Would you accept an invitation to care for God’s world?

This is the call to action known as The Korean Invitation (Good News For All The Earth), which was issued in December 2024 during a webinar hosted by Rev Dr Dave Bookless of the Lausanne/World Evangelical Creation Care Network (LWCCN).

Bookless is a minister, author and director of theology for A Rocha International, a family of Christian conservation organisations which mobilises the church to care for creation in a practical manner across six continents.

The Korean Invitation came out of the Global Creation Care Forum held in Gonjiam, South Korea, shortly after the Fourth Lausanne Congress in Incheon last September. It was drafted by a five-person editorial team, and refined over the following two months, with input from nearly 150 delegates.

“It seeks to be deeply rooted in Scripture, invites us (Christians) to take joy in creation and to prophetically address our contemporary ecological crises,” states the Lausanne Movement website.

Salt&Light reproduces The Korean Invitation here, which outlines a series of seven steps for Christians to take.

1. A new relationship with God’s created world

We recognise that our ecological crisis is at root a spiritual crisis, rooted in greed and idolatry. For many Christians, there is also an impoverished understanding of Christ’s Lordship and the scope of the Gospel.

We call, therefore, for a renewed understanding of the inherent value of the earth and non-human creatures as created, sustained and redeemed by Christ.

We call on Christians everywhere to study and delight in God’s world, recognising the earth as our common home, and embracing our dependence on God’s provision through the ecosystems of which we are part.

We embrace our human role, made in the image of God, to give leadership within the community of creation through humble and servant-hearted care for the earth and its creatures.

We call for all Christians, in our personal lives, churches, workplaces, and societies, to be engaged actively in protecting, preserving and restoring habitats and ecosystems, declaring and displaying the Lordship of Christ through the flourishing of creatures and places which were made for God’s glory.

2. Lifestyles

As disciples of Christ, our witness is hollow unless we practise what we preach about caring for creation.

Jesus’ teaching is clear about the dangers of loving money and hoarding wealth, yet many Christians’ lifestyles are indistinguishable from those of consumerist cultures. We recommend an evangelical commitment to a simple lifestyle and call on believers everywhere to repent of our materialism, turn away from greed and commit to a life of contentment and sacrifice.

Sharing, sabbath rest and connection to the earth bring justice and peace, and bear witness to Christ’s sufficiency especially as we serve the interests of others in need both near and far.

In particular, we urge action around energy use, sustainable travel, waste and pollution, and production and consumption of food and other consumer goods (clothing, technology, etc).

Living simply and generously as Jesus did, whatever our circumstances, is an act of hope, joyful worship and faithful obedience to God.

3. Churches and Christian organisations

Local churches: Caring for creation in churches arises primarily from a desire to proclaim and demonstrate the lordship of Christ, and also in response to our current urgent ecological crisis and its impact on the most vulnerable.

Our response as God’s children begins with lament and earnest prayer to seek God’s heart for His world.

As the body of Christ, we are also called to care for creation in our teaching and worship, discipleship, use of resources, buildings and land, and our missional priorities. We call upon churches to include creation care in all their ministries and with all ages.

Education and Training: It is essential that theological education and formation (seminaries/Bible colleges/online courses), includes a biblical theology of creation care integrated throughout the curriculum and accompanied by practical teaching on how churches can respond.

Practical examples will depend on context and include enhancing green spaces and creating community gardens, worshipping outdoors with creation, Bible studies and curricula for children and young people, wilderness camps, reducing waste/consumption, recycling programmes, restoring local spaces, advocacy on climate justice, and partnering with local community groups.

Networks and Missions: We encourage churches to support creation care initiatives in finance and prayer, recognising that creation is “included in the redeeming love and mission of God . . . [and] must be part of the comprehensive mission of God’s people”. 

We specifically call on the Lausanne Movement to include creation care in all gatherings and statements as integral to the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

Given the scale of the crisis we face, and the creational mandate to all humanity to reflect God’s image in care for creation, the worldwide church needs to work collaboratively with those outside the church, seeking common ground and acting together in caring for God’s earth and its creatures.

