Today, the Anglican Alliance, in partnership with United Nations advocacy representatives from the Anglican Communion Office, has launched a new resource called, ‘People on the Move’, designed to equip churches to welcome and support migrants, refugees and internally displaced people in their communities.
It has been developed in response to the huge scale of refugee and migration crises around the globe, which is seeing more people on the move than at any time in recorded history. In 2024, there were an estimated 300 million migrants globally, including around 42.5 million refugees. Displacement, whether within countries or across borders, is driven by conflict, climate-related disasters, persecution and poverty, leaving millions facing profound uncertainty and hardship.
Recognising the huge role churches often play in humanitarian aid and advocacy, the Anglican Alliance’s new ‘People on the Move’ resource brings together practical guidance for churches and church leaders, covering areas including mental health, legal considerations, communication, theology of migration, pastoral and spiritual care, safeguarding against exploitation, child-specific support and advocacy.
Soon to be available in Spanish, Arabic and French, the resource is a direct response to growing demand from churches across the Communion seeking to engage faithfully and effectively with these challenges.
The resource was launched during an online gathering on 31 March, for church leaders, practitioners and partners from across the Anglican Communion and beyond. The event featured contributions from representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), alongside Anglican leaders working directly with displaced communities in diverse contexts, including The Most Revd Maimbo Mndolwa, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Tanzania, Mission for Migrant Workers based in Hong Kong, and the Diocese of Europe. Together, they offered both global insight and local examples of how churches are responding.
Rob Dawes, Executive Director of the Anglican Alliance, said:
‘In today’s global context, migration is increasing at an unprecedented rate, driven by a complex mix of factors including climate change, conflict, rising poverty and reductions in international aid. Across the Anglican Communion, churches are responding with compassion and courage, offering sanctuary, practical assistance and spiritual care to those forced to flee their homes.
‘People on the Move’ is intended to support and strengthen that response, equipping churches to act with wisdom, confidence and Christ-centred compassion in their local contexts.’
Michael French, Anglican Communion Office UN Representative, said:
‘People on the Move’ will equip churches across the Anglican Communion to support refugees, migrants and internally displaced people in their local communities, offering practical guidance rooted in compassion, dignity and justice. We are grateful for the support of our colleagues from UNHCR at the launch event, where they shared valuable insights into current global refugee movements, strengthening our collective understanding of the scale and complexity of displacement today. We look forward to continued collaboration in our shared commitment to support and accompany people on the move worldwide.’
Across the Anglican Communion, churches and organisations are already responding in a wide variety of ways, through advocacy at international level and through practical, local action supporting those on the move.
This call to action was echoed in a joint statement issued in December 2025 following the United Nations Global Refugee Forum Progress Review. The Most Revd Maimbo Mndolwa, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Tanzania, and the Rt Revd Mark D. W. Edington, Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, urged the global Church to ‘work in partnership with others to address this growing need’.
‘In the growing emergency of human migration, Christ is calling us to join together in his mission of caring for the least, the last and the lost. Every one of our churches confronts the desperation of refugees…
‘Whether it is serving the refugee among us, supporting the crucial work of climate-sensitive development or advocating for more just and compassionate policies, we have among us, if we work together, the potential to set forth into the world a powerful, Gospel-centred witness to the dignity of all human beings as equal and precious children of God.’
People on the Move offers a practical and theological foundation for this shared mission, enabling churches across the Anglican Communion to respond with greater confidence, coordination and care.
More information
Find out more and download the resource from the Anglican Alliance here.
See the joint statement following the United Nations 2025 Global Refugee Forum Progress Review.
