Eco Church

[Carl Emerson]

Hi Friends,

Just interested in you take on the Eco Church which has a central focus on stewarding the environment - growing at pace with climate changing...

Is it a distraction when the great commission is our primary task.

Did God Himself not turn river waters into blood?

Will the earth as we know it not be totally destroyed and remade?

Is this a 'Christian Mother Earth Movement' ???

Eco Church | The Church of England

Case studies of Eco Churches from different parts of the country.

www.churchofengland.org

 

[AlexB23]

Hi Friends,

Just interested in you take on the Eco Church which has a central focus on stewarding the environment - growing at pace with climate changing...

Is it a distraction when the great commission is our primary task.

Did God Himself not turn river waters into blood?

Will the earth as we know it not be totally destroyed and remade?

Is this a 'Christian Mother Earth Movement' ???

Eco Church | The Church of England

Case studies of Eco Churches from different parts of the country.

www.churchofengland.org

Well, the Bible told us to take care of the Earth, so if we want to protect our planet, we must listen to Genesis, Isaiah and Jeremiah. A devotional below which I made for Earth Day is below.

Also, here are six steps to being eco-friendly (without having to give Musk a single cent)

1. Cultivate a mindset of care and respect for the Earth as God's creation, acknowledging our responsibility to tend to it.
2. Reduce our carbon footprint by using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar and adopting ecological practices in daily life (ex. composting, using energy efficient LED bulbs, riding a bike to the store, driving small fuel-efficient Japanese hybrids/crossovers).
3. Support and advocate for environmentally sustainable policies, including reducing plastic use, promoting recycling, investing in public transport & mixed-use urban developments, and minimizing waste.
4. Practice conservation by preserving natural resources and protecting habitats for various species.
5. Educate ourselves and others about the importance of caring for the Earth as a moral imperative, rather than just an environmental concern.
6. Pray for God's guidance in our efforts to be good stewards of the Earth and ask for His help in overcoming challenges related to caring for creation.

Devotional from: Stewardship of the Earth & Climate Change (Genesis 2:15, Isaiah 24:4-6, Jeremiah 2:7)

 

[Unqualified]

Yes the earth needs to be cared for. Does being conservation minded help people to get saved? It sounds like it is distracting the people from evangelizing. It’s the end times, the one world church is focused on environment. No I don’t expect all churches to be the same. Someone has to lead in tackling our eco problems. Churches that preach the gospel well have converts. The national picture though is that no eco solutions work very well even recycling. There is no one with a better idea so it’s not the solution. Repent for the kingdom of God is near.

what the world wants is just not going to happen before Gods wrath comes.

 

[Pioneer3mm]

the great commission is our primary task.

Good point.
---
Focus on 'the unreached & the least evangelized' regions/people are needed.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Hi Friends,

Just interested in you take on the Eco Church which has a central focus on stewarding the environment - growing at pace with climate changing...

Is it a distraction when the great commission is our primary task.

Did God Himself not turn river waters into blood?

Will the earth as we know it not be totally destroyed and remade?

Is this a 'Christian Mother Earth Movement' ???

Eco Church | The Church of England

Case studies of Eco Churches from different parts of the country.

www.churchofengland.org

I asked Gemini AI....

The Eco Church movement isn't exactly about environmentalism within churches. It refers to a specific Christian denomination called ECO, which stands for A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
Here's a breakdown of ECO:

• Origins: Formed out of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition, ECO aims to revitalize Christianity by focusing on building strong local churches.
• Beliefs: ECO adheres to core Christian tenets like the Trinity and salvation through Jesus Christ. Their beliefs are outlined in the Essential Tenets.
• Structure: Interestingly, ECO positions itself as both a denomination and a network. This offers churches the structure and support of a denomination alongside the flexibility of a network.
• Focus: ECO prioritizes four areas: emphasizing the Gospel, cultivating new leaders, fostering innovative church practices, and building a community of accountable churches.

While ECO's name, with "ECO," might imply an environmental focus, it actually stands for their core values and their commitment to nurturing healthy church communities.

 

[AlexB23]

I asked Gemini AI....

