by Karen McElfish
Co-Coordinator, Annual Conference Organizing Team
In this time of growing environmental and human rights urgency, we the people called United Methodists are rallying to work for creation justice, from the grassroots level to throughout the denomination. This work will require all of us, including our bishops. How do we begin to engage our bishops with us?
The Coordinating Team of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, with love and hope for people and creation, gathered to write an Open Letter to The United Methodist Council of Bishops in early September 2025.
Our bishops share not only interest in but commitment to creation justice in our conferences and the denomination. At their November 2025 meeting, the Council of Bishops approved a statement in support of creation justice, in response to the Open Letter, calling for the following actions:
Implement the decisions made at our 2024 General Conference
- Create Green Teams in churches, districts, and conferences
- Implement sustainable practices in managing church properties as a recognition of their sacredness
- Join UM agencies and bishops in the commitment to Net Zero Green House Gas Emissions
- Establish conference Caretakers of God’s Creation Coordinators
- Implement sustainable practices at Annual Conferences
Simple steps to action
In addition to the above commitments, the bishops of The United Methodist Church are inviting all United Methodist local churches and ministries to:
- Create Green Teams in each local church/ministry
- Organize one church-wide action around creation care at least once a year
- Study together for deeper understanding of the work of creation care and Justice
- Engage with partners in the Ecumenical Decade for Climate Justice Action
Inspired by the Council of Bishops Climate Justice Response statement, we on the Creation Justice Annual Conference Organizing Team see an opportunity. What can we do to help? How do we move from inspiration to action? What are next steps? Here are ideas:
Request a meeting on creation justice with your bishop.
That may require working with a staff member of the conference to set it up. In Virginia, the opportunity first arose through conversations in Board of Laity meetings with our bishop. In the Horizon Texas Annual Conference, the Conference Caretaker of God’s Creation Coordinator requested a meeting with their bishop and cabinet. Building relationships with the bishop, cabinet and conference staff for ongoing conversation is crucial.
Include key people in preparation for the meeting.
Identify and involve the key stakeholders and allies. That includes Trustees, Finance, Church and Society, United Women in Faith, Youth, and more. Additionally keep in mind many annual conferences now share bishops. Work with creation care teams or individuals from each annual conference in preparation for and during meetings with the shared bishop.
Develop tools to support action.
Prior to meeting, the creation justice teams should develop tools to offer support for the bishop and cabinet in doing this work. Provide resources for them to speak on creation care and justice and the climate crisis in prayers and worship. Those could include statistics and data, prayers and worship materials, and laments. Provide advocacy assistance, including local, state, and national action alerts and opportunities. Compile information on net-zero means, including resources from the general boards and agencies. The website for the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement contains many of these valuable resources.
At the meeting keep a positive tone of conversation.
Start by saying we have been inspired by the Council of Bishops Climate Justice statement. Ask the bishop for their personal thoughts on the climate crisis, creation justice, and possible responses within their conference. Be supportive and offer help. Involve cabinet members, staff, and others as available, who have the ear of the bishop, to further the conversation and work.
Identify specific “asks” of the bishop.
Here are a few requests to consider:
- Include creation justice and the climate crisis in prayers and preaching.
- Provide support for annual conference creation care/justice teams, including identifying/appointing a Caretaker of God’s Creation Coordinator, blessing the establishment of team(s), speaking about their importance to clergy and lay members of the conference, giving access to communication and administrative support, funding, and staffing.
- Model advocacy from the bishop and office, including public witness about the climate crisis and distribution of action alerts from United Women in Faith and Church and Society, for example.
- Support development of creation justice callings and creation justice new church starts.
- Solicit plans from local church and annual conference teams for net-zero actions and other practical steps around water/food/energy that can become inspiration to generate more actions and possible resolutions for the annual conference.
- Host a creation justice summit, bringing together stakeholders and allies to work in collaboration.
A number of our conferences have begun to engage their bishops. The bishop from Georgia helped identify and convene members for their creation care team and attended the initial team meeting. Virginia and California Nevada conferences have hosted summits, with their bishops providing opening addresses. Western North Carolina is currently preparing for their Bishop’s Summit in April 2026. The Mountain Sky Creation Care team worked with their bishop to develop a resolution focusing on key creation care issues.
Reaching out to our bishops, asking for action on creation justice and the climate crisis, and offering to help in that work—doing so is an opportunity not to be missed.