Is your church an Environmental Steward?  “Of course”, you say, “we recycle!” You’ve changed the paper plates, napkins, Styrofoam coffee cups, and plastic cutlery to reusable ones.  Your bulbs are LED and you have bike racks to encourage riding to church instead of driving for those able.

But it’s time to move into our communities and for churches to lead the way in change. In this week’s blog, I offer 3 tips on how to do just that with the added benefit of creating closer connections with your community.

But first, let me dispel a common myth. The myth that your community isn’t ready, or open, to environmental stewardship.

Myth: Your Church Isn’t Ready for Environmental Stewardship

Who doesn’t want to live in a cleaner, healthier environment? Everyone, right? From the folks worried about their kids playing in a toxic playground to the grandmas concerned about clean air, we all have a stake in this.

You might be thinking. “But what about those people who don’t care?” Here’s the thing: most people do care. They might not be shouting it from the rooftops, but deep down, they want a better world for themselves and future generations.

And guess what? Churches are in a perfect position to tap into this desire. You’re already a cornerstone of the community, a place where people come together to share values and support each other. So why not expand that to include caring for our planet?

Environmental Stewardship and the Christian

Is being earth-friendly just a secular movement or a political agenda, or does environmental stewardship have a place in our life with God?

As it turns out, paying attention to the health of the planet is deeply grounded in the Bible. You could say it is a core biblical value. While the Bible has some 490 references about heaven and 530 about love, it contains over 1,000 references to the earth.

When I published “Green Church” in 2010, I couldn’t have imagined the level that the effects of climate change would have fourteen years later. I recently read about how emergency personnel in Phoenix have been working to keep the death count down from the heat; all ambulances and fire trucks there now being stocked with ice-filled body bags.  Of course, everything mentioned in “Green Church” is more essential now than ever.

Environmental Stewardship and the Community Connection

1) Sustainable Solutions – Start with a Community Garden if you’ve got the room for it. Encourage your community to help plant the garden, then to pick the fresh produce.

Use native plants in your landscaping to reduce the need for water and pesticides.

Install rain barrels to collect rainwater for irrigation.

And make the entire area an educational experience with signs about the garden, healthy eating, native vegetation, and the dangers of pesticides. The signs can be color-coded for multiple grade levels for children.

You can even add signs in Braille and raised the garden beds so those in wheelchairs can also plant and pick.

2) Invite the Community IN –Form a Green Team or committee of volunteers within the church to plan environmental initiatives and ensure ongoing attention to sustainability. Your Green Team can be in charge of welcoming the community to join you for workshops and events, film screenings, and guest speakers focused on environmental and sustainability practices.

As I wrote about in a recent blog, your church is the perfect place to help the community during heat waves. It can also be a welcoming place during extreme weather events like tornados, hurricanes, and wildfires. Connecting with the community on issues that affect all of us can help build strong and lasting relationships.

And don’t forget the children!  Have childcare, if possible, and environmentally focused projects for older kids.

3) Go OUT into the Community – To become a part of the community, don’t just invite them to come to you! Acknowledge what your community is already doing in the areas of environmental stewardship and sustainability.

As a clergy leader, encourage your congregation to join you in helping with already-established local clean-up projects. Take part in climate action events. Become visibly active in interfaith environmental coalitions.

When it comes to environmental stewardship, it takes each and every one of us to protect the planet with which we’ve been blessed. As Environmental Leaders who are also church leaders in our communities, we have a responsibility to lead by example.

Church leadership extends into all areas of life and living. I hope you’ll join me in my free seminar, “How Christian Ministries are Achieving Success” which delves into the many aspects of clergy leadership and the renewal that leadership can generate. Register today as my August sessions are filling up fast.

Copyright © 2024 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.