Nearly six in 10 senior pastors of Protestant churches support immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship, according to a new survey from LifeWay Research.
Many of the pastors hope reform will help them minister to more Hispanic Americans. But few say the current immigration system hurts current members of their churches.
The poll of 1,007 senior pastors of Protestant churches, conducted Sept. 4–19, comes as immigration reform has stalled on Capitol Hill. The Senate passed a bill this past summer that includes a path to citizenship, but a House version of the bill seems dead, with House representative John Boehner telling reporters Nov. 13, “We have no intention of ever going to conference on the Senate bill.”
According to the survey, 58 percent of Protestant pastors agree with the statement: “I am in favor of immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for those who are currently in the country illegally.”
Just more than half (51 percent) agree that “Immigration reform will help our church, denomination or movement reach Hispanic Americans.” Among pastors in favor of immigration reform with a path to citizenship, 67 percent say it will help their church, denomination or movement reach Hispanic Americans.
A number of denominations, including the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), have passed resolutions in favor of immigration reform in recent years. A 2011 SBC resolution on immigration can be accessed at www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=12123.
Several national faith leaders — including Russell Moore, president of the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; representatives from the National Association of Evangelicals and others — met with President Obama on Nov. 13 to discuss immigration reform.
“The president and the leaders discussed their shared commitment to raise the moral imperative for immigration reform and said they will continue keeping the pressure on Congress so they can swiftly pass common-sense reform,” according to a White House release.
Alejandro Mandes, national director of Immigrant Hope, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that trains churches on how to assist immigrants, has worked on immigration reform for a decade. Protestant pastors and groups like the National Association of Evangelicals once were reluctant to get involved in immigration issues. That’s changed, he said, as American culture and congregations have become more diverse.
“A lot of congregations have realized that they are now on a missions field,” Mandes said. “For me, it is not about politics. It is about the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.”
(BP, ABP)
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