A new resource from the global Anglican Alliance is designed to equip churches to welcome and support new people coming into their communities. This resource comes in reponse to requests for help from local churches as conflict, climate and economic pressures drive more people to move away from home today than at any time in recorded history.

In 2024, there were an estimated 300 million migrants globally, including around 42.5 million refugees. While some people move to provide better opportunities for their families through education or employment, many move to escape the impacts of conflict, climate-related disasters, persecution or poverty. 

Recognising the role churches are often able to play in welcoming the stranger and caring for newcomers, ‘People on the Move’ 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.

The new resource is available in English below and will soon be available in Spanish, Arabic and French. 

The 'People on the Move' resource was launched at an online gathering on 31 March attended by church leaders, and aid and development experts working with families on the move 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, members of the Mission for Migrant Workers based in Hong Kong, and people in migration ministries from the Diocese of Europe. Together, they offered global insights and local examples of how churches are responding.

‘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." said Anglican Alliance Exec. Director Rob Dawes.

"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." he said.

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.

This call to action follows on from a joint statement issued in December 2025 after 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, then urged the global Church to work in partnership with others to support people arriving in their neighbourhoods. 

"‘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. 

Download the People on the Move Resource 

Find out more about the Anglican Alliance

Find out more how Anglicans are responding to the needs of refugees