Religious Community, Language and Family: Why the Neo-Protestant Churches in Romania Support Emigration to the US

Existing scholarship has studied the Church’s role in facilitating emigration through providing various forms of assistance. However, there is limited research about the characteristics of the migrants benefiting from such aid, particularly in terms of the combination between social embeddedness and religious devotion. This study addresses this gap by investigating how the Neo-Protestant churches in Romania help in the emigration process, and explains the support they provide as a type of religious capital. Based on primary data from an online survey and semi-structured interviews with Romanian emigrants in the US, the analysis reveals that the Churches’ assistance is directed more toward individuals with strong ties to the religious community, those facing linguistic barriers, and those migrating for the purpose of family reunification.