UCC Creation Justice Churches Care for the Environment

More and more churches are seeing the connection between social justice, environmental sustainability, and spiritual responsibility, all of which seem deeply intertwined in both scripture and our modern world. Environmental degradation disproportionately affects marginalized and vulnerable communities, so to care for our environment is to care for our neighbor. 

The United Church of Christ (UCC) has now made it easier for its congregations to engage in creation justice, the call to protect and care for the environment in ways that promote equity, justice, and the well-being of all living things.

UCC Creation Justice Churches

The Creation Justice Church initiative is one of UCC’s eight Just World Covenant programs. 

The Just World Covenants are rooted in Psalm 106:3, “Blessed are those who act justly…” 

According to the UCC website, “​​UCC Just World Covenants are adopted by local congregations and the diverse settings of the church to strengthen their commitment to building a just world for all through their ministry, mission, and witness.”

A covenant is more than a promise, it is a deeper, binding, mutual agreement between two parties—us and God. A covenant is a sacred commitment with blessings and consequences. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God’s covenant with his people speaks clearly to the connection between our relationship with God and our relationship to the land: “​​If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (NIV).

UCC Churches who are interested in creation justice have the freedom to pursue the passions and causes that matter to their local congregation. The Creation Justice program provides a pathway for discerning what God is calling each congregation to pursue. 

A church can begin the process by following several simple steps:

1. Form a green team
2. Reflect on where you’ve been and where you can go
3. Draft a Creation Justice Covenant
4. Vote to adopt the covenant and become a Creation Justice Church
5. Submit an application

UCC has outlined four broad areas of discernment for UCC Creation Justice Churches to pursue that can help your congregation determine where the Lord is leading your local church. These questions engage theology and worship, institutional life and practice, circles of awareness and advocacy, and connections to a broader movement. Each area has a resource page to help guide your team’s conversation.

Why Become a Creation Justice Church?

According to the UCC, there are five big reasons why churches should consider becoming a Creation Justice Church:

1. Our first calling is to care for God’s creation (Genesis 2:15).
2. Jesus sought to repair the broken covenantal relationship between God and all of creation (Romans 8:20-24).
3. Protecting the gifts of creation, like clean air and clean water, ought to bring Christians together.
4. Christians are called to seek justice, to be in right relationship with God, with each other, and with all of creation. Creation justice is deeply entwined with all three of these pursuits.
5. The UCC had a central role in the origins of the environmental justice movement—creation justice is part of the UCC denominational heritage and DNA.

David Andes, member of Elon Community Church in Elon, North Carolina, said, “The Creation Justice Churches program is so badly needed at this particular time in history. The Church has a special role to play in helping save the earth and its creatures from degradation and even destruction. This program sets the tone, leads the way forward, and joins with others in this movement.”

The Congregational Church, Tryon, North Carolina Becomes a Creation Justice Church

Members of The Congregational Church UCC in Tryon, NC celebrate their new designation as Creation Justice Church. Photo Courtesy of Tyron Daily Bulletin

The Congregational Church, UCC in Tryon, NC, is just one UCC church to recently become a Creation Justice Church. 

For years, the church has worked to increase awareness and broaden the adoption of sustainable landscaping practices and investment in green energy. The church has added solar panels and native gardens to the church, among other initiatives. They’ve also partnered with area organizations, like Conserving Carolina and Gardening for Life, to promote native woodlands and eradicate kudzu from their campus. 

Their 2024 Climate Hope Fellow, Caelan Gaul, worked over the summer to build a woodland trail, analyze the church’s HVAC and boiler heating systems, educate the congregation on climate issues, and coordinate a local Climate Hope Voter Pledge drive.

And that’s the beauty of the UCC Creation Justice initiative—every congregation can make their program their own, pursuing the heart of Christ in their own community. The possibilities for Creation Justice Church are endless!

If you aren’t a part of the United Church of Christ, you can still pursue creation justice programming in your community. Explore your denomination’s initiatives, connect with your local Interfaith Power and Light, or go ahead and start your own! What’s holding you back?