LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 363

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
Purpose of the Study
The increasing migration of peoples across international borders is a global
reality of our times that has significantly impacted the United States in recent
years. Broadly speaking, the growing presence of immigrants among us has
increased the church’s awareness of the need for her witness among people of
all nations through ministries of mission and mercy. The church has also had
to consider her attitude towards immigrants, how she should respond to their
needs, struggles, treatment, well-being, and hopes.1 In particular, the presence
of immigrants who live in the U.S. illegally or without proper legal documentation has raised further questions for workers and congregations of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) concerning the church’s response
to immigration issues in our day.
In June 2006, the President of the LCMS and the Executive Director of
LCMS World Relief and Human Care issued a joint memorandum titled A
Statement Regarding Immigration Concerns that affirmed “the right, responsibility, and authority of the government to act as God’s agent, according to what
is reasonable and just, in the creation and enforcement of laws (Rom. 13:1-7).”2
The document also reminded a Synod with historic immigrant roots that, in
spite of the complexity of the national immigration debate and the diverse
positions Lutherans might take on the issue, “God, in His Word, consistently
shows His loving concern for ‘the stranger in our midst’ and directs His people
to do the same.”3 Furthermore, the statement declared that, “in order to fulfill
our Christian obligation, we also request that the charitable act of providing
assistance to undocumented aliens not otherwise engaged in illegal activity not
be criminalized ipso facto.”4 In short, SRIC upheld the need for Christians to be
both obedient to the government authorities on matters concerning immigration and compassionate towards our immigrant neighbors.
In 2007, the LCMS Blue Ribbon Task Force on Hispanic Ministry (BRTFHM), appointed in 2006 by the President of the LCMS “to study and
determine the best methodology for the Synod to move aggressively in its

1
Statements on the topic of immigration have been issued by various Christian groups. We
note here only two: (1) Strangers No Longer, a Joint Pastoral Letter of the Mexican and U.S. bishops issued in 2003 and (2) “Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform,” a
document prepared by a number of prominent Evangelical leaders in 2012.
2
Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick and Rev. Matthew Harrison, A Statement Regarding Immigration Concerns [hereafter SRIC] (June 2, 2006).
3

Ibid.

4
Ibid. In 2007, the LCMS in convention expressed thanks for SRIC in Res. 6-04A (“To Encourage and Assist Congregations to Respond to the Ministry Needs of the Immigrants in their
Midst”) and encouraged government officials to exercise “compassionate mercy” towards the
immigrant. For a brief summary of Synodical resolutions and statements on immigration issues
dating back to 1965, see “Immigration,” in This We Believe: Selected Topics of Faith and Practice in
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod [hereafter This We Believe], 28-29.

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A Lutheran response to immigration issues is too broad a task to undertake from a comprehensive U.S. historical perspective or in light of the
complex and ever changing nature of political and legal factors in the contemporary U.S. immigration landscape. The goal of this document, therefore,
is to offer neither a comprehensive history of the lives, struggles, and reception of Lutheran immigrants in the U.S. nor a detailed historical account of
the diversity of Lutheran attitudes towards other immigrant groups in the
U.S. over time.9 Suffice it to say that, in the last century, the LCMS has shown
significant interest regarding immigration issues. A number of past LCMS
resolutions have urged members to study and consider endorsing immigration proposals that seek to protect “the basic family unit,” allow the resettling
of a “proper share” of refugees, promote the entry of immigrants to the U.S.
with “special skills,” serve “the total needs” of migrant workers, and sponsor
refugee families.10
The current study seeks neither to promote or endorse a specific type of
immigration policy or legislation all LCMS Lutherans should normatively
adhere to or support, nor to offer individual Christians or congregations specific legal advice on immigration issues. Rather, the main goal of the present
study is to offer some biblical and confessional principles and guidelines to
LCMS lay members, congregations, and church workers as they reflect—
individually or corporately either as members of the church, or as citizens
or residents11 of the nation—on their Christian responsibilities towards their
immigrant neighbors. The study is addressed especially, although not exclusively, to Lutherans who are asking how they can engage in mission, mercy
work, and spiritual care among immigrants who live in their midst—whether
documented or not—while also upholding their responsibility to obey the

