Founded by Texas worship leaders Shane and Shane, the Worship Initiative equips and encourages thousands of worship leaders and church musicians.

Several Texas Baptist schools have seen the value of partnering with the Worship Initiative.

Robbie Seay, executive vice president of leader development and content at the Worship Initiative, explained when Shane and Shane began the initiative, their “aim was really to come around worship leaders, any men and women who were leading churches, leading college students, college students, high school students, all of the above.”

“How can we come around them and equip them for the work of ministry?” they asked.

The founders also saw a need to encourage worship leaders by providing a space to build community with other worship leaders when they began the Worship Initiative about a decade ago, Seay noted.

Seay described Worship Initiative as “a training and resourcing platform.”

When worship leaders subscribe and login to the platform, “they engage with content that teaches them from the basics of learning a song to the complexities of what it means to actually have a theology of worship.”

Content also answers questions such as: “How do I lead a team? How do I play with a band? How do I grow on my instrument?”

“There’s nothing quite like the training and resourcing platform that we provide,” Seay said.

Texas Baptists-related partnerships

At Houston Christian University, one Texas Baptists-related school that utilizes Worship Initiative, student worship leaders go to the platform to learn hymns and spiritual songs—and the scriptures associated with those songs—to prepare for student-led convocation worship.

HCU students engage the platform “as a team as they lead their peers in worship,” Seay explained.

Dallas Baptist University also subscribes to the Worship Initiative. But in their partnership, a team from the Worship Initiative goes to the campus once a semester for in-person training.

“The drummers are gathering with one of our experts, and they’re talking about what it means to play drums in the context of worship,” Seay gave as an example.

Whether the students are receiving training for chapel or other worship leading opportunities on campus, they are learning and growing through in-person engagement, he said.

At Baylor University, Chason Disharoon, associate director of the Dunn Center for Christian Music Studies in the Baylor School of Music, explained the Dunn Center hosts an annual summer music camp geared specifically toward high school students with an interest in worship leadership.

He noted 2025 will be the 11th year of the event, called Worship Lab. Through the years, the Dunn Center has partnered with Worship Initiative for Worship Lab in several ways.

 At times, Worship Initiative has offered product trials of their platform to the students. Other times, Worship Initiative team members have talked in-person to campers about Worship Initiative’s products.

 This July, Disheroon said, “Worship Initiative will send a team of leaders to our event to teach in breakout classes on specific instruments within the worship band.

“This partnership is invaluable, in that it allows our students to receive training directly from those who are pouring attention and energy into building the Worship Initiative platform and further championing the equipping of young people,” he explained.

Disheroon noted as an aside that Seay is a past member of the board of advisers for the Dunn Center and “one of the key leaders in the design of our program at Baylor.

“His position at Worship Initiative is a continuation of his passion for educating future ministers and building leaders, starting with the young people who are committed to serving in churches across the country.”

At Hardin-Simmons University, a closer partnership with Worship Initiative is under discussion.

“We are currently in the planning stages of partnering with them to offer more resources and valuable experiences for our worship leadership students at HSU,” said Tiffany Stotts, director of worship leadership, associate director of spiritual formation for worship and instructor of worship at HSU.

HSU developed the worship leadership major in 2020, officially opening it to students in 2021. The degree is custom designed and not offered anywhere else.

In fact, “it’s the only degree in Texas where you can get a full worship leadership degree (as a) major and not just, like, a track or emphasis,” Stotts said.

Stotts also oversees all the worship teams for the whole school. That includes chapel twice a week, with student-led worship. Additionally, the school outsources worship teams to provide worship leadership in the community and at events around the state.

In the past, Stotts explained, HSU used Worship Initiative just as “an amazing resource” for anyone in the worship field.

“They have a great, affordable system that you can just sign up for as a user—where you get access to all of their trainings, and their chord charts and recordings.”

But over time, people she knew well from her work at HSU, and DBU previously, joined the staff of the Worship Initiative. One of these connections, Adam Westlake, served on her worship team at DBU on electric guitar as a freshman.

Westlake now is responsible for much of the electric guitar training for Worship Initiative, as well as running the studio and producing tracks, Stotts explained. Their friendship has led to multiple conversations over the past year about ways their partnership may expand at HSU.

Stotts noted “everything at Hardin-Simmons is really growing.”

HSU recently opened a new College of Arts and Media, which includes the school of music, theater, arts and communications.

“There’s not really another College of Arts and Media in Texas, especially at a Christian college,” she explained. Hardin-Simmons is trying to “offer something here that you can’t get anywhere else,” she said.

While nothing is finalized yet, the two organizations are working out the details of an expanded partnership. One of their main goals is to help HSU worship leadership students build community and have resources when they graduate. So, Stotts sees this as an area where Worship Initiative can provide additional value.

“Because of all their connections at Worship Initiative, … they’re kind of the hub,” Stotts said. “If I need to know something about worship, and I need to talk to people who are professionals in their field, but also love the Lord and who genuinely are doing this with a ministry heart, I’m going to call Robbie Seay.”

‘Worship pastors,’ not ‘worship artists’

Stotts said worship leaders don’t make a relationship with God happen, but they do strive to facilitate an environment where people are invited to come and meet God.

“We are musicians. And we want it to be done well, but we don’t want it to be a performance,” she said. “We want to be so good at what we do that we kind of disappear.”

“There’s a difference between worship pastor and worship artist,” Stotts explained. It’s a different mindset that the team at Worship Initiative understands, she said.

Tom Tillman, director of music and worship in Texas Baptists’ Center for Church Health, said he has worked with the Worship Initiative team on a number of occasions.

“We are here to help people in their ministries, so we point folks to resources like this all the time,” Tillman said, noting “networking and partnerships are always important.”

The Worship Initiative seeks to address three concerns with their platform: lack of Christ-centered, biblically rooted worship in the church; lack of qualified, passionate and healthy leaders to assume roles of worship leadership in the church; and lack of effective resourcing and training for worship leaders and musicians in the church.

The platform currently serves about 10,000 worship leaders, but expects that number to triple through their expanding partnerships with Texas Baptists-related universities and Baptist seminaries within and outside of Texas, along with other organizations, Seay said.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Appearing at two events Feb. 6, both part of the festivities surrounding the National Prayer Breakfast, President Donald Trump spoke about the centrality of religious belief to the United States and announced he would create a new presidential commission on religious liberty.

“From the earliest days of our republic, faith in God has always been the ultimate source of the strength that beats in the hearts of our nation,” Trump said in his first appearance in front of a gathering of lawmakers in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

“We have to bring religion back. We have to bring it back much stronger.”

Later, at a separate National Prayer Breakfast gathering at the Washington Hilton hotel, Trump announced he would appoint Florida Pastor Paula White to lead his White House faith office, as she did at the end of the first Trump administration.

At the Capitol, talking to members of Congress from both parties, Trump expressed hope lawmakers will find common ground—specifically mentioning transgender rights, which he inveighed against during his presidential campaign.

He related a conversation with a transgender rights supporter who opposed the president’s recent executive order banning transgender women from women’s sports. While he didn’t agree with the person, Trump added, “He’s a good person, and just believes it.”

Trump, once identifying as a Presbyterian but in recent years calling himself a nondenominational Christian, closed his speech to lawmakers with an endorsement of religious belief.

