This
environmental check-up is designed to help Parishes:
1.
Identify
and affirm their existing environmental ministry
2.
Prioritise
what they would like to do next and identify supportive resources
3.
Assist
the Diocese in developing appropriate and relevant programs to support Parishes
in their environmental ministry
1.
Life
and
The Five Marks
of Mission is a model that can help churches identify their strengths and
weaknesses. First formulated by the 1988 Lambeth Conference and adopted since
by many denominations and ecumenical bodies, it has been widely used in church
life. Note your church’s activities for
each Mark and assess whether care of the environment has sufficient weight
within your church’s mission:
Mark of Mission Activities
Mark 1: To proclaim the good
news
of
the Kingdom, e.g. preaching.
Mark 2: To teach, baptise and nurture
new believers, e.g. children’s work,
membership/Alpha Course.
Mark 3: To respond to human
need by
loving
service, e.g. pastoral visiting,
hospital
ministry.
Mark 4: To seek to transform
unjust
structures
of society, e.g. supporting
a
housing charity, promoting fair trade.
Mark 5: To strive to
safeguard the
integrity
of creation; to sustain and
renew
the life of the earth, e.g. having
energy
efficient premises, area for
prayer/contemplation/outdoor
worship.
A church with a holistic mission has activities related to each of the
Five Marks. As well, as a Church we cannot speak out on environmental matters
if we have not got our own house in order!
2. Worship
Worship is the prime focus of Christian life from which the
Church’s life and mission flows. This section is designed to help you identify
how thankfulness and concern for God’s creation are expressed in your worship:
How regularly during
the year are environmental concerns included in worship?
o Never
o Occasional services
o
Frequently
e.g.
Harvest Festival, Rogation Sunday,
Creation Sunday (at beginning of
spring), St Francis’ Day (4th October),
One World Week
In your Church’s
prayer life do you:
(tick any that apply to your church)
o
Praise
God the creator o Say sorry for the harm done to the environment
o
Give
thanks to God for the gift of creation
o
Pray for the healing of creation
o
Praise
God on behalf of all Creation
Does your Church
connect with God’s gift of creation through worship?
(tick any that apply to your church)
o Through occasional outdoor services o Through prayer walks
o Using natural materials within worship
Does your Church sing
hymns or songs that celebrate the wonder of creation or express the calling to
care for the environment?
o Regularly o On special Sundays o Hardly ever
3.
Theology
Theology is concerned with giving and exploring a
rational and orderly account of Christian belief, drawing on Biblical studies,
Church tradition and history, ethics and the context in which the Church lives.
Does your parish:
Yes Con- Not
sider priority
o o o have access
to Christian environmental books and resources?
o o o participate
in or organise study/exploration events that include
environmental issues?
o o o include
creation/environmental issues in its teaching/preaching
programme?
4.
Children’s work
Christian
children’s work can inform, inspire and encourage youngsters as they grow in
faith. Use the check-up to identify if your children’s programme (infant and
primary age) includes environmental issues and the potential for developing
this ministry:
Category of activity Sometimes Never Has
potential to
(tick those that apply to your church) develop
Junior
Church/Sunday School o o o
Uniformed
organisations o o o
Playgroups o o o
After
school/holiday clubs o o o
In schools
e.g. through RI o o o
All age
worship o o o
5. Youth work
Churches undertake a range of youth work including Sunday
focussed groups, church and open youth groups and mid-week uniformed
organisations. If your church undertakes/is planning to develop youth work,
review your existing activities and consider future possibilities:
Have Could Activities
done consider
o o Hold a debate
on environmental issues and personal responsibility
o o Develop creation-care
material to offer in worship
o o Undertake a
practical environmental/conservation project
o o Arrange a
hike(s)
o o Organise an
environmentally focussed community event (with young
people
from a range of churches/organisations?)
o
o Assess how
environmentally-friendly the Parish is and make
recommendations for action
6. All-age
and Adult education
Church is a place where people can grow in faith from cradle to grave.
Relating key topics, like environmental issues, with Christian thinking can be
inspirational and faith-affirming. What opportunities are or could be available
for your church?
