The Fifth Mark of Mission

 

The Church of England in 1984 adopted four Marks of Mission:

• TELL: proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom

• TEACH, baptise and nurture new believers

• TEND: Respond to human need by loving service

• TRANSFORM unjust structures of society, challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation

In 1990, as awareness of climate change developed, a fifth Mark of Mission was adopted:

• TREASURE: Strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth

 

This mark recognises that God’s redemptive plan is cosmic in scope. It calls human beings to their divinely appointed role as stewards of the earth. Environmental care is not a secular agenda but as an integral component of faithfulness to the Creator God.

​

This summer’s string of heatwaves reminds us forcibly of the increasing impact of climate change. Generally we are becoming more and more aware of the increasing impacts of weather, particularly heat and shortage of rain, on our lives.

​

The Meteorological Office have said that 2025 was remarkable for extreme and record-breaking weather events across the UK. Past extreme weather is becoming the norm for present-day Britain.

​

It has been clear for some years that these changes are not occasional aberrations – the climate is actually changing and has changed greatly in recent decades. As Christians we need to remember that God gave us the earth and all that lives on it for us to use sustainably. According to the fifth Mark we should strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

​

We have to live in this changing world. However much we do to cut back on carbon emissions, these are not changes which can be rapidly reversed. Possibly we may be able to contain them and limit the changes, and we have to adapt the way we live to the new climatic norms.

​

Personally we can try to live more sustainably, even though the change each of us can make individually will change little but together will have a greater effect. As a church, we must do our best to cut emissions and use our churchyards and other land to protect nature and diversity. We can try to influence our politicians to be climate-aware and take appropriate actions.

​

And we can pray to God that he guides our leaders to work together with the whole world, as far as this is possible, to take actions to mitigate the impacts of climate change and to adapt to the inevitable changes that have already happened and those that are coming down the road.

​

Christopher Young