The Eco Church movement isn't exactly about environmentalism within churches. It refers to a specific Christian denomination called ECO, which stands for A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
Here's a breakdown of ECO:

• Origins: Formed out of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition, ECO aims to revitalize Christianity by focusing on building strong local churches.
• Beliefs: ECO adheres to core Christian tenets like the Trinity and salvation through Jesus Christ. Their beliefs are outlined in the Essential Tenets.
• Structure: Interestingly, ECO positions itself as both a denomination and a network. This offers churches the structure and support of a denomination alongside the flexibility of a network.
• Focus: ECO prioritizes four areas: emphasizing the Gospel, cultivating new leaders, fostering innovative church practices, and building a community of accountable churches.

While ECO's name, with "ECO," might imply an environmental focus, it actually stands for their core values and their commitment to nurturing healthy church communities.

Cool stuff. I asked Mixtral 8x7B on Huggingface the same question, and got this:

An Eco Church is a Christian organization that aims to help churches in the UK and abroad become more environmentally friendly and sustainable. The Eco Church initiative is run by A Rocha UK, a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world. Link: Eco Church

The Eco Church scheme encourages churches to consider their environmental impact across five key areas: worship and teaching, management of church buildings, management of church land, community and global engagement, and lifestyle. Churches can complete an online survey to assess their current level of environmental stewardship and receive suggestions for improvement. They can then work towards achieving bronze, silver, or gold awards, which recognize their progress in implementing eco-friendly practices.

Examples of actions that churches can take to become more eco-friendly include reducing energy consumption through improved insulation and lighting, using renewable energy sources, promoting recycling and waste reduction, planting wildflowers and creating wildlife habitats on church land, engaging with local communities on environmental issues, and encouraging members to adopt sustainable lifestyles. By becoming more environmentally aware and active, Eco Churches aim to demonstrate their commitment to caring for God's creation and to inspiring others to do the same.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I asked Gemini AI....

The Eco Church movement isn't exactly about environmentalism within churches. It refers to a specific Christian denomination called ECO, which stands for A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
Here's a breakdown of ECO:

• Origins: Formed out of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition, ECO aims to revitalize Christianity by focusing on building strong local churches.
• Beliefs: ECO adheres to core Christian tenets like the Trinity and salvation through Jesus Christ. Their beliefs are outlined in the Essential Tenets.
• Structure: Interestingly, ECO positions itself as both a denomination and a network. This offers churches the structure and support of a denomination alongside the flexibility of a network.
• Focus: ECO prioritizes four areas: emphasizing the Gospel, cultivating new leaders, fostering innovative church practices, and building a community of accountable churches.

While ECO's name, with "ECO," might imply an environmental focus, it actually stands for their core values and their commitment to nurturing healthy church communities.

Looks like this ECO thing and that Eco thing are two different things. The other one is about energy use.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Cool stuff. I asked Mixtral 8x7B on Huggingface the same question, and got this:

An Eco Church is a Christian organization that aims to help churches in the UK and abroad become more environmentally friendly and sustainable. The Eco Church initiative is run by A Rocha UK, a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world. Link: Eco Church

The Eco Church scheme encourages churches to consider their environmental impact across five key areas: worship and teaching, management of church buildings, management of church land, community and global engagement, and lifestyle. Churches can complete an online survey to assess their current level of environmental stewardship and receive suggestions for improvement. They can then work towards achieving bronze, silver, or gold awards, which recognize their progress in implementing eco-friendly practices.

Examples of actions that churches can take to become more eco-friendly include reducing energy consumption through improved insulation and lighting, using renewable energy sources, promoting recycling and waste reduction, planting wildflowers and creating wildlife habitats on church land, engaging with local communities on environmental issues, and encouraging members to adopt sustainable lifestyles. By becoming more environmentally aware and active, Eco Churches aim to demonstrate their commitment to caring for God's creation and to inspiring others to do the same.

Battling AIs coming up with different answers? Oh my.

 

[AlexB23]

Battling AIs coming up with different answers? Oh my.