“I really believe you can’t be happy without religion, without that belief,” Trump said.

The remarks came as his administration finds itself at odds with several religious groups that have objected to recent orders halting humanitarian aid, ending the U.S. refugee program and giving law enforcement officials permission to raid houses of worship in search of migrants.

Several administration figures, including Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance, have criticized U.S. Catholic bishops and other faith leaders for their use of federal funds.

Background for the two events

The National Prayer Breakfast, which has been held since 1953, was convened for most of its history by the International Foundation, a Christian group more familiarly referred to as “The Family,” and for decades met at the Washington Hilton.

Beginning in 2010, after the publication of journalist Jeff Sharlet’s 2008 book on the group, questions arose about how the breakfast granted access for conservative Christians to the White House and Congress.

In 2023, a new organization held its breakfast on Capitol Hill, while many of the previous organizers of the International Foundation continued to meet at the hotel.

Trump saved his announcements about the new religious liberty commission and the return of White for the crowd of thousands at the Hilton. After White introduced the president, he said, “This week, I’m also creating the White House faith office led by Pastor Paula White, who is so amazing.”

Trump did not give any other details about the commission, other than saying: “It’s going to be a very big deal, which will work tirelessly to uphold this most fundamental right. Unfortunately, in recent years, we’ve seen the sacred liberty threatened like never before in American history.”

The president also said he will create a task force, which will be overseen by Attorney General Pam Bondi, that will “eradicate anti-Christian bias,” making good on a promise he made on the campaign trail.

Trump pointed to his recent decision to pardon 23 anti-abortion protesters who were convicted of illegally blockading a reproductive health clinic in D.C. as evidence of his dedication to the cause.

President George W. Bush originally instituted the White House faith-based office as the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to coordinate outreach to faith communities and help foster economic opportunity.

President Barack Obama recast it as the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, a name later reinstated by Joe Biden.

In the past, the director of the faith-based initiative has been involved with supporting national and Cabinet-level efforts to partner with religious and community groups to address social needs, from fighting the Ebola virus to feeding hungry schoolchildren.

In his first administration, Trump only set up his version of the office, under White, late in his administration, but White already had been filling some functions in connecting the White House to faith groups, mostly evangelical pastors.

Several groups push back

On Feb. 4, religious groups that help resettle refugees in the United States demonstrated outside the White House to protest the administration’s decision to bar refugees from the country and the administration’s alleged refusal to pay for already completed resettlement work.

Musk, the president’s adviser and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has alleged—without evidence—that federal funding for various Lutheran organizations that perform humanitarian work is “illegal.”

Vance has chastised the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for joining with an array of religious groups that have condemned the president’s executive orders related to immigration, questioning the prelates’ motivations as rooted in a concern for their “bottom line.”

Several Quaker groups have filed a lawsuit aimed at overturning an executive order rescinding the sensitive-locations policy, which discouraged immigration enforcement agents from raiding schools, hospitals and churches. The groups say the order violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

On Feb. 5, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship joined the suit.

Trump spent his first full day in sparring with Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde, decrying her as a “so-called bishop” for a sermon at the Washington National Cathedral in which she pleaded with Trump to have mercy on transgender children and immigrants.

As they have in the past, atheist and secular groups criticized the prayer gatherings themselves as an inappropriate mixing of politics and religion. The Freedom From Religion Foundation Action Fund joined other groups in a letter urging members of Congress not to attend the breakfasts or related events.

In a separate letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, four members of Congress called the Statuary Hall event “an affront to the Establishment Clause” of the U.S. Constitution that “promotes division by excluding certain people while privileging others.”

“Just as there will always be prayer in school as long as there are math tests, there will always be prayer in the Capitol as long as there are tough votes,” Scott MacConomy, director of policy and government affairs for the Secular Coalition for America, told RNS.

“That doesn’t mean it should be institutionalized with an annual event inside the Capitol near the statue of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the ‘wall of separation’ between church and state.”

Richa Karmarkar and Adelle M. Banks contributed to this report.

Organizers announced the formation and launch of The Marsh Institute for Chaplains, a nonprofit organization dedicated to collaborating, equipping, supporting and advocating for chaplains in diverse settings.

The Marsh Institute builds on five and a half years of work of the Gerald E. Marsh Center for Chaplain Studies, a chaplain-focused endeavor of B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary.

“The Marsh Institute marks a transformative step in our mission,” said Jim Browning, a career military chaplain and co-founder of the Marsh Center for Chaplain Studies.

“It all started with the simple idea that we can do more to enhance a chaplain’s ministry by working together than apart. By establishing this new nonprofit organization focused entirely on enhancing the diverse ministry of chaplains through collaborative engagements with chaplains, institutions, organizations and seminaries, we achieve synergy in our combined efforts.”

As the Marsh Institute’s director and chairman of the board, Browning added, “Our response to God’s sacred calling to care and support people from all walks of life anchors this work.”

Demands for qualified and effective chaplains are growing in the United States and globally, organizers said. But they are concerned the equipping and training pieces often lag behind the demand for more chaplains.

Find ways to collaborate

The Marsh Institute’s vision is to enhance the competency and effectiveness of chaplains by working alongside partners. By leveraging this synergy, the Marsh Institute can strengthen the effectiveness of chaplains through shared curriculum development, research of chaplain-related issues, and public advocacy of chaplains and their ministries, Browning said.

“Many wonderful chaplain organizations exist with amazing operations, but they often operate independently with each other,” he said. “When we find ways to collaborate on issues affecting chaplains and their ministries, we learn so much from each other. Additionally, we will then leverage limited resources by not ‘reinventing the wheel.’”

Jim Spivey, a founding fellow of the B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary and Marsh Center for Chaplain Studies, joins in the launch of the new Marsh Institute.

Spivey, a retired military chaplain and long-time educator, said too many institutions work with limited resources and insufficient capacity to meet the growing demand for highly skilled chaplains.

“Seminaries are responding, but most lack the resources to offer more than an introductory course,” Spivey said. “For instance, by developing and making curriculum widely available to seminaries, we strengthen a stronger foundation for the role and function of chaplains in every setting.”

Carroll Seminary will continue to train chaplains

B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University will continue to offer chaplaincy training through its Master of Divinity in Chaplaincy program and its Master of Arts in Christian Ministry degree with a chaplaincy specialization, said Gene Wilkes, dean of the seminary.

“I am grateful for the partnership we have shared with the Marsh Center, and I look forward to opportunities to equip chaplains with Drs. Browning and Spivey and the Marsh Institute,” Wilkes said.

Named after a former seminary professor and chaplain Gerald E. Marsh, the Marsh Institute honors his long legacy of dedication and service as an educator and chaplain, organizers noted.

In conjunction with the Institute’s launch, organizers announced the second edition release of The Heart of a Chaplain: Exploring Essentials for Ministry.

Initially released in 2022, the second edition adds several new chapters, reflection questions, case studies, and a more global perspective of chaplaincy. It will be available online and through The Marsh Institute for Chaplains in the spring.

Texas executed Steven Nelson on Feb. 5 for the 2011 murder of Clint Dobson, pastor of NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington.

Nelson was sentenced to die after a Tarrant County jury found him guilty of capital murder for beating and suffocating the 28-year-old pastor in his church office during a robbery attempt.

