Southern Baptists have a long history of partnering with the federal government to resettle refugees. Beginning in 1948, Southern Baptists helped resettle displaced Europeans impacted by World War II. Since then, Southern Baptists have been involved in a variety of ways to resettle refugees from Cambodia, Thailand, Cuba, Vietnam, and the former Soviet Union, among many other nations.
In 2023, at the height of more than 100,000 legal refugees entering the United States annually, Send Relief was approached by a fellow evangelical ministry, World Relief, to help with resettlement. World Relief is one of 9 resettlement agencies approved by the federal government and has been involved in this work for more than 40 years.
For one year, Send Relief served as a temporary, affiliate resettlement agency at its Boston Ministry Center. This was a strategic ministry opportunity that allowed Send Relief and its many church partners to serve refugees as they legally entered the United States.
During this time, Send Relief’s team helped resettle 60 refugees. All 60 heard the Gospel and were connected to a local church. Of the 60, 43 refugees are still actively involved in a local church and 26 profess faith in Christ.
As an approved resettlement agency, World Relief received government funds to cover the cost of legal refugees’ housing, basic needs, and help finding a job. As Send Relief helped in this effort, World Relief reimbursed our ministry for expenses we incurred. Send Relief received no funding directly from the government.
Send Relief is not dependent on government resources and is grateful for the generous offerings and private donations Southern Baptists provide for our ministry. The funding that came through World Relief totaled 0.3 percent of Send Relief’s budget for 2023. Send Relief only considers the use of government resources if it fits our ministry strategy and specifically does not prohibit introducing those we serve to Jesus.
When disasters come, when refugees arrive, when orphans need homes — government agencies step forward with resources and then look for partners to distribute meals, rebuild homes, and meet other needs. We are grateful that Southern Baptist Christians have so often stepped forward and met those needs while sharing Christ.
While Baptists maintain a strict line opposing the government’s interference with local churches, there’s a long-standing precedent of Baptist organizations partnering with agencies that work with federal or state governments (children’s homes, disaster relief, refugee resettlement, foster care, etc.), as long as there are no religious strings attached.