Why do church leaders need to hear the message of this book right now?
This issue is at our doorstep. In our global world, this topic is more relevant now than ever before. Church leaders don’t need a book that shames them, but rather equips, emboldens and encourages them. The book tackles this topic in a sensitive but engaging way that helps individuals and churches to take practical next steps. The mix of compelling storytelling and empowering biblical teaching is set up well for both individual reading and small group engagement, with reflection questions included at the end of each chapter.
What are some things that the Western church needs to discard, include or change if we want to lovingly receive refugees and immigrants into our congregations and communities?
Fear is the primary thing we must discard/change in the Western church. A large part of the book deals with fear—not just fear of “the stranger” but our own feelings of inadequacy or ignorance when it comes to reaching out to anyone different from us. The book provides several practical pathways out of fear, to help the church feel empowered to engage the immigrants, refugees and other strangers in their communities.
How do immigrants and refugees strengthen the church?
Every single day, by God’s miraculous rescue, people land on our shores hoping to build a life and a new family. The church in the West has a choice to embrace these brothers and sisters as our own, to ignore them, or worse. In the end, we believe when we embrace them, the church has just as much to receive as it does to give from our future family in Christ.