Theos report calls for a humane strategy for the integration of refugees, with churches at the centre. 17/06/2025
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned that without tougher immigration policies, the UK might become an “island of strangers”. When challenged, he said that “people who come here should be expected to learn the language and integrate.”
A new report from Theos challenges the rhetoric of dis–integration. It explores the ways in which refugees and asylum seekers achieve integration, and the significant but often overlooked role that the UK’s churches play in enabling those who have already arrived to settle and flourish.
Drawing on extensive interviews with church leaders, charities, and local authorities, the report uncovers the practical and relational ways in which churches help refugees to find community in the UK. It addresses misconceptions surrounding church activities, including unfounded allegations of proselytism and ‘fake conversions’. It highlights the challenges that churches face, such as limited resources, volunteer burnout, and tensions between faith–based motivations and public perceptions. It proposes practical policy changes that would support churches and facilitate a smoother and comprehensive integration of refugees.
The report calls for an improved national strategy for integration. Its author George Lapshynov says “It is not solely the role of the government to directly deliver integration, but government should create the framework that enables the efforts of civil society and churches. Crucially, we believe it can do this without significant new expenditure, not by overhauling the system but by humanising it”.
The report From Strangers to Neighbours will be launched at a gathering in parliament on 17th June 2025. It is accompanied by a set of stunning photographs from award–winning photographer John Boaz, illustrating some of the ways that churches support the integration of migrants.
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