Church secretary Judy Elliott also was beaten severely and left for dead but survived the assault. She died last September.

Dobson earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University and his Master of Divinity degree from Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary, where he was named 2008 Preacher of the Year.

No members of Dobson’s family witnessed Nelson’s execution, but the Dallas Morning News reported Elliott’s son was present.

Nelson’s wife Noa Dubois also attended the execution, and his spiritual adviser Jeff Hood was in the death chamber when Nelson received a lethal injection.

At the time of his trial and in the intervening years, Nelson admitted to the attempted robbery but claimed two other men involved in the crime killed Dobson and bludgeoned Elliott.

Physical evidence placed Nelson in proximity to Dobson and Elliott, and investigating officers found his fingerprints at the crime scene.

His death sentence was upheld after multiple appeals. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied his request for a stay of execution one week before he was put to death. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal hours before his execution.

“After years of legal battles, Steven Nelson was punished for his heinous crimes, and justice finally has been served,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a public statement released soon after Nelson’s execution.

“My heart is with the family and friends of Pastor Clint Dobson, as well as the loved ones of every victim who suffered at the hands of this monster. Ensuring that Texas law is upheld and capital sentences are carried out is a somber responsibility. Victims deserve justice, and criminals who commit heinous crimes such as this must be punished.”

Nelson’s execution marked the first in Texas this year and the second in the United States in 2025.

The Texas Senate approved an education savings account bill that would allow public funds to go to private religious schools. The measure now will be considered in the House of Representatives, where it has faced stiff opposition in past legislative sessions.

Senate Bill 2, sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, passed 19-12 with all but one Republican in favor and all Democrats in opposition. Sen. Robert Nichols of Jacksonville was the lone Republican who voted in opposition.

Creighton asserted the education savings account program the bill creates would offer “expanded education freedom to our students and our families” in Texas.

John Litzler, director of public policy for the Christian Life Commission, noted Texas Baptists’ moral concerns agency “historically opposed vouchers, including Education Savings Accounts, on many grounds, but chief among them is concerns about infringement on religious liberty.”

Senate Bill 2 provides a $10,000 education savings account for an approved student without disabilities and $11,500 for a student with disabilities to attend an accredited private school. Payments are directed by parents but sent directly to the schools.

“Many of the private schools that will receive tax dollars are religious and include religious instruction and worship as part of the curriculum,” Litzler noted.

Supported by governor and lieutenant governor

Both Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott have expressed strong support for the education savings account program.

Patrick made Creighton’s bill a priority item for the Senate, second only to the state budget.

“Texans across the political spectrum agree that parents must have options to choose the school that best fits the needs of their child to ensure their success,” Patrick said.

During his State of the State address Feb. 2 in Austin, Abbott declared “school choice” an emergency item for the 89th Texas Legislative Session. Emergency items can be voted on during the first 60 days of the session, a period typically devoted to forming committees and other organizational matters.

“Government-mandated schools cannot meet the unique needs of every student. But Texas can provide families with choices to meet those needs,” Abbott said.

“We will continue to fully fund public schools and raise teacher pay, while also giving parents the choice they deserve.”

The Senate has passed school voucher-style initiatives in previous legislative sessions, but those bills have been defeated in the Texas House by a coalition of rural Republicans and urban Democrats.

However, Abbott targeted House Republicans who voted against the education savings account bill he supported in 2023. He successfully campaigned to replace 11 House Republicans with new lawmakers who support his voucher-style plan.

Of the $1 billion allocated for the education savings account program in the proposed budget—twice the amount of a similar bill that passed the Senate in the 2023 session before being defeated in the House—the Senate bill makes $200 million available to any students.

The bulk of the funds—$800 million—would be earmarked for special-needs children and “low-income” families, broadly defined as families making five times the federal poverty level.

That means a single parent making $105,000 a year—or a family of four making more than $150,000 a year—would qualify. During the Senate debate, Creighton repeatedly referred to the maximum as the combined income of a firefighter and a schoolteacher.

Opposition voiced

“Pure and simple, this voucher scheme is a scam,” said Charles Foster Johnson, executive director of Pastors for Texas Children.

It would benefit “private schools that do not take every child, that do not provide transportation, breakfast and lunch, and that will likely raise their tuition the amount of the voucher anyway,” he said.

A majority of Texas senators long ago “forsook their oath” to support “free public schools,” as required by Article 7 of the Texas Constitution, he asserted.

“So, this is no surprise,” said Johnson, interim senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lubbock.

“It is the Texas House that has held the line against private school vouchers session after session, because that is the chamber closest to the people, who clearly do not want their public-school dollars diverted to subsidize private schools far away from them and religious schools that teach religion contrary to their own,” Johnson said.

However, stopping the measure from passing in the House will be “harder than ever,” he acknowledged.

“Out-of-state billionaires wanting to make money off our kids are pouring millions of dollars into Texas elections to defeat pro-public-education candidates,” he said. “The only resistance we have to this filthy lucre are committed people of faith who refuse to bow to Caesar coming into their church schools.”

Jeff Yass, a billionaire school voucher advocate from Pennsylvania, gave a $6 million contribution to Abbott’s campaign—the largest single donation in Texas history.

Litzler said the CLC anticipates the House version of an education savings account “may differ significantly” from the Senate bill, noting House members “have a different perspective from senators on this issue.”

Governor insists on ‘universal’ program

Abbott has stated he will oppose any “school choice” bill that is not a “universal” program. Although the Senate bill prioritizes certain students if the number of applicants exceeds available funding, the education savings account “would be universal in the sense that every student, except for children of legislators, would be eligible to apply,” Litzler noted.

“It’s certainly possible that a bill filed in the House would not be universal and would limit ESA availability based on certain criteria like household income or attendance at a school assigned a failing letter grade by TEA,” he said.

“The House and the Senate would then have to agree on the bill’s language—or reconcile the differing bills. If the Texas Legislature passes a version of an ESA that is not universal, the governor may veto the bill.”

Litzler noted the importance of voters communicating their concerns to elected representatives.

“The most persuasive argument to a state representative is the one that affects you, the constituent, directly,” he said.

“We’ve heard from parents who are concerned because many private schools can’t accommodate their child who has a disability. We’ve heard concern from parents that their public school will be underfunded and may have to cut programs, extracurriculars, or close campuses all together.

“Many of our state representatives are Christians, and several are Baptists. They often share our religious liberty concerns. Legislators want to hear the concerns that their constituents are most passionate about.”

Joshua Sharp to First Baptist Church in Chappell Hill as senior pastor, from Trinity Baptist Church in Orange, where he was senior pastor.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn.—Evangelicals in the United States want both secure borders and laws that provide avenues for certain illegal immigrants to obtain legal status, according to a recent Lifeway Research study.

They want to deport dangerous illegal immigrants but aren’t as concerned about those who arrived as children and have lived peacefully in the United States.

Additionally, evangelicals overwhelmingly recognize personal and national responsibilities to care for refugees and others fleeing their nation of origin.

The Lifeway Research study finds evangelical voters are predominantly Trump voters and politically conservative. They also see their faith as a primary influence on their views of immigration and related political issues.

Studies over the past four years show stability among the perspectives and priorities of evangelicals concerning immigration. The 2025 study was sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table, World Relief, the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and the National Association of Evangelicals and was conducted by Lifeway Research.

