Here’s Where America’s 338,000 Christian Refugees Have Come From
Evangelical, Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, and other resettled believers hail from quite different countries.
Beyond the debate on whether Syrian refugees should be welcome in the United States and why Christians compose less than 3 percent of those resettled so far, here’s a look at where America’s current Christian refugees have come from.
The United States has resettled 338,441 Christian refugees from more than a dozen denominations since 2003, according to the latest data from the Refugee Processing Center. This is approximately 44 percent of the total 762,000 refugees resettled.
Here’s the worldwide breakout by denomination:
- Overall, 2,677 evangelical refugees have come to America since 2003. The highest number (1,422) have come from Cuba. Sudan (237), Ukraine (196), Colombia (148), and Liberia (108) round out the top five.
- Meanwhile, nearly 180,000 refugees identifying as simply “Christians” have been resettled. More than half come from Myanmar/Burma (96,531), followed by Iraq (25,128), Iran (19,968), Liberia (12,335), and Bhutan (8,216).
- Catholic refugees represent the largest denominational grouping, with 57,178 resettled in America. Together, Cuba (15,805) and Iraq (14,580) make up about a third of this figure, with each country’s refugee total individually larger than the next three countries—Myanmar (4,973), the Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC (4,496), and Sudan (3,988)—combined.
- About 10 percent of all Christian refugees are Pentecostal (31,778 total), the majority from Africa and Eastern Europe. About one-third (11,067) are from Ukraine. Elsewhere, the DRC is responsible for 6,222, Burundi for 3,985, Moldova for 2,102, and Belarus for 1,831.
- About one-third of America’s 14,754 Protestant refugees come from the DRC (5,203). Vietnam (2,393) and Sudan (1,458) are second and third, respectively.
News: Why Are There Only 53 Christians Among America’s 2,184 Syrian Refugees?
Amid claims of discrimination, World Relief points to other explanations.
Since civil war erupted in 2011, half of Syria’s nearly 22 million people have been displaced—including many of its Christians.
Before the conflict, approximately…
Is Germany’s Refugee Crisis a Muslim Mission Field?
A three million-strong Christian denomination says a “strategic mission” to convert Muslims goes against “the spirit” of Jesus.
Up to one million refugees are expected to arrive in Germany by end of this year, hoping to gain asylum in the European Union’s largest country.
Many are arriving from Muslim-majority countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, and Iran. But while German churches have been eager to materially support the refugees, Christians aren’t on the same page about sharing the gospel with newcomers.
One prominent denomination has claimed in a position paper that trying to evangelize refugees is unchristian, reports Religion News Service. “A strategic mission to Islam or meeting Muslims to convert them threatens social peace and contradicts the spirit and mandate of Jesus Christ and is therefore to be firmly rejected,” said the Evangelical Church of the Rhineland in a paper entitled “Pilgrim Fellowship and Witness in Dialogue with Muslims, according to RNS.
A denomination of about three million, the Evangelical Church of the Rhineland is one of twenty Lutheran, Reformed and United Protestant groups that make up the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). According to the most recent figures, 23 million Germans are part of EKD, whose numbers have consistently declined in recent years.
German Evangelical Alliance secretary general Hartmut Steeb says that evangelism is an essential part of the response to refugees.
“We declare firmly that the fundamental missionary task of Christians, namely to preach the Gospel of Jesus to others and invite them to follow it, cannot be given up,” he told RNS.
…
Part of the strategy is asking members of the Church to live lives that impress would-be Christian converts.
“We want to live in a way that makes others curious about our faith,” …
Is Germany’s Refugee Crisis a Muslim Mission Field?
A three million-strong Christian denomination says a “strategic mission” to convert Muslims goes against “the spirit” of Jesus.
Up to one million refugees are expected to arrive in Germany by end of this year, hoping to gain asylum in the European Union’s largest country.
Many are arriving from Muslim-majority countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, and Iran. But while German churches have been eager to materially support the refugees, Christians aren’t on the same page about sharing the gospel with newcomers.
One prominent denomination has claimed in a position paper that trying to evangelize refugees is unchristian, reports Religion News Service. “A strategic mission to Islam or meeting Muslims to convert them threatens social peace and contradicts the spirit and mandate of Jesus Christ and is therefore to be firmly rejected,” said the Evangelical Church of the Rhineland in a paper entitled “Pilgrim Fellowship and Witness in Dialogue with Muslims, according to RNS.
A denomination of about three million, the Evangelical Church of the Rhineland is one of twenty Lutheran, Reformed and United Protestant groups that make up the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). According to the most recent figures, 23 million Germans are part of EKD, whose numbers have consistently declined in recent years.
German Evangelical Alliance secretary general Hartmut Steeb says that evangelism is an essential part of the response to refugees.
“We declare firmly that the fundamental missionary task of Christians, namely to preach the Gospel of Jesus to others and invite them to follow it, cannot be given up,” he told RNS.
…
Part of the strategy is asking members of the Church to live lives that impress would-be Christian converts.
“We want to live in a way that makes others curious about our faith,” …
Church Attendance Plunges after Nepal Becomes a Secular State
Christians mostly welcomed new constitution. Nepal’s main trading partner did not.
In the weeks since Nepal officially dashed the desire of many citizens to return to being a Hindu nation, attendance at its Christian churches has plummeted. Not for a lack of faith, but a lack of fuel.
After nearly a decade of debate, the former Hindu kingdom adopted a new constitution in September that declares the Himalayan nation to be a secular state. In response, India—Nepal’s top trading partner—cut off fuel from its neighbor, claiming that the new document hurts the political representation of minority groups.
The embargo has curtailed travel for many Nepalis, including its Christian minority. AsiaNews reports that some churches have seen attendance drop by 50 percent.
“Every year, hundreds of non-believers visit Nepal’s churches because they want to convert,” CB Gahatraj, general secretary of the National Christian Federation, told AsiaNews. “These people want to learn about the culture and life of the Christian community before their baptism. But in the current situation, they can be disappointed. We have just run out of fuel for our normal religious activities and missionary work.”
The issue: India has sided with the Madhesi and Tharu, two ethnic minorities who claim the new geographic designations will leave them underrepresented by the new parliament. (The Indian Express offers an explainer.)
For more than a month, India has blocked fuel from crossing into Nepal, a disruption that has strained Nepal’s transportation and education systems. Madhesis living along the border have also physically blocked goods from entering the country.
Many Nepalis protested against India and its president Narendra Modi, who was elected by a heavily pro-Hindu base. …
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