If you want your congregation to live gospel for the whole creation, you need support from other people.
You need to think big but start small.
You need at least one other person to talk on a regular basis about integrating care of the earth into life of the congregation.
Teams, even small ones, accomplish things that individuals cannot. After all, we are the body of Christ, not just disconnected parts!
Rite of Installation for Creation Care Congregations
Under Development
How do we begin?
Gather a small group of interested people (3 to 10) to serve as a Creation Care Team. Choose a name: Green Team, Creation-Care Team, Earthkeeping Team, EcoFaith Advocates. Inform/involve the pastor(s) as to your interest and commitment. Engage the leaders of your congregation to build allies and support moving. If need be, request authorization from the church council to go forward. Seek to engage the whole congregation through worship, special events, adult forums, or weekly green tips. Develop an Action Plan for integrating creation care into five areas of the church:
1) Worship; 2) Education for all ages; 3) Congregational life; 4) Building/grounds; 5) Community action.
Make suggestions/ give resources to appropriate committees to carry out the Action Plan and support those committees in carrying out an action or a program. For an example of an action plan, see Gloria Dei Lutheran/ Duluth Green Team page
Promote with members your identity as a congregation that cares for creation. Meet regularly to follow the Action Plan and to develop new projects. Consider a congregational project to benefit the community/city of location. Seek out community leaders already working on eco-justice and partner with them. Find structural ways to assure the ongoing life of the Green Team each year. Refer to the many congregational resources available, network with other teams in the NE Synod. Become an active participant in the NE MN Synod EcoFaith Network.
Excerpted from: “Getting Started and Keeping if Going” from Lutherans Restoring Creation.
