The key to driving change in your congregation is helping people understand why we should care for God’s creation. As a church leader, you have tremendous influence to help educate and form your congregation in this direction. We’ve provided a number of ways you can do this, as well as resources to help you get started!
Creation Care is a Matter of Life
Need help explaining to your congregation, family, or friends why they, as Christians, should care about God’s creation. These resources can help.
Creation Care is a Matter of Life, Human Life | This EEN Special Report outlines how pollution affects our experience of "abundant life." Understanding the ways in which pollution harms us all, but particularly threatens the health and wellbeing of our children, is key to helping evangelical Christians realize why we should care about pollution and the current climate crisis. (This piece was adapted for "Loving the Least of These: Addressing a Changing Environment" by the National Association of Evangelicals. You can view the full report here.)
Defend Life | Learn more about how climate change is hurting our children.
Why Should Evangelicals Care | Learn about how creation care is a matter of life and why we, as evangelicals, care about caring for God’s creation.
Sermon Starters
We’ve provided some resources to help you integrate creation care into your Sunday teaching:
Creation Care Sermon Starters | This guide includes Bible verses and ideas to get you started on preaching on caring for God’s creation.
Bearing the Image Sermon Starter | In Genesis 1, we learn that we have been created in God’s image. What does this mean for us as we interact with God’s creation?
Christ the Creator Sermon Starter | This sermon starter guide investigates the Biblical idea that Christ is the Creator and what this means for our lives.
Contingent Sermon Starter | In this sermon starter guide, you will find a reminder that we are contingent upon God, as is His Creation. How will this knowledge change how we live?
Easter: Up from the Grave - the Church Arose Sermon Starter | Easter is the greatest Holy Day in the life of the church. This sermon starter reminds us to consider what we’re truly celebrating on Easter Sunday.
Restoration is Coming Sermon Starter | God promises restoration and this guide reminds us that this restoration is coming soon. It includes discussion questions and resources for further study.
Shout It from the Mountain Top Sermon Starter | Sometimes we need a reminder that creation belongs to God and testifies to his majesty. This sermon starter is a guide to walking your congregation through this reminder.
Tending the Garden Sermon Starter | We have a call to tend the garden,. and this sermon starter guide is complete with discussion questions and Bible verses.
Creation Care Scriptures and Quotes | A list of Bible verses and quotes on creation care to use for inspiration in sermon preparation or other pastoral needs.
Sample Sermons
Climate, Creation & Stewardship | Reverend Mitch Hescox, President of the Evangelical Environmental Network, joins Grace Capital City Church to explore how fighting for ecological justice is an integral part of our role as Christians.
Creation Care and Stewardship Sermon | Pastor Chris Moerman of Grace Capital City Church starts us off exploring the moment of transfer between Elijah and Elisha and the immediate aftermath. As Elisha learns to steward a power he’s never before carried, we see displayed the life and healing that can flow, but also the death and destruction. How will we use what God has given us to heal instead of hurt?
Integrating Creation Care into Your Teaching (webinar recording) | Learn from a panel of seasoned pastors who share about incorporating creation care into your weekly teachings and church activities. You’ll gain insight from experienced pastors on what works and what doesn’t with congregations.
Our Role as Christians: Justice | Pastor Chris Moerman talks about who we are as Christians as it relates to justice. It is easy to get wrapped up in conversations about justice that are fueled by what the world says about justice. But as followers of Jesus we need to always be asking the better question: God, what is your heart for justice?
God’s Big Sound (Psalm 150) | Larry Figueroa shares how God’s big sound of creation continues to hold forth and carries all of life within it.
House of God's Creation | The Rev. Dr. Phil Covert, the Chair of EEN's Board of Directors, uses the powerful metaphor of a house in disrepair to reshape how Christians think of caring for God's creation.
Worship
These resources help you integrate creation care into worship:
Climate Vigil Songs | EEN and YECA partnered with The Porter's Gate Worship Project, along with other Christian nonprofits, to release a new album featuring top Christian artists on June 3, 2022. According to the press release, "These songs are meant to be sung in church during worship services. Lyrics are derived from the Scriptures and a deep well of time-tested Christian teachings. Diverse artists and musical styles represented on the album span different Christian traditions, so there is a song on the album for almost every church in America."
Creation Care and Advent: Creation-Friendly Worship in Advent and Christmas | For centuries, John 1 has offered the church perhaps its favorite Advent text outside of the birth narratives of Luke. But have we ever stopped to think about what was going through the mind of the author when he chose the word logos (word) to describe Jesus? Perhaps we are so used to the strange choice that we don’t realize how inscrutable it sounded the first time Western ears heard it. But make no mistake: It was utterly clear and eminently meaningful to John’s original audience.
Creation Care Sunday: Suggested Traditional Worship Order | This sample worship order for Creation Care Sunday (the Sunday following Earth Day) can serve as a guide to tailoring a worship service for your congregation.
Climate Care Worship Celebration | An online service that includes songs of praise and a sermon from Rev. Mitch Hescox and Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap.
Creation Care Worship Gathering: Celebrating God the Creator on Earth Day | Enjoy this live worship service which includes songs of praise, scripture readings, and a sermon presented by EEN staff and a sermon by EEN President/CEO Reverend Mitch Hescox titled “We Are Easter People.”
Season of Creation | The Season of Creation is the annual Christian celebration of prayer and action for our common home. Together, the ecumenical families around the world unite to pray, protect, and advocate for God’s creation.
Creation Care Lament | This sample worship order from the West Side Creation Care Team in Cleveland, OH can serve as a model for creating a worship service centered around creation care lament, incorporating elements such as music, call and response, and stations of the cross.
A Rocha: At Your Service… | A Rocha International provides various resources on this site, including worship, articles, Bible studies, and children’s activities.
Prayer
Central Climate Liturgy | Use this liturgy exactly as is, or mix and match the sections that make the most sense for your purposes. It includes important liturgical components like confession, assurance of forgiveness, praise, benediction, and song to create a meaningful and coherent worship experience.
Liturgy for Climate Die-In | In January 2020, the Steering Committee for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (YECA) held a creative protest in the form of a climate die-in liturgy outside of the White House. They prayed for the victims of the climate crisis in the spirit of prayer and repentance. We hope you can use this liturgy for your own demonstrations to draw attention to the real-life suffering and death that climate change is causing and will continue to cause, particularly amongst those who have done the least to cause this problem.
Climate Prayer Vigil | In February 2020, YECA hosted a prayer vigil outside the National Prayer Breakfast on behalf of the victims of the climate crisis. Use this liturgy to host your own climate vigil, centering the human and nonhuman victims of climate change.
Prayer Guides | These guides walk you through a prayer meeting for our political leaders, those most impacted by the climate crisis and through prayers for repentance.
Speaker Opportunities
If you would like to bring someone in to speak to your church about creation care, send us an email at support@creationcare.org.
