Professional Certificate

The Church's Response to the Immigration Crisis

In partnership with Sojourners/SojoAction, the Centro Latino at Fuller has created this 6-month certificate program for leaders, pastors, faith-based community organizers, Bible Institute students, and any Christian who is committed to faith-rooted immigration justice. You will receive biblical, theological, legal, pastoral, and leadership tools for mobilizing Christians to work towards a more just world for immigrant communities. The program features a faculty team of pastors, activists, psychologists, and theologians who provide practical resources for accompanying and mobilizing local churches toward God’s mission within the US immigration context.

Program's outcome

Primary goal:

To equip local churches and ministries, and Christian organizations with biblical and theological resources and organizing tools, so they can effectively respond to the current reality of the immigrant community in the US.

Specific goals:

1. To sensitize participants to the full reality of the immigrant experience.

2. To explore the many dimensions of the immigration crisis, including its challenges and opportunities.

3. To use wholistic mission as a framework for understanding and articulating a response to the immigration crisis.

4. To learn best practices related to ministry with the immigrant community.

5. To gain techniques and strategies for mobilizing and organizing volunteers to respond to the immigration crisis.

Ideal for...

Pastors, missionaries, community leaders, church volunteers, or leaders from any Christian organization who have a genuine interest to respond in faith with effective action to the immigration crisis.

Duration and modules

The curriculum is organized in a 6-month duration in an online format with field activities. During the six modules (one month each), participants receive tools and develop skills to guide the local church in a biblical and pastoral response to the immigration crisis.

Each module combines readings, video guides, and reflection exercises.

MODULE 1: Introduction

WEEK 1: Course introduction

WEEK 2: Preparing your heart

WEEK 3: Preparing your small group

WEEK 4: Working with a young leader

MODULE 2: Theological Foundations

WEEK 1: Theological issues at stake

WEEK 2: The historical framework of the immigration crisis in the US

WEEK 3: Ecclesial responses and Christian leadership

WEEK 4: The church’s immigration mission: theology, history and ecclesiology

MODULE 3: Legal Foundations

WEEK 1: Migration as grace: migration patterns from Asia and Europe

WEEK 2: Pathways to Papers: Understanding legal migration to the US

WEEK 3: Understanding a broken immigration system

WEEK 4: DACA, TPS and Asylum

MODULE 4: Pastoral Responses

WEEK 1: Understanding the vulnerabilities of immigrants

WEEK 2: Stress, anxiety and trauma associated with migration

WEEK 3: Creating support systems for immigrants

WEEK 4: Practicing self-care in time of crisis

MODULE 5: Beyond the Basics

WEEK 1: Understanding the first steps of advocacy

WEEK 2: Starting a legal clinic in your church

WEEK 3: Representation and accreditation from the Department of Justice

WEEK 4: Collaborations between churches and community organizations

MODULE 6: Preparing for the Future

WEEK 1: Unique contributions of the church in pursuit of justice and shalom

WEEK 2: Motivating the church’s participation in pursuit of justice

WEEK 3: Strategies for creating justice-oriented groups in your church

WEEK 4: Activating young people’s in the response to the immigration crisis

Field activities:

The program aims to provoke “ecclesial imagination,” which means a Christian community’s capacity to imagine new ways to live out God’s mission. For this reason, the program requires the participant to commit to the following activities:

1) Creating and facilitating a regular small group

Participants will have to gather and facilitate a small group (3-15 persons) from their church or organization to talk about immigration using the program's content. The program includes a guide on how to form and facilitate this small group.

2) Inviting a young leader to co-lead with you

Participants will invite a young leader (under 30) to participate in the small group. More directions will be given on how to make this participation effective.

3) Participating in online coaching

Participants will be a part of a monthly video-call with one of our coaches and other program participants. In this monthly call, they will share experiences, challenges, and mutual advice for the process.