Chapel, Carlsbad, CA
Ellen Reyes, Reverend, Free Methodist Church USA, CA
Zachary Riley, Lead Pastor, Radiant Covenant Church, Modesto, CA
Dr. Robert Chao Romero, Author
Dr. Alexia Salvatierra, Centro Latino, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
Rev. Lance Sherwood, Lead Pastor, Communion Church, San Diego, CA
Dr. Efrem Smith, Lead Pastor, Midtown Church, Sacramento, CA
Dr. Joshua Smith, Lead Pastor, Mountainside Communion Church of the Nazarene, Monrovia, CA
Ian Stevenson, Executive Director, Trellis, Costa Mesa, CA
Amy Stoehr, Pastor, The River Family Church, Vista, CA
Rev. Len Tang, Director, Fuller Church Planting Initiative, Pasadena, CA
Rachel Taylor, Pastor, Great Exchange Covenant Church, Sunnyvale, CA
Angie Te, Pastor, New City Church of LA, Pasadena, CA
Jessica Thompson, Pastor, Risen Church, Poway, CA
Dan Toro, Pastor, North Coast Calvary Chapel, Carlsbad, CA
Rev. Grant Van Leuven, Pastor, Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church, San Diego, CA
Ruby Varghese, Pastor, Evangelical Covenant Church, Pasadena, CA
Dr. David Wang, Pastor, Fuller Theological Seminary & One Life City Church, Fullerton, CA
Brian Warth, Lead Pastor, Chapel of Change, Los Angeles, CA
Alisha Wilson, Pastor, Lakeside Church, Cameron Park, CA
Haley Wilson, Director, Bridge Community Church, Orange, CA
Michelle Wilson, Senior Pastor, Coast Vineyard, San Diego, CA
Brad Wong, Lead Pastor, The River Church Community, San Jose, CA
Julie Wood, Missions Pastor, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA
Kimberly Yim, Author, Harbor Point
Rev. Christine Youn, Reverend, NorCal District Church of the Nazarene, Dublin, CA
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which was established with strong bipartisan support in 1980, is a vital legal pathway to safety for refugees. For decades, this program has offered people facing persecution because of their religious beliefs, political opinions, race or other grounds protected under the law the opportunity to begin their lives anew and enjoy the freedoms we value in safety.
According to World Relief’s recent report with our partners at Open Doors U.S., over 122 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes, including at least 365 million Christians live under the threat of persecution and discrimination. As defenders of international religious liberty, we are concerned by an attempt to suspend refugee resettlement. Refugee resettlement has played a vital role in protecting Christian brothers and sisters from persecution and death, along with those persecuted for other reasons.
World Relief has partnered with the federal government and with thousands of local churches since 1979 to help resettle refugees in the U.S. as a part of our command to care for those fleeing crises. One way we can do so is to faithfully steward the voices God has entrusted us with by advocating for a robust U.S. refugee resettlement program so that our fellow believers may find safe harbor to practice their faith.
Why Advocate?
At World Relief, our commitment to advocate on behalf of the poor and oppressed is based on the example of Jesus. We believe that such advocacy is an important witness to a watching world about the character of Jesus.
We consider it an essential task to engage and challenge the church, reminding leaders and congregations alike that our Christian faith should compel us to seek justice and mercy for the vulnerable and suffering.
So whatever the changes to policy, our calling and our commitment to advocate on behalf of the orphan, the widow and the stranger among us will not.
Will you join us?