The mission of the UMC Creation Justice Movement is to participate with the Spirit of God in connecting and supporting groups within the United Methodist Church and beyond for the work of creation care, justice, and regeneration.

We seek first God’s new creation of the world in which all creatures, places, and earth systems are fully alive through loving, sustaining, and just relationships. 

The UMC Creation Justice Movement exists to: 1) Connect existing and emerging UM creation efforts at all levels of the church for mutual support and inspiration, 2) Uplift the leadership and voices of frontline communities, 3) Collaborate with denominational, ecumenical, interfaith, environmental justice, community, and civic organizations and movements to achieve shared aims of socio-ecological justice, and 4) Mobilize the power of a “network of networks” within and outside the UMC for collective witness, action, public policy advocacy, and transformation.

As disciples of Jesus Christ seeking the transformation of the world through the resurrecting power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to the healing of the earth and its many creatures and biosystems, of which human beings are a part, as we strive in hope for the earthly fulfillment of God’s reign of righteousness and justice. With the scriptures, we believe that “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1). The New Testament witnesses to the reconciling ministry of Christ in whom “all things” in heaven and on earth are held together in peace (Colossians 1:15-20). God’s own Spirit, the source of life, groans through the whole of creation in eager longing for redemption (Romans 8:22). We affirm, therefore, that the vocation given by God to humans to “till and keep” the garden of creation (Genesis 2:15) is a call not to “dominion” (Genesis 1:28) understood as domination but to a reverent earthkeeping lived out in loving stewardship of the good earth in anticipation of the coming new creation of “all things” (Revelation 21:5). As heirs of John Wesley, we embrace anew the call to holy living – the loving of God, neighbor, and all creatures – in the whole of life. We acknowledge the interconnectedness of ecological wellbeing with social justice for all, heeding both the warnings from the scientific community regarding the environmental calamities we face and the cries of the poor and oppressed for political, economic, and cultural equity. Amidst the ecological crises of  climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and more, we know that those of us already burdened by poverty, racism, colonial violence, and related forms of social injustice are already suffering the worst effects. We believe, therefore, that the going on to Christian perfection today must include an ever deepening and expanding growth in holiness expressed through concrete acts of personal, congregational, denominational, and public transformation for the sake of the world God so loves.

Leadership for this movement within the church has emerged from many sources — from EarthKeepers, United Women in Faith, Creation Care Conferences (most recently the 2019 Creation Care Summit in Nashville), annual conference and local church green teams and more. We continue to ask what more might we do together and in response have formed a number of active work teams.

• Movement Coordinating Team
• Communication Team
• Federal and State Policy Advocacy Team
• Annual Conference Organizing Team
• Green Team Promotion and Local Church Engagement
• Worship Team
• Congregational Solar
• Wild Churches Network
• Higher Education Network
• Fossil Free UMC

We welcome United Methodists from across the connection to contribute to this emerging work. Please contact us here or at umcreationjustice@gmail.com to get connected and to share your gifts. If there is work that you would like to do that is not represented by these teams, we are happy to help convene a new team.

Members of the UM Creation Justice Movement Coordinating Team who contributed to this statement:

• Timothy Eberhart, Assistant Professor of Theology and Ecology, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
• Laura James, Organizing Program Coordinator, General Board of Church and Society
• Daniel Joranko, Coordinator, Tennessee Conference Creation Care Ministry
• Elizabeth Lee, Executive for Economic and Environmental Justice, United Methodist Women
• Cathy Velasquez Eberhart, Minnesota EarthKeeper
• Pat Watkins, UM Missionary for the Care of God’s Creation
• Michael Black, UMC Earthkeeper; Engage Team Chair and Church Council member at Decatur First UMC; Senior Lecturer at Georgia State University