 “Over the past several years, through all the rhetoric of a tumultuous political season, evangelicals’ views on immigration issues have actually been remarkably stable,” said Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy for World Relief.

“The big news here is how little has changed despite the prominence of immigration-related rhetoric in the presidential campaign. Most evangelicals—whether the majority who voted for President Trump or the minority who voted for Vice President Harris— still want the same common-sense things from immigration policy they wanted in past surveys.”

Soon after taking office, Trump indefinitely suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program saying the nation “lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees.”

Additionally, the U.S. State Department suspended funding to groups that assist refugees.

Evangelicals have been a consistent voting bloc supporting Trump during his three presidential campaigns.

Strong support for refugees remains consistent

Most evangelicals voice support for refugees. Seven in 10 (70 percent) say the United States has a moral responsibility to accept refugees, including 34 percent who strongly agree. Around a quarter (23 percent) disagree. That number is statistically unchanged from a January 2024 Lifeway Research study.

Around 3 in 4 evangelicals (74 percent) say they would support a bipartisan Senate bill that would allow Afghan allies evacuated by the U.S. military to apply for permanent legal status after undergoing additional vetting.

“Evangelicals’ care for refugees and immigrants is as steady as their political preference, but some leaders may not be listening,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.

Evangelicals are more split over reintroducing a “zero tolerance” policy along the U.S.-Mexico border that led to the separation of children from parents. The policy was terminated by the first Trump administration in June 2018. Currently, 45 percent of evangelicals would support reintroducing the policy, while 43 percent oppose such a move and 12 percent are not sure.

As Trump moves on his campaign promise of deporting illegal immigrants, evangelicals say those efforts should prioritize criminals and security threats.

Most want deportations to focus on individuals who have been convicted of violent crimes (67 percent) or those reasonably suspected of presenting a threat to national security (63 percent).

Fewer believe enforcement should prioritize those who are unwilling or unable to pay a monetary fine as restitution for violating the law (30 percent) or those who entered the country in the last five years (25 percent).

Fewer than 1 in 5 evangelicals believe deportation should focus on those who were brought to the country unlawfully as children (19 percent), would be willing to pay a monetary fine as restitution (17 percent), entered the country more than five years ago but less than 10 (16 percent), entered the country more than 10 years ago (14 percent), are the parents of at least one U.S. citizen child (14 percent) or those who are married to a lawful resident or U.S. citizen (14 percent).

 “A large majority of evangelicals do not want immigrants unlawfully in the country to be prioritized for deportation except if they have been convicted of violent crimes or pose a threat to national security,” McConnell said.

“Less than 1 in 6 evangelicals value deporting undocumented immigrants whose immediate family has legal status or who have been in the country for more than five years. These are their neighbors and families they don’t want to see divided.”

Future legislation

Evangelicals in the United States believe legislative steps should be taken to address the immigration issue.

Four in 5 (80 percent) say it’s important that Congress passes significant new immigration legislation this year. Most want to make it harder for new immigrants to enter the country illegally but easier for some of those already here to earn citizenship.

Around 3 in 4 (76 percent) say they would support changes to the U.S. immigration laws that would both increase border security measures and establish a process so immigrants unlawfully in the nation could earn permanent legal status and eventually apply for citizenship if they pay a fine, complete a criminal background check and complete other requirements during a probationary period.

If a political candidate supported those dual changes, evangelicals say they would be more likely to vote for them in future elections. Around 2 in 3 (64 percent) say supporting reform with both of those aspects makes them more likely to vote for a candidate. Far fewer (12 percent) say they would be less likely to back a candidate who supported such reforms.

Considering immigration reform legislation, evangelicals want lawmakers to keep several priorities in mind.

Around 9 in 10 believe reform should ensure fairness to taxpayers (93 percent), respect the rule of law (92 percent), respect the God-given dignity of every person (90 percent), guarantee secure national borders (90 percent) and protect the unity of the immediate family (90 percent).

Three in 4 support potential legislation that establishes a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally, are interested in becoming legal citizens and meet certain qualifications (74 percent).

Support for each of those priorities has increased among self-identified evangelicals since a 2015 Lifeway Research study but has remained stable since a 2022 study.

Four in 5 evangelicals (81 percent) would support Republicans and Democrats working together on a combination of immigration reforms that strengthen border security, create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, known as “Dreamers,” and provide a reliable number of screened, legal farmworkers.

“A large majority of evangelicals want increased border security, Dreamers to be able to apply for citizenship and farming needs to be met with enough screened immigrant farmworkers each year,” McConnell said. “Evangelicals want a system that is both fair and alleviates potential threats to national security.”

Personal views on immigration

Overall, evangelicals in the United States see legal immigration as helpful to the country. A quarter (26 percent) say legal immigration is helpful and the nation should increase the number approved in a year. Around 2 in 5 (40 percent) believe it is helpful and we should maintain the current number of legal immigrants approved.

One in 5 (20 percent) agree it’s helpful but want to decrease the number approved. Fewer say legal immigration is harmful and we should decrease those who are approved (8 percent) or that we should completely stop approving legal immigrants (6 percent).

Many evangelicals worry specifically about the recent number of immigrants that have come to the United States. More than 2 in 5 say that amount is a drain on economic resources (44 percent) and a threat to the safety of citizens (43 percent).

Additionally, 37 percent say the number is a threat to law and order, and 29 percent believe it’s a threat to traditional American customs and culture.

Positively, many evangelicals say the number of recent immigrants presents an opportunity to introduce them to Jesus Christ (42 percent), an opportunity to show them love (37 percent), an improvement to America’s cultural diversity (25 percent) and a boost to entrepreneurial activity (16 percent).

Thinking about moral responsibilities, about 2 in 3 evangelicals (64 percent) believe Christians have a responsibility to sacrificially care for refugees and other foreigners.

Asked specifically about refugees and others who are forcibly displaced in other countries, beyond the United States, 73 percent said Christians have a responsibility to care.

Most (55 percent) also say Christians have a responsibility to assist immigrants even if they are here illegally.

“It’s easy to presume the loudest evangelical voices on television or social media—who tend to advocate the extreme positions of either mass deportation and shutting out refugees on one hand or open borders and amnesty on the other—are the majority opinion, but this polling confirms my anecdotal experience in local evangelical churches across the United States,” said Soerens, who also serves as the national coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table.

“There’s a clear consensus for secure borders and for sustained or increased levels of legal immigration, particularly for refugees fleeing persecution. Evangelicals advocate for deporting violent criminals but also for establishing an earned path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants able to pass a background check and meet other appropriate requirements.”

When asked what has most influenced their thinking on immigration, evangelicals primarily say the Bible (23 percent). Other significant influences include immigrants they have observed (16 percent), the media (14 percent), immigrants they have interacted with (11 percent) and friends and family (10 percent).

Fewer say they have been most influenced by the positions of elected officials (8 percent), their local church (5 percent), national Christian leaders (4 percent) or teachers or professors (2 percent).

Influences included most often among evangelicals’ top three most influential sources on the topic of immigration are immigrants they’ve observed (42 percent), friends and family (40 percent), the Bible (38 percent), the media (37 percent) and immigrants they’ve interacted with (35 percent).

