In part one of this blog series about the Plant With Purpose Journey toward U.S. Church Engagement, we discovered that strengthening the church has always been part of our mission. With a Lilly Endowment grant in hand, the Plant With Purpose team set out to help U.S. churches connect the dots between discipleship and creation care, the way our global churches have. However, our initial approach was about to be challenged.

“What makes you think it’s going to work this time?” asked Scott Sabin, then CEO of Plant With Purpose, as he and Paul Thompson, our COO, met with me and Brendan McClenahan, our Church Engagement Manager, to discuss the development of our Church/Creation Care initiative. Paul continued, “Coalitions of organizations over the past 20-30 years have sunk millions of dollars into excellent creation care resources for churches. They were given away in massive campaigns, and yet none of them have really moved the needle.” Together, they asked, “How is our program going to be any different?”

Great question.

We had clear ideas about what we thought would work. But before we designed a program to help highlight creation care for churches as a spiritual practice, we decided it was best to ASK the church.

We commissioned national qualitative research (deep-dive interviews) in which we spoke with nearly two dozen church leaders across the country, as well as Gen Z Christians (a potential audience for the program). Some interviewees were connected to existing Plant With Purpose church partners and existing supporters of our global work, while others were totally unfamiliar with us. Our goal was to hear their reactions, understand their needs, and learn how this new program could serve the church and add value to their ministry, rather than simply meet our goals. 

This study revealed some key findings:

1. Creation, Yes. Climate Change, No. - While churches acknowledged the value of creation care, they were hesitant to engage in conversations around Climate Change. They especially pushed back on anything that felt like climate alarmism.
2. Outreach & Discipleship are on the front burner - With their limited time and energy, church leaders were understandably focused on their main priorities: growing disciples and reaching people outside the church for Christ.
3. Capacity Challenged - Churches are BUSY, and pastors most of all. To ask a congregation to add a program to their schedule or to do something that further taxes their staff is almost an automatic no. However, “plug and play” resources make a busy pastor’s job easier and simplify the involvement of volunteers in leadership.
4. Rooted in Scripture - Christian leaders have an authentic desire to please God. They are eager to teach or champion initiatives with strong biblical foundations. On a practical level, it needs to be “gospel-centric.”
5. Connection is Key - Activities that help congregants connect with one another and with people outside the church are highly regarded by pastors. Most congregations are still recovering from COVID-19, and they value a program that promotes connection.

Hmmm. . . 

So how did these insights align with our initial assumptions? Mixed, to be sure. But it was a critical reality check. We believed, based on our global experience and scripture, that when churches engage in creation care as a spiritual practice, it helps them thrive. However, we also saw that without alignment to the felt needs and priorities of local churches and pastors, we might never get that opportunity.

Here’s what we heard from one pastor. “We have a ton of events already, there are other sermon priorities... those are the big barriers.” 

To encourage leaders to embrace creation care for churches, we would need to recenter our project around what actually meets their needs and desires.

Tend is Born

Based on this research, we stepped back from our original program design and let the data guide us. Our goal was to create a program that better connects with churches and addresses any knee-jerk objections from busy pastors.

Rather than create a one-day experience focused on educating and engaging congregants in creation care, or an online resource hub and a community of practice, we opted to simplify and support a program structure already common in many churches: a small group.

Designed for discipleship and outreach, yet rooted in creation care, we created Tend, a 10-week small-group curriculum that fits the existing rhythms of any church.

The curriculum integrates traditional Bible discussion and home-based fellowship, with an Earthcare activity designed to include friends and neighbors from outside the church. The study would connect to creation care themes while remaining accessible to everyone. The Earthcare activities—done on alternate weeks—are fun, social, and service-oriented, prompting participants to make creation care for churches a spiritual practice and part of their regular life rhythms.

This approach aligned with what we heard from church leaders in our research. Here’s what one of these pastors had to say, “Understanding that Creation Care is a lifestyle, not just a one-off project.”

Likewise, another pastor said, “I like that it’s not a creation care team or an environmental project; it’s a way of life, a way of being disciples that takes into account our role in creation."

Our research insights were further validated by a remarkable and seasoned group of ministry professionals - our church advisor group. Representing a range of denominations and ministry roles. This critical team helped guide the development of Tend to both elevate the spiritual practice of Creation Care, and serve the local church. 

The program that would become our Tend curriculum was back on track with even greater potential to support creation care for churches in a way that was very different from approaches of the past. We were excited to see what comes next!

Coming up next: Tend gets ready for launch! We have continued to learn throughout this process—and God has deepened our understanding of what it means to live as “Creation.” Watch for Part Three of this blog series. You’ll discover how the final program came together, and hear the reactions of church leaders. You could also be among the first to host Tend at your church!