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Preaching About Climate Change: What Clergy Need Most

Preaching About Climate Change: What Clergy Need Most

Last updated on: September 12, 2026 at 12:46 pm by Leah D. Schade

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Preaching About Climate Change: What Clergy Need Most 2026-09-12T12:46:33-04:00 Leah D. Schade

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Climate change is reshaping ministry, yet many clergy feel isolated or underprepared to preach about it. Here’s what helps preachers connect Scripture, Creation, justice, and congregational care.

Pastor in robe outside in nature

Preaching about climate change is a challenge in some congregations. Here’s what preachers need most. Photo by Samuel Peter on Pexels.

Increasing Climate Catastrophes Impact Churches

Extreme heat waves, wildfires, monster hurricanes and tornadoes, and massive flooding are making weekly headlines. Peter Prengaman, news director for AP’s Climate and Environment team, recently wrote a piece about the increasing number of catastrophic climate events across the globe. “The planetary ingredients needed for a massive disturbance have been building. And alarm is growing,” Prengaman writes.

Houses of worship and religious organizations are often among the first to respond to these kinds of disasters. They collect and distribute food, clothing, and cleaning supplies. They also provide spiritual care for affected communities. In these ways, clergy and religious leaders can be found on the front lines of climate catastrophes. Their efforts are appreciated and their presence is welcomed.

Front Line Care, Yes; Preaching, Not So Much

But when it comes to preaching about climate change, the message is not always well received. Clergy often deal with the same responses that climate scientists face when warning about looming disasters.

“It’s basic psychology to avoid talking about uncomfortable things. Climate change, depressing and overwhelming, falls into that category,” writes Prengaman.

Rather than acknowledge the connection between fossil-fueled greenhouse gases and corresponding climate catastrophes, many people—including clergy and congregations—would rather ignore it. Or, following the current president’s lead, they call climate change a “the greatest con job ever.”

Ignoring and Dismissing Concerns About Climate Change

Some Christians will even use biblical and theological language to minimize the climate crisis. A PRRI study found that many Evangelicals see climate disruption as evidence of the end times. They believe climate catastrophes are inevitable signs of the apocalyptic Second Coming of Jesus rather than crises requiring mitigation or adaptation.

Other researchers found that even though 90% clergy believe that climate change is real and caused by human activity, roughly half have never discussed it with their congregation. And a large-scale analysis of U.S. Catholic worship videos found that climate-change language appeared in only 0.40% of more than 700,000 recorded Masses.

Clergy Preaching About Climate Change – A Small But Growing Number

However, there are some clergy and congregations who take climate change seriously and address it regularly in sermons, teaching, and church-wide actions.

In my team’s repeated national surveys of U.S. mainline Protestant clergy, we found that reported preaching about environmental issues rose from 30% in 2017 to 49% in 2020. In the 2025 survey, 78% of clergy indicated they addressed climate and environmental issues in the previous twelve months.

However, not all of these clergy feel equipped or supported in their efforts to connect the climate crisis with faith and biblical teachings.

So, what helps clergy prepare for preaching about climate change?

Keys to Helping Clergy Preach About Climate Change

I direct a Lilly Endowment-funded grant project for preachers who want to address environmental issues and climate change. Since 2022, Lexington Theological Seminary, The BTS Center, and Creation Justice Ministries have hosted year-long monthly online gatherings of preachers in the ecumenical EcoPreacher Cohort.

Across the intake and exit surveys, there are three things that clergy say they most need in preaching about climate change. First and foremost, they’re looking for biblical and theological frameworks. Second, they need companionship and supportive partners. Third, they want to learn how other justice issues connect to climate change.

The chart below shows how EcoPreachers ranked the importance of all six items in the survey across the three Cohorts.

What Preachers Need Most When Addressing Climate Change, Table

What preachers need most when addressing climate change. EcoPreacher intake and exit surveys conducted by research team for Compelling Preaching for a Climate-Changed World, Lexington Theological Seminary, The BTS Center, Creation Justice Ministries, 2022-2026

Listening to these preachers helps us shape the EcoPreacher Cohorts we design each year.

Reading the Bible Through a “Green Lens”

We bring in expert religious environmental activists and homileticians to teach preachers how to interpret Scripture using an eco-hermeneutic. This opens up many creative and contextual possibilities for connecting the Bible with climate change and other environmental issues.

Reading Scripture through a green lens also helps Christians understand that the Bible was written within an agrarian context in which Creation was integral to a relationship with God. This integration of faith, Creation, and divine presence must be an emphasis for churches today as well.

You Are Not Alone

Most preachers had no structured peer or mentoring support for this work when they first entered the program. We asked about sources of support such as denominations, the congregation’s governing board, ministry colleague, and mentors or coaches. No single source was rated “significant support” by more than about half of preachers

So, we create intentional small groups for EcoPreachers called Kinship Circles. Each month, they discuss what they’ve learned and share encouragement for the work. By program’s end, nearly two-thirds said that the EcoPreacher program’s Kinship Circles were “significant support”—more than any other source.

Climate Change Connects to Other Justice Issues

Climate change is what’s known as a “threat multiplier” when it comes to other issues such as immigration, poverty, racism, and Indigenous issues. Whatever the social issue, climate change exacerbates and intensifies the problems. Flooding decreases affordable housing. Air pollution increases asthma. Toxic dumping in communities of color is a form of environmental racism.

All of this has implications for ministry. For example, if a church feeds the hungry, they should know how climate and environmental problems affect crop yields and wipe out harvests through disease and disasters. If they have a ministry to welcome immigrants or do mission work in other countries, they need to understand the realities of climate refugees and climate migration.

In our EcoPreacher program, we bring in speakers to explain these and other issues, including public health, climate trauma, and disabilities. Our programming also addresses preaching in politically divided contexts, offers tips on effective preaching, and provides space for processing climate emotions such as grief and despair.

Registration for the Next EcoPreacher Cohort is Open Until Sept. 18

If you are looking for a supportive group of peers and expert practitioners for your own environmental sermons and ministry, I encourage you to register for our next EcoPreacher Cohort beginning on Sept. 24.

Registration closes on Sept. 18, and scholarships are available. Learn more here.

The more support you have for environmental preaching, the more confident, equipped, and companioned you will feel.

You don’t have to be isolated and alone. There are colleagues who share your concern about God’s Creation, your passion for taking action, and your love for this precious planet.

We hope you will join us!

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