Have Could Not current
done do priority
o o o Undertake an
environmentally themed Bible study
o o o Invite a speaker on
environmental issues
o o o Organise/participate in a
creation-care lenten group
7. Church property
Good stewardship of energy and maintenance issues can both
reduce your Church’s impact on the environment and save your Church money,
particularly in the long-term. Use the check-up to assess your church’s current
environmental stewardship of property (churches, halls, clergy housing) and the
potential for developing this.
Have Con- Not Energy-
heating and light
done sider priority
o o o Monitor
energy consumption regularly (monthly?) to
check trends
o o o Switch
to green electricity
o o o Regularly
service boiler or heating appliances
o o o Choose
appropriate sized rooms for activities
o o o Timetable
meetings to minimise heating use
o o o Heating
system with timer and thermostatic controls
o o o Commission
an energy/environmental consultation
(particularly useful
if considering a new heating system or refurbishment or if
any boiler is older
than 15 years)
o o o Fit
draft excluders around windows and doors
o o o Install appropriate
levels of insulation
o o o Clean
windows to maximise natural light
o o o Encourage
building users to switch off unnecessary
lights and not leave
items on stand-by (e.g.
photocopier)
o o o Replace
cracked or broken windowpanes
o o o Install
low-energy light bulbs where appropriate
Have Con- Not Water
done sider priority
o o o Install
a water meter and monitor water consumption
regularly (monthly?)
o o o Check
water outlets and fix any drips and leaks
o o o Install
water-saving devices e.g. dual flush toilets and
low spray flow or auto turn-off taps,
drip irrigation systems
o o o Collect
rainfall from down pipes for use in gardens
Have Con- Not Building
maintenance
done sider priority
o o o Choose timber from
sustainably managed forests, and
reclaimed materials where appropriate
Have Are
done planning Access
o o Facilities
for hard of hearing and visually impaired
o o Access
for wheelchair and push chair users
o o Toilets for disabled and
baby change facilities for carers
8. Church management
Churches are responsible for the good stewardship of money and a range
of consumables. Use this section to assess your church’s existing good practice
and identify issues for consideration and action:
Have Con- Not Financial
management & purchasing policy
done sider priority
o o o Consider and be satisfied
by the environmental policy
of your bank
o o o Have an ethical investment
policy for any savings
o o o Use
environmentally-friendly cleaning materials & paint
o o o Purchase recycled paper (to boost demand for
recycled products)
o o o Purchase fairly-traded
products (e.g. tea and coffee)
o o o Use local suppliers where
possible
(so promoting a
sustainable local economy and reducing transportation)
Have Con- Not Catering
done sider priority
o o o Use crockery rather than
disposable cups and plates
o o o Use farmers’ markets and
other local suppliers
(to promote local
economy and reduce food miles)
Have Con- Not Waste
minimisation
done sider priority
o o o Collection facilities for
recycling items that church
members, building
users or local community can
use (e.g. paper,
spectacles, stamps, printer cartridges, shoes, foil)
o o o Hold jumble sales to raise
funds, recycle goods and
promote the
availability of goods at affordable prices
9.
Many churches are responsible for land varying in size from a tiny
patch to a large acreage. Use this section to assess the community/visual/
environmental/ecological/ value of your church’s plot and the potential to
develop it:
Present Potential to develop
o
o Native plant species and
plants that attract wildlife (e.g. nest or
roosting sites,
native trees, shrubs, lichens, fungi, wildflowers)
o
o Weeds and plants that endanger
the natural environment (e.g.
remove weeds like Patterson’s Curse and
garden plants like rubber plants, privet and lantana)
o
o Other features to benefit
wildlife (e.g., piles of leaves or rotting logs for
insects, small
mammals and reptiles, close cover for small birds)
o
o Visually attractive
planting/features
o
o Area for
prayer/contemplation/outdoor worship
o
o Area for recreation
10.
Personal
lifestyle
Use this section to assess what your church is currently doing to
encourage individuals to green their lifestyle and the potential to develop
this mission
Have Con- Not Greening personal
lifestyle
done sider priority
o o o Publish green tips in any
church/parish magazine
o o o Promoting awareness
through posters or information
from environmental
organisations (e.g. home energy audit)
o o o Encourage recycling by
providing collection points or
informing people of
civic facilities
11.
