Social Principles in the Environment

The General Conference of the United Methodist Church, the denomination's policy-making body, has historically upheld a strong commitment to God's creation. Within the Social Principles of the United Methodist Book of Discipline are several statements guiding United Methodists in cultivating the creation God has gifted human kind. Below you will find several statements that are " call to all members of The United Methodist Church to a prayerful, studied dialogue of faith and practice" when it comes to the environment along with a paragraph citation so you find more context in the Book of Discipline.



The Book of Discipline calls United Methodists to be caretakers of God's Creation: (¶ 160 Preamble) All creation is the Lord's, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God's creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation. We should meet these stewardship duties through acts of loving care and respect.



On Water, Air, Soil, Minerals, and Plants: (¶ 160 A) We support measures designed to maintain and restore natural ecosystems.



On Energy Resources Utilization: (¶ 160 B) ...We support and encourage social policies that are directed toward rational and restrained transformation of parts of the nonhuman world into energy for human usage and that deemphasize or eliminate energy-producing technologies that endanger the health, the safety, and even the existence of the present and future human and nonhuman creation.



On Global Climate Stewardship: (¶ 160 C) [We] support efforts of all governments to require mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and call on individuals, congregations, businesses, industries, and communities to reduce their emissions.





UMC Bishops' letter: God's Renewed Creation: A Call to Hope and Action