9
For a brief historical account, see Stephen Bouman and Ralston Deffenbaugh, They Are Us:
Lutherans and Immigration (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2009), 24-53; while an in-depth historical study would be worthwhile, SRIC succinctly captures both the struggles of Lutheran
immigrants and their overall reception of other immigrants over time by reminding us that “…
our founding fathers were immigrants. Many of them came to this country to escape religious
oppression with the hope of living in a land where one would have the freedom to worship
according to one’s convictions. Many others came to these shores to improve the economic lot
of their families. With this as part of its history, the LCMS has been sensitive to the needs of
immigrants across its 159-year history. In the early decades, the LCMS welcomed many more
immigrants, largely of European descent, into its congregations… Through social ministry organizations and a partnership with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), many
immigrant and refugee communities have been and continue to be served… African, Asian,
Hispanic, and other immigrant ministries are springing up and flourishing in our midst.”
10
The resolutions are the following: 1965 Res. 9-20, “To Urge Our People to Study Immigration Proposals Before Congress”; 1969 Res. 9-20, “To Give Attention to Plight of Migrant Farm
Workers”; and 1977 Res. 8-15, “To Encourage Congregations to Sponsor Refugee Families”,
with similar resolutions on sponsorship following in 1979 (Res. 8-02), 1981 (Res. 8-01), 1983
(Res. 1-11A), 1986 (Res. 7-13A), 1989 (Res. 7-01), 1992 (Res. 7-15, Res. 7-16), 2001 (Res. 6-11), and
2004 (Res. 6-06). See “Immigration,” in This We Believe, 28.
11
Throughout the document, the term “resident” is used to refer to a “lawful permanent resident” (see Appendix II A.3 below).

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363

mission to Hispanics (Latinos),”5 agreed with SRIC’s endorsement of “both governmental authority and Christian responsibility” in dealing with immigration
concerns.6 The BRTFHM report also noted that “professional church workers
and laity need a theological guide for responding as individuals and through
their congregations” to immigration issues, and in one of its final recommendations requested that the Commission on Theology and Church Relations
(CTCR) of the LCMS “prepare a position paper on immigration” dealing with
“the Christian’s legal and biblical responsibilities for ‘welcoming the stranger.’”7
As a result of the aforementioned efforts, Resolution 6-05 titled “To Petition CTCR To Provide Guidance Re Immigration and Ministry to Immigrants”
was prepared in 2007 for consideration at the 63rd Regular Convention of the
LCMS. The resolution asked the LCMS in convention “to direct the CTCR to
research thoroughly the historical and theological foundations relevant to this
crisis issue affecting LCMS congregations across the country, where many immigrants attend,” to “address the issues of church and state that impact Christian
response to neighbors who find themselves in ambiguous legal circumstances,”
and to present the study’s “theological and practical directions and guidelines”
to the 2010 convention. Although time constraints prevented the resolution from
consideration during the convention, in a 2008 memorandum the President of
the LCMS formally requested the CTCR to complete the study.8

