Religious Network

The church is a community that deals with many issues. Different denominations go to different sources for their theological bases: for Evangelicals and Protestants the focus is on scripture; for Catholics the focus is scripture and church teachings; for Jews the focus is scripture and Midrash. Be sensitive to the differences and take time to know a little about each denomination and how it is structured.

Listen to and understand the language used by the members of the denomination. The language used can be different but mean the same thing.

Making Connections to Important Issues

• Be prepared to answer questions on how the environmental issue affects the human community.
• Make connections between social justice and environmental issues. Make the connection between the needs of poor people and conservation.
• Get copies of religious/local newspapers or newsletters to get a feeling about issues that are important to them.

Setting the Tone

• Talk to people active in religious organizations and get advice on how best to approach the denomination or congregation.
• Remember there are many equally valid participants in the conservation movement. You are not asking the religious community to join your issue, but to partner with you equally.
• Approach your contact with the attitude that the campaign will be useful to both of you.
• Be careful and be willing to learn as you go. Learn from people with whom you work. Find common ground and dispel differences.
• Create a relationship based on mutual respect and communication.
• Send brief, hand written thank you notes.
• Be gender neutral.
• Do not write off people because of their class or educational level.
• Do not assume that just because you and an individual agree on conservation issues means that you will agree on other issues.

Partnership

• Only ask people to speak from their own expertise and experience.
• Reassure the religious community that you have good information and that they can trust your information.
• Remind clergy that you are just asking them to do what they do ordinarily in sermons and talks.

Restraints

• Be respectful of time commitments. Ask as little as possible and do as much work as you can.
• Have something concrete and limited that you ask them to do.
• Stick to the issues at hand and do not feel obligated to share your personal opinions on other issues, unless they are actually organizational positions.
• Understand that there are no churches and synagogues that primarily do environmental work. They are focusing on many issues and there will be concerns about taking time from social justice and pastoral care work.
• Do not be put off if the pastor is very busy. Many are overworked but still may want to do something with you that will not take too much time.

Religious Community's Involvement in Conservation

• In the 1800's in Europe, there was a movement in Christen churches to get back to nature (e.g., an emphasis on simplicity by the Mennonites and Church of the Brethren). John Wesley (United Methodist Church founder) was concerned about pollution and sewage from a human health standpoint.
• In the 1940's, domestic social issues tackled by churches focused on agriculture and urbanization. From 1900-1945, the town and country church movement worked with land grant colleges and others on environmental issues, especially those related to rural matters. In many churches, there is an annual oil and water Conservation Sunday that stems from these days of activism.
• During the hunger programs in the 1950's and 1960's, the church community started talking about sustainability. Internationally, churches have been very involved in anti-nuclear issues since the 1940's and 1950's. In the 1960's, churches focused on desegregation and racial justice, the War on Poverty, and Vietnam. The church started focusing more on current environmental public policies in the 1970's.

A sample letter to a faith group can be found in Appendix ii.