 “The care for immigrants and refugees expressed by the responses of the majority of evangelicals in this survey correlates with actions the Bible commands. Yet not all evangelicals are familiar with these numerous biblical statements, nor do all have compassion for such people today,” McConnell said.

Most evangelicals (64 percent) say they are very familiar with what the Bible has to say about how immigrants should be treated. Still, 4 in 5 (80 percent) say they would value hearing a sermon that teaches how biblical principles and examples can be applied to immigration in the U.S.

Around 1 in 4 evangelicals (28 percent) say they have heard immigration discussed in their local church in a way that encouraged them to reach out to immigrants in their community, while 64 percent disagree.

Almost 7 in 10 evangelicals (69 percent) say they have never been involved in a ministry that served refugees or other immigrants. Around 3 in 10 say they have, including 13 percent currently and 18 percent in the past.

 “I hope this research will give courage to pastors,” Soerens said. “Not only do their people crave biblical teaching on this topic, but the likelihood that the immigration policy ramifications of biblical principles will upset their congregants is slim, since super-majorities of evangelicals already support commonsense, compassionate principles on immigration rooted in Scripture.”

Still, evangelicals believe caring for these individuals is a responsibility of the church. Almost half (46 percent) say churches in the United States should be at the forefront of responding to the increase of people forced to flee their homes due to persecution or conflict.

Another 28 percent say the church should be concerned with the increase but it is not a top priority. Fewer say the church should leave it to governments to address the issue (12 percent) or that they are unsure (13 percent).

U.S. evangelicals rate many of the issues related to displacement as one of the three most urgent global issues that need the attention of churches in the U.S., while the issue itself ranks closer to the bottom.

Almost half say one of the top issues the church should give attention to is war and violent conflict (45 percent) and human trafficking (45 percent). More than a third point to orphans and vulnerable children (36 percent) and religious persecution (35 percent).

“At a time when 120 million people around our world have been forced from their homes, we believe the refugee and displacement crisis should be a priority of the American church,” said Soerens.

“While American evangelicals seem to be less focused on displacement than on some of the underlying causes of displacement, such as war, conflict and religious persecution, we hope the church will increasingly take the lead in responding to this global crisis.”

The study was sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table, World Relief, National Latino Evangelical Coalition, and the National Association of Evangelicals. The online survey was conducted Jan. 13-21, 2025, using a national pre-recruited panel.

Analysts used quotas and slight weights to balance gender, age, region, ethnicity and education to reflect the population more accurately.

The completed sample is 1,004 surveys, including 525 surveys completed by those with evangelical beliefs and 920 completed by self-identified evangelicals. The sample provides 95 percent confidence that the sampling error does not exceed plus or minus 3.1 percent. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.

WASHINGTON (RNS)— Faith-based groups that partner with the federal government to resettle refugees are facing widespread layoffs and furloughs after President Donald Trump’s administration suspended the refugee program.

And according to one of the faith groups, the administration refuses to reimburse the organizations for humanitarian work performed before the president assumed office.

Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, an evangelical Christian group that resettles refugees, said his organization continues to reel from several actions taken by Trump over the past two weeks.

The president all but froze the U.S. refugee program, save for rare exceptions, in an executive order shortly after taking office, a move that outraged the 10 groups that help the government resettle refugees—seven of which are faith-based.

Soerens said his office also received communication from the government on Jan. 24 stating World Relief no longer would be reimbursed for any work beyond that day. 

The news was devastating, Soerens said, because his organization typically maintains a 90-day commitment to every refugee it resettles, helping pay for rent, basic supplies and other resources during that time.

The sudden halt on funding meant World Relief staffers were left scrambling to figure out how to support the roughly 4,000 people the group had resettled over the past 90 days.

“For some, it was only another few weeks where we would have been covering rents,” Soerens said. “But for some that arrived a week before, we have three months’ worth of rent to figure out.”

Soerens said his group also is impacted by Trump’s executive order pausing foreign aid efforts, which halted work World Relief does abroad in partnership with local churches through an agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The combined result of the administration’s actions was a roughly $8 million shortfall for the group, and while World Relief has managed to raise $2 million in recent days—an effort, Soerens said, that was “like nothing we’ve ever done”—staff remains unsure how the organization will fund the rest.

“We’re having to make very difficult decisions, because we are going to prioritize rent checks over staffing,” he said, noting there have been furloughs throughout the organization in recent days.

Feds refusing reimbursement for work already done

Representatives for Church World Service, one of the other faith-based refugee resettlement agencies, said the federal government is also refusing to reimburse their organization for work done prior to Trump assuming office.

“We’ve been unable to access federal reimbursements for critical program costs, and that includes costs that were incurred prior to the issuance of the executive order,” said Mary Elizabeth Margolis, a spokesperson for Church World Service.

“We still have outstanding reimbursements for services rendered under contract with the federal government that are not being paid back to us.”

Margolis said, as at World Relief, the result has been furloughs throughout the organization, with administrators hoping the money saved will allow the remaining staff to care for resettled refugees. That includes making sure they are “not left homeless or without access to medical care”—very real concerns for some families they work with, she said.

At a rally outside the White House in support of the refugee groups on Feb. 4, several furloughed Church World Service workers joined the protest. Speakers, such as Sharon Stanley-Rea, the head of Church World Service’s national office, said more than two-thirds of its national staff had been furloughed, including 100 percent of the D.C. office. She also pointed out that some of the staff were refugees themselves.

On Feb. 3, Elon Musk, the billionaire head of the Department of Government Efficiency and owner of the social media platform X, quoted a post from another X user detailing a grant provided to Church World Service that appeared geared toward assisting refugees abroad with their applications.

Legal immigrants are typically vetted over the course of years, but Musk suggested in his post, without evidence, the Church World Service grant was part of a broader redirection of funds—“billions of dollars,” he claimed—for “facilitating illegal immigration.”

“Is this America, when we’re cutting off refugee aid for just rental assistance and food for three months?” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who also spoke at the protest.

Reminding Trump of family history

He then noted the Trump family’s own immigration history.

“The Trump administration has decided to slam the door shut on refugees,” Raskin said. “What a betrayal of America and our values. Nobody slammed the door shut in the face of the Trump family from Germany. Nobody slammed the door shut in the face of Melania Trump, who got an O1 and EB1 visa for extraordinary ability.

“Nobody slammed the door on Elon Musk, who came from racist, apartheid South Africa, who came here on an F1 student visa,” the congressman added, before referencing a Washington Post report indicating Musk also worked in the United States illegally as he launched his entrepreneurial career.

The State Department did not respond to a request to confirm claims by Church World Service and the other agencies, or explain the rationale behind the halted funds.

In an emailed statement, Noel Andersen, the national field director for Church World Service, said the financial woes hinder the ability to do work inspired by his faith.

“Part of living out my faith is through advocating for welcoming policies alongside immigrants and refugees, consistent with the Christian tradition and sacred texts,” he said.

“As our organization goes through furloughs, our capacity to fulfill our mission has been severely undercut, which will have a long-lasting harmful impact to those refugees who desperately need services that will reverberate across our communities and congregations.”

Significant layoffs at several organizations

The story is the same at several other refugee resettlement groups, with some faring worse than others. Reached via text message, Mark Hetfield, head of HIAS, a Jewish group, said his organization has laid off staff or terminated their positions to handle the financial strain.