Creation care impacts every nation and every sector. As Christians, will we commit to caring for the world God created? Deposit Photo Photo from Depositphotos.com

4. Workplaces

Creation care is integral to whole-life discipleship and thus impacts every sphere and workplace sector. 

We affirm the God-given vocation of those called to work that protects and restores land, air and waters, including regenerative agriculture, forestry and fisheries, wildlife and marine conservation, waste reduction and management, sustainable design and renewable energy.

We also urge all in workplaces, especially in business, entrepreneurship, education, arts, design and construction, politics, science, technology and finance to use their God-given skills to witness that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, by using resources with restraint, recycling wherever possible and seeking a circular economy.

We invite collaboration with “Business as Mission” and “Workplace” ministries in integrating creation care, seeking the well-being of people and the flourishing of places before financial gain.

5. Communities

God places us in particular locations to be a blessing to the cities, communities and ecosystems within which we are planted. The kingdom of God, described as yeast, salt, light, is a transforming presence right where we are.

We are called to know, love, work and pray for the human and nonhuman communities in which we are embedded. This can take practical form in gardening and food-growing, observing and learning about local wildlife, and partnering with organisations caring for wildlife or advocating for sustainable local solutions.

It involves Christian engagement in civil society, serving alongside people of many backgrounds, in schools, community groups and local politics, ever seeking a vision of God’s kingdom “on earth as in heaven”.

6. Society

The vision of God’s Kingdom extends beyond the local, to regional, national and global levels.

As Christians, we should be known for loving, respecting and serving our neighbours nearby and across the world, especially the marginalised and vulnerable, speaking up and acting for justice, and practically demonstrating nature’s flourishing.

Christians can engage in the design of cities, towns, and villages, “because in God’s created order people and places are inextricably tied together”. We share God’s concern regarding the suitability of cities for human wellbeing and creation’s flourishing.

At a structural level, we should seek economic policies and systems which recognise nature’s intrinsic value and preserve its ecosystem services, penalise those who pollute and destroy the natural world, and incentivise those who work to restore God’s creation.

As citizens and residents, we can engage with policymakers, seeking the flourishing of the natural world as a primary objective.

7. Global ecological concerns

As recognised in the 2012 Jamaica Call to Action, “We are in a crisis that is pressing, urgent, and that must be resolved in our generation”.

The response since has been deeply inadequate, both from Christians and wider society, and the crisis is worsening fast. We need to talk, pray and act about this in our churches and communities. 

We are already transgressing most of the planetary boundaries which are vital for future generations to flourish. Every global region is experiencing the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, soil erosion, water stress and pollution, with impacts on agriculture, fisheries, migration, and human physical and mental health.

This is a crisis of great injustice as it impacts poorest communities most severely. It also affects most harshly those nations that have done least to cause the problems, whereas nations whose wealth was built on environmental exploitation can more easily afford to mitigate its impacts.

Therefore, out of love for God, our neighbours and God’s world, we call for and commit ourselves to a rapid and just transition from fossil fuels towards renewable energy, and for adequate climate finance for mitigation and adaptation.

We support nature-based solutions that address the climate and biodiversity crises as well as global injustices which are deeply intertwined. As a matter of biblical justice, it is important that the voices of those who suffer the worst impacts of nature’s destruction – marginalised communities, indigenous peoples, and those whose livelihoods depend directly on nature – be at the heart of discussions and solutions.

We invite conversation and action amongst Christians and all our neighbours on these issues, and affirm the many helpful resources, technologies and ways forward to address with urgency the crises we face together.

Read the full version of The Korean Invitation on the Lausanne website or the World Evangelical Alliance Sustainability Center.

If you accept the invitation to care for God’s world, add your name/organisation’s name using this form. Respondees are encouraged to share on social media that they have signed the Korean Invitation, link it and use the hashtag #KoreanInvitation.

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