Global Ministries commitment to just and equitable net-zero emissions
God’s mission reclaims the life of all creatures and redeems all creation for God’s intended purpose. Holy Scriptures bear witness to mission that begins with God, belongs to God, and will be fulfilled by God at the end of time. The Spirit of God, which moved over the waters of chaos at creation, and the Word of God, which became Incarnate in Jesus Christ, leads on to fullness in God’s purpose…
God’s light shines in every corner of the earth, and God’s mission extends to all creation. There are no places where God’s grace has not always been present, only places where God in Christ is not recognized, served, or heeded. Because God’s image is present in every human being throughout the world, mission partnership embraces witness in all cultures, traditions, political arrangements, economic structures, and languages. Partners in God’s mission seek to hear God’s voice, to discover the signs of the moving of the Spirit through the world today, and to bear witness to God’s activity—overarching past, present, and future—in every local setting.
Global Ministries Theology of Mission
The Spirit is moving through the church today calling for all people to hear and respond to the groans of creation (Romans 8:19-23). This means that ministry and mission must seek to alleviate the suffering and contribute to the flourishing of all of God’s creation.
Global Ministries is committed to just and equitable net-zero emissions by 2050 across ministries, facilities, operations and investments. The agency recognizes that as it works to do good, it must also ensure it does no harm. This means supporting the flourishing of ecosystems, including human communities. It also means that emission reduction strategies must support communities that suffer from systems of extraction, production and waste, and contribute to solutions that, as the commitment states, “dismantles structural barriers to racial and gender equity and builds flourishing communities.”
Headquartered in a LEED Platinum-certified building with missionaries and staff around the world, Global Ministries leaders recognize that ensuring a stable climate and healthy ecosystems is central to the work of alleviating suffering and bringing healing and hope for all of God’s creation, which of course, includes all of God’s people.
Global Ministries supports local churches, conferences and partners around the world through four missional priorities: Missionaries, Evangelism and Church Growth, Global Health, and Humanitarian Relief and Recovery. The agency is developing strategies to reduce emissions in the programs that support these priorities and is working toward developing interim goals between now and 2050.
Here are some of the strategies Global Ministries has been working on in 2021-2022:
- Learning to use the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to track emissions.
- Identifying facilities that have utility energy access and tracking data through Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
- Conducting an energy audit at the Atlanta headquarters and implementing energy-saving interventions identified through the audit.
- Working with graduate students at Georgia Institute of Technology and staff at GCFA to develop emission reduction guidance for meetings and travel.
- Developing a travel emissions reporting mechanism.
- Working with graduate students from Georgia Tech to develop a tool to track emissions generated by remote work in the US.
- Piloting a healthcare facility energy audit program in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
- Seeking strategies to integrate sustainability into disaster response, risk reduction and resilience.
- Learning from a community of practice through the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations.
Global Ministries gives thanks for support from and collaboration with:
The Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business at Georgia Tech
Learn more
Interagency commitment to just and equitable net-zero emissions