Hetfield framed the efforts as an attempt to scrape together whatever resources HIAS still has for the refugees it has committed to, while also voicing frustration with the Trump administration’s actions.

“For resettled refugees the government must live up to that obligation, as must we,” Hetfield said.

Episcopal Migration Ministries, a smaller refugee resettlement group, announced significant layoffs Friday. Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe announced 22 staff members whose positions were funded by federal grants would be laid off, leaving the ministry with just 14 staff to carry out services for “forced migrants” who arrived just before Trump took office.

Sarah Shipman, director of Episcopal Migration Ministries, told RNS: “The end of federal funding for Episcopal Migration Ministries does not mean an end for EMM. While we do not know exactly how this ministry will evolve in our church’s future, we remain steadfast in our commitment to stand with migrants and to our congregations who serve them.”

The agencies stressed the staff reductions are ultimately a symptom of a much larger issue: the refugees they work with, many of whom have fled violence and religious persecution for a new life in the U.S., will go underserved.

“They are the people who have pending asylum cases that may lose access to their lawyers,” said Margolis of Church World Service. “They are families who need emergency rental support, who may end up homeless. They are kids who come to our offices to get coats and hats because it’s cold outside.”

Now, she said, those families “might not have access to those basic supplies.”

Catholic Relief Services, which is the top recipient of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, urged supporters to contact members of Congress to ask them to intervene with Trump to ensure the Catholic agency would be able to provide clean water, food assistance and medical assistance normally funded through the U.S.’ foreign aid program.

“This freeze will be detrimental to millions of our sisters and brothers who need access to lifesaving humanitarian, health and development assistance,” the organization, an arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote regarding major changes to USAID announced in recent days. “U.S. foreign aid is not a handout. It has real impact on human life and dignity and advances U.S. national interests.”

The organization assured supporters that “constituents’ voices have significant influence on congressional members’ decision-making,” especially when messages are personalized.

Despite the cool temperatures in December, it was all smiles among the group of men who publicly gave testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ before an intimate crowd of friends, family and supporters. Dallas Baptist University men’s soccer player and junior Nicolas Barros baptized five of his teammates at the new Pool of Bethesda Prayer Garden, which recently opened on DBU’s campus. The baptisms were the culmination of a movement of God that began this fall when the soccer team chose 1 Corinthians15:58 as their theme about remaining steadfast. Barros spearheaded many spiritual conversations with his teammates throughout the season, often volunteering to lead prayer before and after training sessions. Ultimately, five men accepted Christ as their Savior at the end of the season, and a plan was made to be baptized on campus at the newly opened Pool of Bethesda. Two other players, Cason Berg and Gavyn Rosales, decided to get baptized at their home church with their family. Barros’ mom and his dad, who is a pastor in Brazil and a former professional soccer player, joined their son at the baptism event at the Pool of Bethesda. Pastor Barros shared his testimony in Portuguese as his son translated. Other students heard about the impromptu baptism service and helped lead an informal time of praise and worship as the sun set over the horizon. “I think there are lots of students who need prompting to take those next steps in their faith,” said Jess Jobe, head coach of the men’s soccer team. “We were just blown away by God’s faithfulness. As coaches, we know this is a priority for our athletic department—to be discipling our student athletes in this way and having these kinds of conversations. It was just really cool to see all that play out. It’s been a team effort.”

Paul Armes, president emeritus of Wayland Baptist University, returns to campus Feb. 25-26 as the featured speaker for the 72nd annual Willson Lectures. His subject will be current understandings of “In the Image of God.” The lectures will kick off on Tuesday, Feb. 25, with dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the McClung University Center. Reservations are required and seating is limited. Call Teresa Young at (806) 291-3427 to register. Armes will speak on “Some Implications of Imago Dei” from Genesis 1:26-27 the next day in chapel at 11 a.m. in Harral Memorial Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public. Also on Feb. 26, he will be speaking in select classes during the day and speaking at First Baptist Church in Plainview that evening.

Pursue, Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas’ annual meeting and missions celebration, is scheduled April 4-5 at the Waco Convention Center. Pursue is a gathering for women, men, young adults and students to be equipped and encouraged to make disciples who make disciples. Attendees will receive missions discipleship resources and experience leadership development, Bible study, fellowship and hands-on ministry opportunities. The cost is $85 for adults. Children and students are free. Online registration will close on Mar. 15. Onsite registration will be available April 4, but seats at the meal functions may be full. Please register early.

Howard Payne University named four students as Currie-Strickland Scholars during the 17th annual Currie-Strickland Distinguished Lectures in Christian Ethics, on Jan. 30. The award recognizes students who have shown leadership in Christian ethics. Students recognized were Vitória de Sales Biazi, a junior Bible major from São Paulo, Brazil; Brayden Folkers, a senior Christian education major with an emphasis in ministry leadership from College Station; Julie Ivy, a junior Christian education major with an emphasis in ministry leadership from Shiner; and Diondray Parker, a junior double-majoring in youth ministry and kinesiology from Borger. The event—featuring João Chaves, assistant professor of history of religion in the Américas and co-director of the Baptist Scholars International Roundtable in the department of religion at Baylor University—was coordinated by Jordan Villanueva, instructor of Christian Studies and assistant to the president for Hispanic relations.

Fellowship Southwest introduced its first cohort of Thriving Congregations Immigration Ministry churches: Austin Heights Church in Nacogdoches; DaySpring Baptist Church in Waco; First Baptist Church in Austin; Iglesia Bautista West Brownsville in Brownsville; Iglesia Bautista Victoria en Cristo in Fort Worth; Primera Iglesia Bautista in Piedras Negras, Mexico; Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas; and San Antonio Mennonite Church in San Antonio. The churches represent a diversity of language, ethnicity, theology and types of immigration ministry. Two are churches along the border. All are committed to growing the life of their congregation through serving immigrants in compassionate hands-on ministry or through justice work. Last year, Fellowship Southwest received a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to invite churches into immigration ministry as a way to help their congregations flourish. In October 2024, Cintia Aguilar joined Fellowship Southwest as immigration ministry manager and to run the grant program. As an immigrant from Nicaragua with a master’s degree in social work and a Master of Divinity from Baylor University, Aguilar is uniquely situated to help churches discover their place in the immigration ministry landscape. She convened the first cohort Jan. 27-28 in person at Woodland Church in San Antonio. She invited experts and authors to lead workshops for the group about storytelling, immigration processes and policies, social work, cultural intelligence and trauma care. In the fall, applications will open for the second cohort, which will convene in December. If a church is interested in applying or for more information, please contact Cintia Aguilar at cintia@fellowshipsouthwest.org.

Houston Christian University’s annual Theology Conference hosted by HCU’s Houston Theological Seminary, will be held on Feb. 20-21 in Belin Chapel. This year’s conference themed, “Proclaiming the Parables,” will include presentations by professors and pastors to offer a variety of perspectives on the power of preaching the parables. The conference’s keynote speaker will be distinguished homiletician Thomas G. Long. Other speakers include Jeannine Brown of Bethel Seminary, Renjy Abraham of the Bible Project, David Capes of The Lanier Library and Duane Brooks of Tallowood Baptist Church, as well as HCU professors Scot McKnight, Lynn Cohick and Paul Sloan. Registration for the conference is open to the public and participation is available both in person and virtually. To find the Theology Conference schedule and to register, please visit https://hc.edu/school-of-christian-thought/events-in-the-college/hcu-theology-conference/.

