Climate Justice Legislation Fares Well Overall

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Key points:

  • General Conference delegates passed in bulk much of the legislation supported by United Methodist climate justice activists.
  • An effort to require United Methodist institutions to divest of fossil fuel company stocks did not succeed.
  • The Rev. Pat Watkins, a leader of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, said as United Methodists “we have a biblical mandate to not only be in relationship with each other, but (also) to be in a caretaking and healing relationship with creation itself.”

The majority of legislation supported by climate justice activists within The United Methodist Church was passed by General Conference on the consent calendar in the early part of its second week.

But they were unable to get General Conference to require that United Methodist institutions, including Wespath — the denomination’s pension and benefits agency — divest from fossil fuel company stocks.

The consent calendar allows delegates at the lawmaking assembly to pass multiple petitions in bulk if they have overwhelming support in legislative committee and have no budgetary or constitutional impact.

“We are in excellent shape to take the creation justice movement to every annual conference and local church in the denomination,” said the Rev. Nancy Blade, co-chair of the Northern Illinois Conference Eco-Sustainability Task Force.

Blade said that nearly every one of the petitions passed on the first two consent calendars, April 29 and 30. Two more, which had amendments, passed on the May 1 consent calendar.

“These legislative tweaks and informational resolutions will bring structure to the ministry of creation care. Now everyone needs to do their part and get behind local green teams and community projects,” she said.

A green team is an organized group of people who implement sustainability initiatives, educate and engage others, share innovative ideas and work to pilot them.

“We celebrate this General Conference for embracing so many petitions calling us to be better stewards of God’s creation,” said the Rev. Pat Watkins, a leader of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement. “As we celebrate a wonderful sense of unity as United Methodists, we hope that we will continue to wrap our arms around creation as we wrap our arms around each other.”

Watkins cited one of John Wesley’s three simple rules: “Do no harm.”

“As United Methodists, we have a biblical mandate to not only be in relationship with each other, but [also] to be in a caretaking and healing relationship with creation itself,” he added. “Caring for creation is foundational to what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Harming creation violates our biblical and Wesleyan heritage and makes it more difficult to alleviate human suffering since a suffering earth causes unbelievable suffering for millions of God’s people.”

The caucus Fossil Free UMC and allies sought to amend Paragraph 717 of the Book of Discipline, which deals with Sustainable and Socially Responsible Investments. The policy lists alcohol, tobacco, gambling, pornography, weapons production and for-profit prisons as off-limits for United Methodist entities’ investments.

To those investment screens, Fossil Free UMC wanted to add fossil fuel companies. Many universities and some denominations, including the Methodist Church in England, have embraced divestment of fossil fuel company stocks out of concern for global warming.

Wespath has various sustainability initiatives but has opposed divestment of fossil fuel company stocks. The church agency argues that it can better influence such companies’ conduct by “staying at the table” with them.

Wespath is among the world’s largest faith-based pension agencies, serving more than 100,000 retired and active clergy and other church staff, and more than 150 United Methodist-related institutional investors. At the end of 2023, Wespath managed about $26 billion in assets.

Fossil fuel company stocks represent a small percentage of its portfolio, but that still has meant multimillion dollar holdings in companies such as Exxon, Chevron and Occidental Petroleum.

Late on the final day of General Conference, delegates voted to refer a number of petitions. One effect was to leave Paragraph 717 intact and end Fossil Free UMC’s near-term hopes for a fossil fuel screen.

Petitions approved on the April 29 consent calendar include legislation that adds language to the resolution “Church Land Use” that directs church trustees to assess ways to bring property “back in harmony” with God’s creation and updates the Energy Policy Statement urging conferences, churches and agencies to develop plans for using more renewable energy sources.

Petitions approved on consent calendar April 30 include establishing a Conference Caretakers of God's Creation Coordinator in each annual conference; urging every church to establish or strengthen its green team, and calling on churches to support legislative and policy efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions “up to and beyond net-zero.”

Petitions approved on the May 1 consent calendar encourage annual conference sessions to have sustainable practices for energy waste and consumption, and likewise encourage local churches to conduct annual audits of the carbon footprint of their buildings, grounds or facilities.

Neill Caldwell is a freelance journalist in the Western North Carolina Conference. UM News writer Sam Hodges contributed.