Diocese of Chichester

Creation care as Christian mission

The Anglican ‘fifth mark of mission’ states that as Christians, we are ‘to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth’.

In Genesis chapter 2, we read how Adam is formed from the earth, as is every other living creature. This sense of us being part of the natural, created world is reflected throughout the seasons of the Church's year. At the beginning of Lent for instance, many of us will be marked in ash with the sign of the cross with the words ‘Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ’.

Every time we gather as the body of Christ to receive Holy Communion we offer the gifts of the earth, including ourselves to God. We need to reflect on what God means when he calls us to be stewards of our common home - Is it only that we should dominate and seek to control it, or are we also called to remember that we are part of this God-made and sustained creation?

Climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss are threatening life on earth. Science has been clear for a long time – the world is on the brink, and it is humanity’s desire to control the earth and its resources that has led us to this point.

But it is not too late - The fifth mark of mission recognises that environmental issues and the state of the earth are not just the responsibility of scientists, ecologists, conservationists or so-called ‘eco-warriors’. They are an integral part of what it means to live as followers of Christ, bearing witness to our belief that we are intertwined with one another, and the world God has created.

As followers of Jesus, we are commanded to love God and to love our neighbours as ourselves. To love God is to love all that he has made and created, and to love our neighbours as ourselves is to ensure that our actions and decisions are a force for good, not harm.

We cannot show love to God and neighbour without acting for the good of creation.