Green Churches: Why Greening Your Church is an Exercise of Faith
God created us out of the dust of the earth, calls us into a life of stewardship and commissions us to “till and keep” the garden (Genesis 2: 7 and 15). We can do this in our churches by working to become a Green Church. There is no one way for a church to become green. Every congregation has different strengths and is called to meet different needs. As with the building of the Tabernacle, Exodus 35 and 36 (which was made from donated, recycled materials) all that is needed is for those with stirred hearts and willing spirits to bring what they can and give it as a freewill offering to God.
For Christians, spending time in nature, caring for and learning about Creation are spiritual practices, ways through which we can become closer to God. Martin Luther said, “God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” Romans 1:20 tells us that a whole creation helps us to know God. Incorporating Creation care into regular worship services and bible studies is one aspect of becoming a Green Church. Some ideas for doing this include; celebrating Earth Day Sunday, making eco-palms for Palm Sunday, holding worship services out doors and teaching creation care Sunday school classes for children and adults.
The oppression of nature is linked to the suffering of God’s people. The effects of climate change will hit those living in poverty and in developing nations the hardest. Mountaintop removal mining, a form of coal mining, destroys the land and waterways while exposing those living nearby to dangerous toxins. One of the biggest ways churches can love their neighbors is to become more energy efficient, or “green.” By using less energy, churches will reduce their greenhouse gas and other toxic emissions and decrease the need to mine and burn fossil fuels like coal. Becoming more energy efficient will also cut back on costs leaving churches with more money for other areas of mission.
Farm workers often do not make a living wage and are exposed to harmful pesticides placing them and their families at risk for disease. In addition, many of our neighbors living in poverty in inner cities are living in food deserts, areas with little or no access to healthy and nutritious foods. Starting a church garden allows us to “till and keep” the garden (Genesis 2:15), without harmful pesticides, while offering food to the hungry (Matthew 25:34-35). Buying fair trade, organic coffee can help ensure the wellbeing of local growers and their families.
It is important for Green Churches to incorporate concern for Creation into the work of the church as a whole because environmental degradation affects every aspect of a church’s ministry from its worship life and Christian education to its social witness programs to its financial stewardship. Some general aspects of a green church include; becoming energy efficient, using church grounds in environmentally friendly ways, discontinuing the use of toxics, making environmentally friendly investments and purchases, working to protect vulnerable communities and building or remodeling in sustainable ways. In the 12th century Hildegard of Bingen wrote what is still true for churches today, “We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper we will respond to its endangerment with passion.” This is what it means to be a Green Church.
Click here to find out more about the many different ways churches throughout the country are becoming “green churches.”