Author: Dr. Daniel Joranko
Creation care along with justice has become central to our understanding of our faith commitment as United Methodists. People are increasingly feeling called to serve both in the church and in communities in ways that express this commitment. However, many struggle to find support in this calling. Securing a livelihood can often be a challenge. Moreover, people can feel isolated without institutional and organizational support.
The UM Creation Justice Movement is currently developing a project to support those who feel called to creation care. We are exploring ways that both the denomination as a whole and we as a network can help people realize their call.
It is unlikely that we will have the resources to provide direct funding or placements—but we hope we can help people identify funding and placements. We also hope to work with our Boards and Agencies and Annual Conferences to find ways to robustly support those who feel this vital calling. We hope to provide workshops and other resources. Finally, we hope to develop a community of care for those in this ministry and mission.
Calls to this ministry can take on a variety of forms throughout one’s life. Below is a outline of some of the ways this calling can take shape.
All of us in the church have a general call to creation care and justice. Some, though, see this as a form of intensive service and witness. Our initial focus will be on those whose primary work is this form of service. We would like to hear from you if you are engaged in or are exploring this primary call. Please email us at umcreationjustice@gmail.com.
We are in the early stages of developing this project; so we may not have immediate answers. However, it is our hope that this newly emerging project of the UM Creation Justice Movement will help many realize their call so we can all help God’s precious creation to flourish.
Dr. Daniel Joranko
nashvillecreationcare@gmail.com
This outline is intended to provide a basic typology of potential forms of creation care/justice callings. The primary focus is on the way it is lived out—rather than on the institutional format. It is not intended to be exhaustive. Callings emerge and evolve over time—through stages of life development. Dynamics also include tensions between social movement and institution, the sacred and the secular, community and household, and calling and career.
Young Adult Callings
- Movement Scene: Here a young adult is caught up and strongly identifies with an emerging movement around a cause. It is creative. It shares similarities with scenes in music and the arts. It is extremely intensive and pay is often little or nothing. One might be in school, work in a coffee shop or as a low-paid organizer. There is a lot of house sharing. People can forge strong bonds as comrades or break apart in factions. The experience is often life changing. One can easily burnout. The lifespan of such scenes is usually 5–7 years at most.
- Young Professional: Here a young adult will attempt to establish a career in their field or area of interest or calling—often through an established church agency, secular nonprofit or non-governmental organization (NGO). Young professionals both learn the ropes and bring in new, innovative ideas.
- Young Missioner: Here a young adult will commit to a mission post for a couple of years. They will generally live very simply—often in community. They can bring a great deal of commitment and energy to a project—and, in turn, also learn a great deal. The experience is often a testing or a step into a livelong calling.
Maturing Callings
- Tent-Maker: Here one combines work in a trade, shop or craft with part-time work in the creation care/justice movement. This work can be volunteer or paid. This can be one of the most rewarding models as it can provide both a certain stability and rhythm to life. However, it only works if the trade is largely rewarding—and not too stressful or draining.
- Mature Professional: Here one continues the work started as a young professional (or begins a second career). Maturing professionals bring expertise, combining knowledge and experience, and often manage projects.
- Mature Missioner: Here one commits to a longer-term mission work in the field. One draws on both knowledge and experience in helping a community fulfill goals. One often lives modestly and often models living simply. It greatly helps, though, to have enough resources to live stably and not always be stressed about money. One may continue to live in intentional community—though a family is also often a possibility.
Elder Callings
- Retired Volunteers: Retirement often frees up a lot of time that can be committed to volunteering or leading church, community-based, and nonprofit initiatives. Older volunteers can often bring both part-time unpaid work and the wisdom of experience to the field.
- Elder Professional: With age, one either retires or moves up to senior levels of leadership (not being able to retire can create difficulties).
- Elder Missioners: With the aging process unfolding, one needs to gradually replace intense work with the wisdom of experience. (Wisdom, though, is never guaranteed with age—reflection is necessary). These older adults can become the elders of the movement. We seem to know less how this might be lived out.