Community outreach
Churches can work with and through their local community to improve the
quality of their neighbourhood and build links. Use this section to assess the
links that your Church already has in the local community and the potential for
further development.
Have Con- Not Community outreach/mission
done sider priority
o o o Establish links with
community organisations with a
view to sharing your
environmental ministry
(e.g. schools, youth
groups, Clean-up
groups, other local environmental bodies)
o o o Advise building users of
your environmental concerns
and request that they
utilise any environmental facilities
o o o Participate in local
environmental initiatives or policy
formation – your
local Council may advise
o o o Draw on links that members
have with environmental
bodies e.g. Friends
of the Earth, Wildlife Trust, RSPB
o o o Support or initiate
community schemes with a positive
environmental element
(e.g
Clean-up, LETS, Credit Union)
12. Overseas Concerns
Living simply that others may simply live is a facet
of Christian life. What does or could your church do to benefit the environment
and people across the world?
Have Con- Not Community
outreach/mission
done sider priority
o o o Support
the work of Christian development agencies
(e.g. Christian Children’s Fund, World
Vision, Tearfund)
o o o Initiate
or participate in activities in One World Week
o o o Promote
fair trade (eg develop a
church stall selling goods from
Tradewinds etc
o o o Explore
environmental issues through any linked or
twinned overseas community or church
o o o Support
the work of international conservation/
environment agencies (e.g. A Rocha, WWF, Friends of the
Earth)
Churches environmental check-up: Action Plan
Use this template
(or your own expanded version) to summarise your church’s existing good
environmental practise and identify future initiatives. English material for
Parish use on each of the areas listed below can be downloaded from www.encams.org/ecocongregation. The modules available are listed
below.
Activities
already undertaken Future
priorities/initiatives
Theology
Children’s
work
Youth
work
Adult
education
Premises
Finance
Church land
Personal
lifestyle
Local
community
Global
The Commission on the Environ,ment is happy to advise on material for
developing projects in any of these areas. The following English
Eco-Congregation modules are also available for Parish use:
Grounding in
Faith
Module 2 Celebrating creation!
Ideas and resources for worship
Module 3 Creation and Christianity
Some green theological perspectives
Growing in
Faith
Module 4 Acorn to oaks
Ideas
and activities for children’s work
Module 5 Tread gently – go green
Ideas and activities for youth groups
Module 6 Exploring God’s green word
An address and two
sets of Bible Studies for house groups
Managing in
Faith
Module 7 Greening the cornerstone
Guidelines on caring for Church
premises
Module 8 Greening the purse strings
Management of financial, catering and
purchasing matters
Module 9 Planting and conserving Eden
Practical ideas and advice to care for
Church grounds and land
Living in Faith
Module 10 Green choices
Information and suggestions to
green personal lifestyles
Module 11 Community matters
Ideas to help
Churches work with, through and for their local community
Module 12 Global neighbours
Sources and resources to help Churches think globally and act locally.
Please note:
·
approval
has been obtained for the use of these modules by Australian Parishes
·
modules
are downloadable from: www.encams.org/ecocongregation
·
Parishes
may freely photocopy modules for use but must not sell them.
Who we are
For
more information about
Eco-Congregation Web and to discover what other churches have done visit: www.encams.org/ecocongregation
Write: Eco-Congregation,
ENCAMS, Elizabeth House, The Pier, Wigan WN3 4EX
Tel. 01942 612633 Email: ecocongregation@encams.org
For
more information about the Diocesan Commission for the Environment and
links to other Australian Christian Environmental activities visit
www.pastornet.net.au/envcomm/
Supportive Christian
environmental organisations
A
Rocha – Christians in Conservation is an
international conservation organisation working to show God's love for all
creation. Web site: www.arocha.org
Christian
Ecology Link – is a membership organisation for those who
wish to demonstrate care for God's creation in their faith and lifestyle. Web
site: www.christian-ecology.org.uk
The John
Ray Initiative (JRI) is an educational charity with a vision to bring
together scientific and Christian understandings of the environment. Web site www.jri.org.uk
Church of Scotland Society, Religion and Technology Project (SRTP) promotes an understanding of key issues confronting society as a result of current and emerging technologies. SRTP support and deliver Eco-Congregation in Scotland. Web: www.srtp.org.uk