On 21 June, the World Council of Churches (WCC) officially kicked off the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action—ten years of focused commitment to climate justice, grounded in faith, community, and bold action.
The launch took place during a powerful plenary session chaired by Archbishop Julio Murray, bringing together voices from across six continents. The session mixed deep theological reflections with real-world urgency as church leaders shared stories, challenges, and calls to action.
Speakers included Grand Archimandrite Iakovos Krochak (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Ann Jacob (United Methodist Church USA), Rev. Dr Rachel Mash (Anglican Church of Southern Africa), Uhuru Dempers (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia), and Julia Rensberg (Church of Sweden).
Rev. Rachel Mash spoke about the recent devastating floods in South Africa, where over 90 lives were lost. She called climate change “the human rights issue of our time” and asked a powerful question: “How can we mobilize 2.4 billion Christians?” Her answer: by transforming the way we pray, preach, and think about faith and the planet.
“As we pray, so we believe, so we live,” she said, quoting the phrase Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi. “If we change how we pray, it can shift our beliefs—and that will drive us to act.”
She proposed the idea of a global Feast Day of Creation—not just a “spiritual version of Earth Day,” but a day rooted in the heart of Christian faith.
“We believe in the Creator, in Christ through whom all things were made, and in the Spirit, the giver of life,” she said. “What better way to mark 1700 years since the Council of Nicaea than by uniting East and West in celebrating creation together?”
But the call wasn’t just about ideas—it was about action. Speakers urged churches to move beyond charity and tackle the root causes of climate injustice, especially the way it hits vulnerable communities the hardest.
Chief Edmund Stuurman, a Khoi-San elder from South Africa, didn’t hold back:
“Those who represent the Lion of Judah must roar like lions—not meow like house cats.”
A challenge to faith leaders to stop playing it safe and start taking bold, prophetic steps.
Rev. Dr Semisi Turagavou from the Methodist Church in Fiji gave a sobering reminder of what’s at stake. Some islands in the Pacific may disappear within 20 years.
“Will you come alongside our boat before it slips beneath the waves?” he asked.
The session also featured a moving moment led by youth stewards—a hands-on liturgy with soil and seed, set to a hymn sung at COP28 by Faith Sebwa. It was a symbolic and hopeful gesture: planting seeds of justice.
At the end, everyone wrote down a personal prayer or commitment to the Decade of Climate Justice Action—a small step into what promises to be a transformative journey for the global church.
📺 Watch Rev. Rachel Mash’s full talk here:
👉 https://youtu.be/IP_GUW8XwXQ
📸 Photos by Albin Hillert / WCC”
