Established in 1846, the World Evangelical Alliance is a network of national evangelical church alliances in 129 countries and over a 100 international evangelical organizations. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) provides a worldwide identity, voice, and platform for more than 600 million evangelical Christians.
With a global backdrop of serious ecological challenges, growing awareness of the biblical mandate to care for creation, and an increasing need to provide leadership in this arena at a global level, the WEA decided to create the WEA Creation Care Task Force (CCTF) in 2012.
The Creation Care Task Force has a THREE PRONGED STRATEGY to assist the church to be the church caring for God's creation:
DISCIPLESHIP: Empowering Christians to love God, love people, and care for creation.
SOLUTIONS: Practical ways, tools, and programs to care for creation.
LEADERSHIP: Serving the global evangelical community and international bodies
that work on creation care issues such as the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), UN-Habitat, etc., through informed
and incisive leadership.
After several years of fruitful collaboration, the WEA Creation Care Task Force and Lausanne Creation Care joined together to co-lead one unified creation care network called the Lausanne/WEA Creation Care Network (LWCCN).
In 2019 the WEA launched the WEA Sustainability Center (WEASC) in the strategic “UN City” of Bonn, Germany. Led by Matthias K. Boehning, the overarching objective of the WEASC is to equip churches and congregations around the world to implement creation care on a daily basis, thereby becoming a strong, legitimate, and unified voice in global sustainability. As the leadership of the CCTF and WEASC work collaboratively their combined, integrated, and strategic efforts are advancing the effectiveness of the evangelical community to care for God’s gift of creation.
CLIMATE - COP26, GLASGOW
The WEA has a high level delegation attending the annual global climate summit (COP26) in Glasgow (Nov. 1-13). The delegation includes WEA Secretary General, Bs. Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher, co-directors of the WEA Sustainability Center, Dr. Chris Elisara and Matthias Boehning, and the director of the WEA Youth Commission, Colin Piper. In unity with many other WEA members attending COP26, we are seeking incisive action by governments, business, and civil society, including the evangelical community, that will justly and decisively to arrest and reverse atmospheric carbon levels so they are commensurate with 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming by 2030. To learn more about the WEA's perspective on climate change click this link.
Climate Vigil Campaign
One of the primary initiatives of the WEA addressing the climate emergency is the Climate Vigil Campaign, which will be launched at COP26 at a church service and candlelight vigil in Glasgow on Nov. 6th. Churches and Christians all around the world can participate in this worship service though the worldwide online broadcast. Learn more about the Climate Vigil Campaign and launch at COP26, Nov. 6, 2021.
Christian Climate Observers Program (CCOP)
WEA is an inaugural partner and co-leader of the Christian Climate Observers Program (CCOP) designed to train the next generation of UN climate observers from a Christian and missional perspective. As an accredited observer organization, the WEA obtains official observer passes for CCOP participants who attend COP's with the following CCOP goals in mind:
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To use COP 26 as a means to “immerse” themselves in the world of climate action, becoming deeply motivated to engage further, with perhaps some participants finding a vocational calling to career or ministry.
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As future generation of Climate Observers, to be trained to be as effective as possible in their roles, better equipped to influence decision makers, and to mobilize the Church for climate action.
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As Christians to have their callings rooted deeply in their faith, so that they may more effectively cooperate with God in his work, more fully deliver what they can uniquely bring in Christ to climate action, and be sustained in the power of the Holy Spirit when they grow weary and discouraged.
In addition, CCOP participants serve the Christian community by producing a daily newsletter from the front lines of COP26. This daily newsletter provides insights about what CCOP participants are learning, experiencing, and discerning about the climate negotiations and climate issues. Learn more about CCOP at this link.
Prayer Resources for COP26
COP26 is the most important climate meeting in history to date. Breakthroughs are needed for many things including revised country carbon reduction targets (i.e., bigger reductions and sooner target dates); increased commitments for loss and damages, which are then kept; a just and equitable transition to a low carbon economy, etc.. These are urgent and serious matters for God-focused prayer. There are several prayer resources that you can use to pray for COP26, the work of the delegates who will be there, and the outcomes of the summit.
24-7 Prayer, TearFund, and Renew Our World, developed this resource to help Christians pray for COP 26 and the climate crisis.
Climate Intercessors are recommending ten areas for strategic prayer for COP26 and providing daily COP26 prayer requests.
WEA
CLIMATE
AMBASSADOR
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe
Renowned climate scientist, author, speaker, and evangelical Christian, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, is the World Evangelical Alliance's Climate Ambassador. A tireless worker, Dr. Hayhoe has been helping people around the world, and especially the church , to clearly understand and practically respond to our climate emergency with clear-eyed solutions. To learn more, including how to pray for Dr. Hayhoe, please go to this link.
