While some may think that faith and environmental stewardship have little to do with one another, others may also believe that Christians aren’t interested in protecting the planet, or that environmental causes have little to benefit from the Christian faith. But what if Christians have something unique and powerful to offer the environment? And what if Christians can care for the planet because of their faith, not in spite of it?
Plant With Purpose is a Christian organization that sees addressing deforestation and poverty in the communities we work with as an extension of the Christian call to love our neighbor. Though our faith inspires our work, our services are available to the entire population in a community, regardless of their personal faith. We know that everyone, regardless of faith background, can benefit from caring for creation. But we also believe that personal faith can bring to life one’s motivation to take practice environmental stewardship.
The Bible frequently encourages Christians to be caretakers of the environment. In fact, caring for the planet is one of the first things God asks people to do! Take a look at the creation story in Genesis. Everything God created in Genesis 1-2, including plants, animals, oceans, and landscapes, was put into Adam’s (and ultimately, humanity’s) care. And God created the Earth with incredible specificity. Everything from the diversity of animals in our forests to the balance of minerals in the soil to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was chosen carefully by God. Every plant, animal, and natural process in creation points to God’s power, proves God’s care for us and prompts us to worship.
After God creates the world, God puts Adam in the Garden of Eden “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). The Hebrew words for “work” and “take care” are “abad” and “shamar” which literally translate to “serve” and “protect.” In God’s perfect design for the world, people are asked to serve and protect the planet! This requires us to have a selfless disposition toward creation: sacrificing and defending instead of taking and depleting. Genesis 2:15 is traditionally taken as evidence that we should be “good stewards” of creation. That is, we should take responsible care of the environment that’s been entrusted to us, and, as much as possible, use the environment for the benefit of all… As a faith-based organization, we approach our work through the lens of abad and shamar.
At Plant With Purpose, this work begins with the way we see people,who are also members of creation. We believe that every person is created in the image of God and has talents to offer their families and community. The Spiritual Renewal curriculum we offer also emphasizes the value of each individual—both as a unique person and as a contributor to our community and creation care. We find that when participants with changed hearts and attitudes work together, they can have a lasting impact on everyone’s farms, lives, families, and communities. Many times, well-intentioned organizations invest money and resources into a country without these solutions being embraced by the communities. But when we work with farmers as partners instead of projects, transformation in a watershed is much more sustainable. Communities work together and learn from each other, leveraging local expertise to restore degraded lands and rebuild local economies. Each success story is evidence that the well-being of people and our planet are synergistic. We express our faith through care for creation and love for others.
People and the planet are so interconnected that we believe you can’t talk about environmental restoration without talking about people. For example, poverty and climate change are causes and effects of one another. About 90% of people living in poverty are located in rural areas where people rely on agriculture for food and income. When their environment is degraded by things like rising temperatures, extreme weather, and infertile soil, it becomes much more difficult to grow crops. In these desperate situations, many farmers cut down trees to sell wood, or burn fields for more farmland. These practices provide financial relief in the short term, but over time they put even more stress on the environment, and farmers become stuck in a cycle of poverty. When we serve and protect the environment by practicing regenerative farming, we can turn this cycle of poverty into a cycle of abundance! Instead of degrading the environment, both farmers and their environments are able to thrive. In short, we can’t help people escape poverty without addressing poverty’s environmental root causes; and we can’t address the environment without addressing the human issues, like poverty, that contribute to its degradation.
As a Christian organization, we have a unique ability to build relationships in the communities we work in. Roughly 85% of the world regularly practice a religious faith, and the people we work with are often, but not always, inspired by their spiritual and religious beliefs. We partner with over 1,000 churches in the watersheds where we work, and these partnerships build connection and trust within a community while also supporting these local faith communities. In each partnership, we actively support communities and work toward the spiritual renewal of individuals, families, watersheds, and countries. In spiritual renewal workshops, we even invite a group of community leaders and pastors to share stories of reconciliation or healed relationships within their watersheds. Together with churches, we emphasize the inherent value of each individual, love for neighbors, and environmental stewardship. Long after our work in a watershed is complete, the churches remain an integral part of the community, encouraging long-lasting hope and behavior change. In our experience, when participants see how creation care connects to their faith, it is a catalyst for widespread transformation in the watershed.
Through a faith-based approach to environmental stewardship, people can benefit just as much as the planet! Time and time again, our partners say that caring for the environment through Purpose Groups has transformed their relationship with their faith or community. For example, Manisha from Burundi says, “Thanks to our roles in the Purpose Groups, our relationships with the surrounding community and the people of our church have changed.” Mary from Malawi says, “Being a representative of Plant With Purpose in my church, I am glad that I can teach about creation care to the members, and I can do it confidently because I have understood the principles of agricultural development.” And Jonah from Thailand says, “I now see unity in the church and the community. They are a blessing to me. As a church leader, I thank God when we are all unified. We use our resources to help those in the community who are struggling.” Manisha, Mary, and Jonah’s words are just three examples of the transformation that can happen when environmental stewardship is inspired by personal faith.
As these stories attest, our work results in an increased sense of agency, personal value, and belief in their ability to fulfill their potential. These changed attitudes lead to changed actions and changed lives. Participants report a greater sense of unity, responsibility, honesty, and trust across more than 1,000 local church partners. And these values shape the way participants care for the environment. Suddenly, planting trees isn’t only an important part of regenerative agriculture, it’s also a way to care for your neighbor and steward the world God created.
