As the world has its hottest-ever recorded day on July 24, 2024 (surpassing the previous hottest day ever the day before) and its hottest year ever on record in 2023, two-thirds of people in Mainline Protestant pews aren’t hearing about climate change from the pulpit and three-quarters aren’t talking with each other at their congregation about it. Why is it that even in churches where most of the parishioners are convinced that climate change is happening (after all, 77% of Mainline Protestants are), we are still not taking meaningful and effective action on this most important moral and spiritual issue of our time?

I’m convinced that the church’s role in creation and climate justice work is not an issue of right belief, but right organizational norms and culture. This project, through literature review, survey and focus groups with churches and denominational leaders, and a “Creation Justice Churches” pilot research program, will study how to develop a culture of creation justice at a congregation. We will draw on vetted, peer-reviewed research around climate change communication, institutional practices, advocacy, and movement building, to create a clear pathway forward for churches who are no longer satisfied with the climate silence reverberating through their sanctuaries.