On September 19, the St. Matthew Council adopted a resolution of the congregation regarding Care for God’s Creation, as part of our church’s newly minted “Live the Love” initiative. The resolution calls us as public church to address issues that affect our neighbors in communities throughout the world, as it relates to the responsibilities that God gives us to care for the world that he/she has created for us.
A cornerstone of the resolution obliges our congregation to embrace and implement the ELCA’s 1993 Social Statement on “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice,” and commit that every action and aspect of our congregational life will reflect affirmation of its principles and practices. Read a very good, brief summary of the ELCA social statement.
Adopted by Council September 19, 2022
WHEREAS, St. Matthew Lutheran Church is a congregation organized under the New Jersey
Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA); and
WHEREAS, the ELCA calls us as a public church to take responsibility to address issues that
affect our neighbors in communities throughout the world; and
WHEREAS, in its 1993 Social Statement “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice” the
ELCA acknowledges that “Christian concern for the environment is shaped by the Word of God
spoken in creation, the Love of God hanging on a cross, the Breath of God daily renewing the
face of the earth;” and
WHEREAS, also in the Social Statement the ELCA recognizes all of creation as sacred, and
commits us to “answer the call to justice and commit ourselves to its principles—participation,
solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability;” and
WHEREAS, also in the Social Statement the ELCA recognizes the many ways we have broken
ranks with creation, and that our current practices may so alter the living world that it will be unable
to sustain life in the manner we know; and
WHEREAS, climate change and environmental degradation represent twin crises that threaten to
disrupt the lives and well-being of current and future generations; and
WHEREAS, it is well documented that low-to-moderate income communities and communities of
color are disproportionately impacted by the effects of these crises; and
WHEREAS, the Mission Statement of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church “is a community of
disciples reaching out through Christ in loving worship, witness and service,” and
WHEREAS, St. Matthew has established a Ministry (the “Green Team”), dedicated to its mission
“to reveal the connection of our congregation and community to God’s presence in the natural
world, by fostering a culture of environmental reflection, engagement and stewardship;”
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the congregation of St. Matthew Lutheran Church commits:
To embrace and implement the ELCA’s 1993 Social Statement on “Caring for Creation:
Vision, Hope and Justice,” and commit that every action and aspect of our congregational
life will reflect affirmation of its principles and practices, including:
- As individual Christians, to commit ourselves to personal lifestyles that contribute to the health of the environment;
- As a congregation, to see ourselves as a center for exploring and educating on the scriptural and theological foundations of caring for creation;
- As a model for the principle of participation, to welcome the interaction of differing views and experiences in our discussion of environmental issues, and play a role in bringing together parties in conflict;
- As advocates, to apply the principles of participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability in our advocacy—in neighborhoods and regions, nationally and internationally, advocating to corporations, business leaders, and public policymakers, in partnership ecumenically and with others who share our concern for the environment;
- As church leaders, to encourage each congregation member to put faith into action in fulfilling God’s call to care for His/Her creation;
- To embody care for creation as an integral part of our congregational worship, educational and community outreach ministries;
- To incorporate creation care into our congregational mission and strategy;
- To raise our collective voice in recognizing and bearing witness to the damaging impact of climate change and environmental degradation on all human well-being, especially their disproportionate impacts on communities of lower socioeconomic status and those of color;
- To ensure accountability of the New Jersey Synod and the ELCA, taking action to ensure these bodies fulfill their moral duty to appropriately elevate creation care, especially as relates to advocating for policies that help mitigate against climate change and adapt to its adverse impacts on public health and social justice;
- To ensure that the physical manifestations of our church community reflect our values of caring for God’s creation, through adoption and implementation of a congregational Environmental Sustainability Plan.