Retirements

Paul Sands on Feb. 2, from First Baptist in Woodway where he was senior pastor. Sands served for nine years in Woodway and a total of 49 years in ministry. He also taught at Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University and at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. A retirement celebration for the Sands family was held at First Baptist in Woodway on Feb. 2.

Ordinations

Emmanuel Baptist Church in Waco ordained Joshua West and Rahab Felix to ministry in the church and for chaplaincy. Marcelo Oliveira is pastor.

BROWNWOOD—João Chaves, a historian of religion, told Howard Payne University students and guests, “We must contend with our past to consider our future.”

Chaves, assistant professor of history of religion in the Américas at Baylor University, delivered the Currie-Strickland Lectures in Christian Ethics on “Faith Crossing Borders: How Immigrant Churches are Shaping the Future of Christianity.”

On the second day of the lecture series, Chaves emphasized the subtitle to his lecture was misleading if it set the expectation that he would try to “reflexively predict what will happen,” “offer an overly romanticized picture of immigrant Christianity,” or intentionally enter into debates that can be inflammatory or heavily politicized—however important those debates may be.

As a historian with training in the sociology of religion, Chaves said he was trained “to look at patterns behind us.”

But Chaves said he had learned “that our outlook on the past shapes—sometimes hides—what we’re able to see on the horizon. How one imagines the future has much to do with how one understands the past.”

In order to consider how migration might shape the future of Christianity, people first must contend with how they understand the past, he said.

To highlight the “entanglement” at the heart of his lecture, Chaves told a story about an old-time evangelist home missionary. The evangelist was set to preach at a church where he needed a translator to interpret his message for the congregation.

The translator was very good, Chaves said. When the preacher went one way, the interpreter went that way. When the preacher emphasized something, the interpreter emphasized something too.

When the sermon concluded, an altar call was given with many people coming forward to respond, Chaves said.

But when the preacher found the translator to thank her for translating his sermon for him, she looked at him, confused, and said: “Translating? You preached your sermon. I preached mine.”

Chaves said the story illustrates how “often Western missionaries were given and even took credit for what was accomplished by immigrants and locals.”

When Christians think about migration, they only rarely think about missions, he explained.

Baptists, in particular, “have long seen themselves as a missionary,” he asserted, beginning with William Carey, who is considered the father of modern missions.

The Triennial Convention, the first national body of Baptists in the United States, formed in 1814, was triggered by the influence of Adoniram and Ann Judson, some of the first missionaries to be sent out from the United States.

During the 1800s, Baptists from Sweden, Germany and other European countries also were immigrating to the United States and impacting the development of Baptist cooperation and work here.

In 1845, missions was at the core of the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention, when tensions over whether slave-owners would be appointed as missionaries led to a split from the Triennial Convention.

Since then, “Northern and Southern Baptists in the U.S. have invested heavily in foreign missions, mostly by separate mission boards,” Chaves explained.

He noted the legacies of Northern and Southern Baptist missionaries continue to be explored and preserved by denominations who have their own history intertwined with mission work that can be translated into offerings.

But the way Baptist missionary endeavors are told isn’t static, he said. “Approaches to the history of missions continue to develop.”

The legacies of Baptist missionaries from the Global North, United States and Europe increasingly are found in conjunction with other actors in Christianity’s expansion—migrants and locals.

“A shift in how the history of Baptist missions is traditionally told is ongoing,” Chaves explained, including a new focus on the ways often neglected actors and sources contributed to Christianity’s expansion. This can be applied to other denominations, as well, he noted.

Missions scholars continue to learn how central migration has been to the expansion of Christianity.

Outsized importance has been given to traditional Western missionaries sent from missionary boards as the de facto driving force of missions.

But these assumptions continue to be challenged, Chaves noted. And migration and local agency’s centrality to the Christian story can be acknowledged, without harming the legacy of Baptist missionaries.

Understanding who is a missionary and who is a migrant helps in understanding the shift, Chaves said.

Who counts as a missionary?

Christian missionaries often are seen as people sent by organizations to save the souls of the lost worldwide, but there is more to consider, Chaves asserted.

“On the one hand, traditional missionaries sent by Christian agencies to foreign countries are technically migrants,” he said.

Their visas might be classified as religious, business, tourism or something else, “and missionary agencies have been very creative regarding how to circumvent immigration laws.”

“On the other hand, Christianity advances by immigrants who move from one place to another without necessarily being sent by missionary agencies or even seeing themselves as missionaries.”

These immigrants inspire Christian locals or missionary agencies in host countries to broaden their horizons and often serve as antecedents of organized missionary work.

“Christianity developed as a religion in which missionaries are immigrants, and immigrants are missionaries” Chaves noted.

There is an overlap between migration and Christian mission, Chavez noted, “especially when the latter is understood as an endeavor that entails crossing national, linguistic, cultural and existential borders.”

Who counts as a migrant?

Understanding how migration factors into the development and expansion of Christianity requires “unlearning” traditional ways of thinking about missions—as missionaries being primarily white and male. It demands learning how local agencies and migration “were and are vital to the growth and vibrancy of Christianity worldwide,” he said.

Chaves noted histories of the modern missionary movement have obscured the role of migration as “a common driver” of Baptist missionary efforts or subordinated the roles of migrants and locals in Christianity’s expansion.

Chaves cited a quote from Baptist historian David Bebbington’s Baptists Through the Centuries and the whole of Kenneth Scott Latourette’s seven-volume series A History of the Expansion of Christianity as examples where the impact of migrants and locals in the story of missions is either downplayed or largely overlooked.

Many scholars now focus on non-Western actors in Christianity’s expansion and growth, but Chaves acknowledged the difficulty in locating primary sources or accounts of what local, non-Western Christians said about themselves that are not heavily redacted.

Chaves explained large waves of immigration to the United States, the top migration destination, have consistently been met with anti-immigrant sentiment. That includes when immigrant groups were European (Irish in the 1800s)—when “xenophobia became an American tradition”—and the current rise in anti-immigrant sentiment and policy.

However, Christian migrants to the United States are revitalizing northern denominations and contributing to reevangelizing the country.

Migration has spread Christianity since the start of the Jesus movement, Chaves noted.

Christian exiles and refugees shared their faith wherever they went, and migrants continue to take their God with them wherever they go.

Immigrant churches will continue to shape the future of Christianity by continuing to be a space for religion to thrive in new places, offering solace for those in need and functioning as mediating structures that help migrants adapt to their new countries.

“For good or ill, migrants are essential to the mission,” he said.

Migrant joys, struggle and laughter will continue to be the seeds of Christianity’s growth, he said.