Haha, yeah. Goes to show that AI is not there yet.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Cool stuff. I asked Mixtral 8x7B on Huggingface the same question, and got this:

An Eco Church is a Christian organization that aims to help churches in the UK and abroad become more environmentally friendly and sustainable. The Eco Church initiative is run by A Rocha UK, a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world. Link: Eco Church

The Eco Church scheme encourages churches to consider their environmental impact across five key areas: worship and teaching, management of church buildings, management of church land, community and global engagement, and lifestyle. Churches can complete an online survey to assess their current level of environmental stewardship and receive suggestions for improvement. They can then work towards achieving bronze, silver, or gold awards, which recognize their progress in implementing eco-friendly practices.

Examples of actions that churches can take to become more eco-friendly include reducing energy consumption through improved insulation and lighting, using renewable energy sources, promoting recycling and waste reduction, planting wildflowers and creating wildlife habitats on church land, engaging with local communities on environmental issues, and encouraging members to adopt sustainable lifestyles. By becoming more environmentally aware and active, Eco Churches aim to demonstrate their commitment to caring for God's creation and to inspiring others to do the same.

Too funny!

 

[AlexB23]

Too funny!

Yeah, AI is kinda funny.

 

[Carl Emerson]

I asked Gemini AI....

The Eco Church movement isn't exactly about environmentalism within churches. It refers to a specific Christian denomination called ECO, which stands for A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
Here's a breakdown of ECO:

• Origins: Formed out of the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition, ECO aims to revitalize Christianity by focusing on building strong local churches.
• Beliefs: ECO adheres to core Christian tenets like the Trinity and salvation through Jesus Christ. Their beliefs are outlined in the Essential Tenets.
• Structure: Interestingly, ECO positions itself as both a denomination and a network. This offers churches the structure and support of a denomination alongside the flexibility of a network.
• Focus: ECO prioritizes four areas: emphasizing the Gospel, cultivating new leaders, fostering innovative church practices, and building a community of accountable churches.

While ECO's name, with "ECO," might imply an environmental focus, it actually stands for their core values and their commitment to nurturing healthy church communities.

Thanks for the clarification - this is not the one I am interested in.

 

[Carl Emerson]

So lets look at the questions I raised in the OP...

Turning water of rivers into blood is an environmental disaster of huge proportions.

Are we not told that He will make a new heavens and a new earth?

Is there a subtle idolatry when we change focus from Jesus and the great commission to looking after the earth?

 

[AlexB23]

So lets look at the questions I raised in the OP...

Turning water of rivers into blood is an environmental disaster of huge proportions.

Are we not told that He will make a new heavens and a new earth?

Is there a subtle idolatry when we change focus from Jesus and the great commission to looking after the earth?

Well, we need to focus on Jesus first, then on following the Bible. See post #2.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Is there a subtle idolatry when we change focus from Jesus and the great commission to looking after the earth?

Yes.

 

[Bob Crowley]

God expects us to do both - focus on Christ and care for the earth.

The second commandment is love your neighbour as yourself.

If all we do is treat the earth as so much raw material to be squandered, we are disobeying the second commandment big time.

 

[Paidiske]

I think it's a mistake to reduce mission to any one thing, rather than seeing that it is multi-stranded.

The Anglican church globally has set out five "marks of mission" which are, together, a summary statement of what we believe God calls us to do in the world. Both proclaiming the good news, and caring for the environment, find their place in that statement:

"The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
3. To respond to human need by loving service
4. To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth."

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Is there a subtle idolatry when we change focus from Jesus and the great commission to looking after the earth?

We don't need to change focus. Care of the Earth is simply being a good steward.

And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I tell you, he will set him over all his possessions.

 

[Carl Emerson]

I think it's a mistake to reduce mission to any one thing, rather than seeing that it is multi-stranded.

The Anglican church globally has set out five "marks of mission" which are, together, a summary statement of what we believe God calls us to do in the world. Both proclaiming the good news, and caring for the environment, find their place in that statement:

"The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
3. To respond to human need by loving service
4. To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth."

So the way you put it the Great Commission and the Mission of the Church are not one in the same.

 

[Paidiske]

So the way you put it the Great Commission and the Mission of the Church are not one in the same.

There's clear overlap, for sure. But I would say that what God wants us to do is a little broader than two verses in Matthew's gospel. Or to put that another way, we need to take all of Scripture into account in articulating our understanding of mission.