Transform Minnesota Events

Borders & Belonging: Immigration Through a Biblical Lens

Excelsior Covenant Church | Saturday, November 14 | 9 am – 12 pm | 19955 Excelsior Blvd, Excelsior, MN 55331

Borders & Belonging is a half-day forum wrestling with the biblical tension of balancing secure borders and the rule of law with welcoming the stranger and protecting the vulnerable.

As Christians engage the complexity and disruption of global migration, we must find ways to live in the balance of what Scripture teaches: that nations and borders are part of how God orders human life, and that the church has an obligation to care for the immigrant and to use its voice to advocate for just policy.

Recognizing that neither the “deport them all” crowd nor the “open borders” advocates offer solutions that align with biblical principles, this forum wrestles with scriptural teaching, thoughtful policy, and the lived experience of immigrant neighbors to help Christians think faithfully and act well on immigration, holding law and love together as the Bible shows us.

REGISTER FOR FREE HERE

At this forum, you will engage the topic from three perspectives: Bible, Policy, and Neighbor.

  • Bible: Wrestle with a biblical framework that affirms the legitimacy of borders and the rule of law while calling the church to care for the sojourner and to advocate for a society that treats all people with dignity.
  • Policy: Understand the policy principles and current proposals shaping U.S. immigration.
  • Neighbor: Hear directly from immigrant neighbors, including brothers and sisters in the faith, whose lives are shaped by our nation’s laws and by the church’s welcome.

Event Schedule

Sesson 1 | Biblical Wrestling: Enforcing Laws & Loving Our Neighbors

Session 2 | Principles for Just Immigration Policy

Session 3 | Immigrant Voices (facilitated panel)

Dig Deeper: Conversation Breakouts

  • Good Neighbor Teams
  • Immigration Legal Services
  • Policies and Advocacy
  • Immigrant Experiences

Partners helping to organize this forum include:

Registration

REGISTER HERE!

Please note: This event is free but registration is required.

Speaker Bios

Dr. Carlos Telléz

Dr. Telléz earned his undergraduate degree in church planting from the Sembrar Institute in Bogotá, Colombia. He earned an MA and MDiv from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. He received a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Dr. Téllez has been involved in a variety of ministries in the US and Latin America, including cross-cultural missions, preaching, music, youth, children and church planting. He has served in various types of churches ranging from suburban megachurches to immigrant churches to multiethnic urban churches. Dr. Téllez has also served at higher education institutions in the United States as Director of Global Initiatives, Dean of Chapel, and as a full-time faculty member, among others.

Steve Eng

Steve Eng serves as advocacy director for the National Association of Evangelicals, equipping pastors, nonprofit leaders and ministry leaders to exercise their God-given influence for the good of their communities and nation — rooted in the NAE’s foundational framework, “For the Health of the Nation.” An ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, Eng brings both a shepherd’s heart and a seasoned policy voice to his work. He has spoken at more than 150 events nationwide and regularly engages leaders and legislators on Capitol Hill. Eng holds a degree in political science from St. Olaf College and an M.Div. from North Park Theological Seminary.

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