Harold Wayne Temple of Plainview, longtime professor at Wayland Baptist University and onetime pastor of Old Rock Baptist Church in Somerset, died Jan. 27. He was 86. He was born Nov. 2, 1938, in Corpus Christi to Ralph Lee and Maudie Christine Ashley Temple. After graduating from Bishop High School in Bishop, he spent a summer working on a bee farm in North Dakota before enrolling at Southwest Texas State College, where he earned both his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree. While in college, he met Audrey Jean Bosak, and they were married in Old Ocean on Sept. 2, 1960. They soon moved to Arlington, where she taught elementary school and he taught at Arlington State University while working on his Ph.D. at Texas Christian University. After receiving his doctorate in 1969, the Temples moved to Beaumont, where he worked for Dupont Chemicals. Deciding corporate life was not what he aspired to do, the family moved to Pleasanton, where he continued his teaching career at Pleasanton High School. While they lived in Pleasanton, he was pastor of Old Rock Baptist Church in nearby Somerset. In 1976, the Temples moved to Plainview, where he was a professor of chemistry at Wayland Baptist University. During his time at Wayland, he taught every chemistry course in the curriculum—as well as other science courses—and was dean of the graduate program from 1983 to 1988. More than half of his students went on to attain post-graduate or professional degrees, including three who went on to become chemistry professors at Wayland. In addition, he taught at Wayland campuses in Lubbock, Wichita Falls and Anchorage, Alaska. In 2007, at his retirement, he was named emeritus professor of chemistry. He served as a guest preacher at many churches in South and West Texas. He and his wife taught Sunday school classes for young married couples and were involved deeply with the students at Wayland, mentoring them and hosting them at their home. Temple also was involved with foreign missions and befriended Southern Baptist missionaries throughout the world. He was a member of the Hi-Plains Gem and Mineral Society and loved searching for rocks, arrowheads, gems  and minerals. He was an active member of the Lion’s Club for many years and volunteered with Meals on Wheels in Plainview. He was preceded in death by his brother Herman Temple and his sister Opal Zamzow. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Audrey Temple; daughter Joli Temple Storm and her husband Greg; son Ladd Temple and his wife Robin; seven grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. A celebration of life is scheduled at 10 a.m. on Feb. 15 at Harral Memorial Auditorium on the Wayland Baptist University campus in Plainview. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the Harold and Audrey Temple Endowed Scholarship at Wayland Baptist University.

WASHINGTON (RNS) —Nace Lanier was at home watching a movie with his family when he received an emergency text from Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport, where he is senior chaplain.

After years of preparing for a rare and forbidding moment, the Southern Baptist minister headed to Reagan National. He joined a team responding to the midair collision of a regional passenger jet and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter, killing 67 people on the two aircraft, with no survivors.

“We have trained and prepared for an incident through the years,” Lanier wrote in an email to RNS. “Working with the staff and communicating with the Emergency coordinators allowed us to quickly set up a location that was safe, quiet, and as comfortable as possible for the friends and family.”

The impromptu arrangements are aimed at giving family members dealing with unexpected personal tragedy a place to “gather physically and emotionally” and have some privacy as they confronted the suddenness of personal tragedy, he explained.

“You listen far more than say anything,” Lanier said.

As an airport chaplain, he offers pastoral care in an array of mostly unforeseen circumstances.

“Being present is the key ministry gift we give to those we minister,” he said.

He declined to discuss particulars about his conversations, but said he was working with a team of people of other religions whom he could contact when he received a request for support from people who did not share his faith.

“I was a part of a team to holistically care for the hurting and confused,” he said. “I was able to pray with those who requested prayer. It was an honor to serve with their permission by holding their hands and praying to our God who was present but at that time silent.”

Training a constant part of life for airport chaplains

Training for the what-ifs of air travel is a constant part of an airport chaplain’s professional life.

Sometimes they use a “tabletop exercise,” where trainees talk through scenarios, said Michael Zaniolo, the senior chaplain at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and the president of the National Conference of Catholic Airport Chaplains.

Other times, airports hold full drills, in which fire officials set an airplane-shaped simulator on fire and volunteers portray passengers who receive aid from first responders, including chaplains.

“Every time they have this, they ask us to bring our chaplaincy team in order that we can train some of our chaplains,” Zaniolo said. It allows them to pinpoint how they might help if a disaster occurs. “What do you do at the rescue site? What do you do with the fire personnel or the morgue people? How does a chaplain fit into that?”

Rodrick Burton, president of the St. Louis Airport Interfaith Chaplaincy, said other traumatic situations can help chaplains also prepare for aviation disasters.

Called to help the family of a student killed in a 2022 school shooting, he counseled them on having a spokesperson to help handle media requests as well as unwelcome social media posts.

More recently, he’s assisted flood victims in his area when police chaplains sought additional aid.

“You can actually go and be present in other places that can also prepare you,” he said.

In the same way, Burton said he can count on other local first-responder chaplains.

“God forbid if this were to happen to St. Louis. There’s not enough of the airport chaplains,” said Burton, who hosted the International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains when it met in his city in 2023. “So, we would call on the other hospital chaplains and police chaplains in the area to man that center 24 hours.”

Need for teamwork emphasized

All three chaplains spoke of the need to work in teams, helping fellow responders and fellow chaplains in the times of greatest need, usually in a center that has been set up to assist those who have become disaster victims, their families and friends.

Burton said other airport workers may also need a listening ear, whether of the airport chaplain or clergy of another faith to whom the chaplain can refer them.

“There’s the baggage crew that was waiting for the plane to land,” he said. “Other employees at the airport will be affected.”

Some may reach out for help, he said, long after the ambulances and fire trucks have left and an airport has returned to a sense of normalcy.

Lanier, who also directs the chapel at Dulles International Airport, said he is working with the part-time chaplain at Dulles to support family and friends of the crash victims.

“But we are just now turning our attention to the direct care of first responders and the many airport workers that have been tirelessly supporting this crisis,” he said.

“We have been working alongside them but will now be more available to them as they begin to process all that has occurred.”

Airport chaplains also are prepared for passengers who die from natural causes while traveling, and other more ordinary situations.

“I have been called in to help the airport with prior emergency situations such as when people have passed away at the airport,” said Lanier, who pastored two congregations before becoming Reagan National’s chaplain. “But it does not compare to a mass casualty event of this nature and size.”

Zaniolo, who didn’t hear of the midair collision until he woke up Thursday, said he planned to check in with staffers at his airport who may be affected by the crash over the Potomac River.

“Like any family, when there’s a tragic accident or sudden death, it’s a traumatic thing, and people need to talk and process it, some more than others,” said Zaniolo, who is in his 25th year at O’Hare.

“They might know some of the people that were on board, or they might know some of the people in the crew.”

Self-care vital for chaplains

The chaplains know to train, too, to take care of themselves so they can better take care of others.

“You have to learn about managing your own emotions in these crises,” Burton said. “Because if you’re not well, or you’re overwhelmed, you can’t help people that are overwhelmed.”

Zaniolo said chaplains at Chicago’s airports have both a “chaplaincy team” reflective vest and a “go-kit” that has holy oil, prayer books and rosary beads to share with Catholics should a crisis arise. But the small knapsack also includes space for a snack and some water for the chaplain.

“That’s the No. 1 thing that they tell everybody who responds to something: Make sure you’re hydrated, make sure that you’re not running on empty, because then you become a victim,” he said.

Lanier said he already has been putting advice of that sort into practice.

“I listened to the Emergency Coordinator at 6 a.m. to go home,” he said. “I was able to take a nap and shower, then arrive back at 11. I was more refreshed and able to attend to the needs of others—plus encourage others to do the same.

“I have been in constant prayer throughout, so I believe God has strengthened me during this time.”