5
Report of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Hispanic Ministry Report: One Mission, One Message, One
People/ Una Misión, Un Mensaje, Un Pueblo (2007), 2. The document is available online at http://
www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CD
MQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseminary.csl.edu%2Ffacultypubs%2FLinkClick.aspx%3Flink%
3DBRTFHM%2BDraft%2B5%252C%2Brev%2Bb%2B-%2Bno%2Bcover%2Bletter.doc%26tabid%3
D110%26mid%3D684&ei=EvCkUNHJJ4Xq8gTl7IHwBw&usg=AFQjCNHqie9xzhiF7jjozf5ip6zhJ
k8i0Q&sig2=GGNC1FDsB2enDG95e9n1Ig. The document is also available in Spanish as Reporte
del Comité Cinta Azul sobre los Ministerios Hispanos: One Mission, One Message, One People/ Una
Misión, Un Mensaje, Un Pueblo (2007) online at http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&es
rc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CDcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsem
inary.csl.edu%2Ffacultypubs%2FLinkClick.aspx%3Flink%3DBRTFHM-En%2BEspanol%2Brevc.
doc%26tabid%3D155%26mid%3D685&ei=sfCkUPTuDIe69QTwiYCABA&usg=AFQjCNGSCVE7
WW2Cx1r12la2dAsXMurXnA&sig2=cUwWwd-bYyYVs5djWOtOFg.
6

Ibid., 11 (Spanish version, p. 12).

7
Ibid., 11-12 (Spanish version, pp. 12-13). While the BRTFHM understandably included a representative group of Hispanic Lutheran church workers and lay leaders from across the U.S., it
should be noted that a significant number of participants from various boards of the LCMS at the
time, as well as church workers and lay leaders from various non-Anglo and non-Hispanic ethnic
groups in the Synod, also contributed to the deliberations of the task force that led to its final
recommendations to the LCMS.
8
Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, Memorandum “To Petition CTCR To Provide Guidance Re Immigration and Ministry to Immigrants” (March 10, 2008). The present report of the CTCR focuses primarily on issues related to the particular reality of immigration into the U.S. by individuals from
Latin American countries. At the same time, the theological concerns of the report have a wider
application, for the report discusses the general idea of immigration on the basis of Scripture’s
teachings. The CTCR wishes to stress that the theological emphases of the report have validity for
immigration in general and are not limited to immigration from Latin America alone.

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government authorities and the immigration laws they enact.12 Since the
study focuses on theological and pastoral responses to immigration concerns,
including the particular issue of illegal immigration, references to historical,
political, legal, and other factors are only touched upon when and if they relate
to this overall focus.
The study lays out a theological and pastoral response to immigration
issues in seven parts. Each of the first four parts presents a Lutheran theological approach or framework for engaging immigration issues, which includes
some practical implications for dealing with immigrant neighbors. Parts I and
II deal with the Christian’s twofold responsibility to love the neighbor and
obey the civil authorities, highlighting the tension between these two equally
valid demands of the law of love in the life of the Christian. Parts III and IV
deal with God’s work of preservation in the world through the two realms or
kingdoms, focusing on how Christians approach their responsibilities in both
realms through the exercise of particular vocations on behalf of the specific
neighbors God has placed into our lives. The discussion on vocation ends with
a brief exhortation on the need for repentance and forgiveness among Christians, who are often on different sides of a frequently heated debate, as they
seek to serve various neighbors faithfully through their distinct God-given
vocations.
The last three parts of the document focus on further practical issues.
While not answering all questions or presenting all possible cases that may
arise, Part V offers some guidelines for church workers. The guidelines seek
to clarify some issues related to the church’s response to undocumented
immigrants in certain situations or direct them to other resources for further
consultation. However, these guidelines in particular, and the whole document in general, should neither be construed as nor take the place of legal
counsel. Two appendices conclude the document. Appendix I allows for further application of the theological and pastoral framework presented earlier
through a case-study approach to situations involving immigration issues.
Appendix II provides basic definitions for some important immigration and
theological terms, many of which are used throughout this document.

12
The document is not addressed specifically to members of LCMS congregations who are immigrants, whether they live in the U.S. legally or illegally. More broadly, the study is addressed
to LCMS church workers and members of congregations—some of whom, of course, may be
immigrants themselves—who are seeking guidance as they reflect on immigration issues. It
is expected, therefore, that LCMS church workers and congregations who work most closely
among and with immigrants will benefit the most from reading and studying the document.

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2013 Convention Workbook