About the Program
In the face of the looming climate disaster, many of us do little about it. We may feel anger, anxiety, or nothing at all. We may feel powerless in this global societal crisis, keeping us from engaging. How can churches help people engage in the climate crisis? How can Christians be work side-by-side with scientists to address the challenges before us?
The Transformative Leadership Program seeks to cultivate spaces for pastors and church lay leaders to answer these questions in community. This program brings together congregational teams to participate in workshops that combine climate communication, practical theological approaches, and community organizing tools to equip leaders in shaping their church’s relationship to creation justice.
These trainings help empower church teams to effectively engage science, broaden climate action in a congregation or ministry setting, and move people from denial and inaction to congregational action and political advocacy.
At the conclusion of the training period, congregations then work with a Creation Justice coach over the course of a designated time period as their team develops and implements a climate action project in their church and community for the sake of catalyzing conversation and culture change. Check out our 2026 cohort of teams below!
Interested in participating in this program? We are launching a virtual cohort for summer 2026. Scroll down to find more details about the virtual cohort and apply!
The Transformative Leadership Program seeks to cultivate spaces for pastors and church lay leaders to answer these questions in community. This program brings together congregational teams to participate in workshops that combine climate communication, practical theological approaches, and community organizing tools to equip leaders in shaping their church’s relationship to creation justice.
These trainings help empower church teams to effectively engage science, broaden climate action in a congregation or ministry setting, and move people from denial and inaction to congregational action and political advocacy.
At the conclusion of the training period, congregations then work with a Creation Justice coach over the course of a designated time period as their team develops and implements a climate action project in their church and community for the sake of catalyzing conversation and culture change. Check out our 2026 cohort of teams below!
Interested in participating in this program? We are launching a virtual cohort for summer 2026. Scroll down to find more details about the virtual cohort and apply!
Stories and Team Photos
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Transformative Leadership Program Virtual Cohort
Creation Justice Ministries is looking for church teams of 3 who want to transform their faith communities into active climate action leaders by equipping and inspiring their congregations to adopt meaningful and effective practices for creation justice.
This virtual cohort will include:
Trainings sessions will culminate in the opportunity for your team to develop a small scale project within your congregation that is centered around the Season of Creation. Teams will work with a Creation Justice coach to discern and design your team's project.
Commitments:
Who should apply?
How to Apply
This virtual cohort will include:
- Weekly content webinars, with a mix of synchronous weeks and asynchronous weeks. Content to include:
- Introduction to Behavior Change Principles
- Introduction to Effective Climate Communication
- Tools for Advocacy and Community Organizing
- Creating a Sustainability Plan
- Sessions that will discuss how to translate and implement these principles through a theological lens
Trainings sessions will culminate in the opportunity for your team to develop a small scale project within your congregation that is centered around the Season of Creation. Teams will work with a Creation Justice coach to discern and design your team's project.
Commitments:
- Watching recordings of or participating in weekly content sessions (June - July). For the full program schedule, click here.
- Participation in sessions with Creation Justice Coach.
- Implementation of small scale climate action projects (12 week project timeline: planning - August, implementation, September - October)
Who should apply?
- Congregations looking for practical theological approaches to engaging climate action
- Leaders interested in ecumenical work around creation justice and ready to put partnership into action
- Congregations looking to move into deeper action around climate justice, cultivating relationships between their congregation and their community
- Must apply as a team (one application per team) of 3 people, 1 of whom must be on pastoral staff at your church
How to Apply
- Applications open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis and all participants notified of acceptance to the program by late May 2026.
If this program interests you, check out the United Church of Christ's Climate Hope Affiliates Program!
In 2025, the United Church of Christ launched Climate Hope Affiliates! Through this new program, they are starting local chapters across the country to address the interconnected crises of climate change and societal injustice. This is a calling!
Climate Hope Affiliates are dedicated to advancing and protecting federal legislation through the development of ongoing relationships with members of Congress, local media, and the broader community. With the guidance of Sam Daley-Harris, who pioneered this effective model of advocacy, we have already launched our first eleven affiliates in Lehigh Valley (PA), Framingham (MA), the East Bay of Northern California (CA), Concord (NH), Carlisle (PA), Ephrata (PA), Atlanta (GA), the greater Cleveland area (OH), Shasta (CA), Collegeville (PA), and East Lansing (MI).
Climate Hope Affiliates is a joint initiative of the United Church of Christ and Creation Justice Ministries, which represents 36 different denominations. Our vision aligns with the Equitable & Just National Climate Platform that centers economic and racial justice. With core leadership from leaders in the environmental justice movement, 346 organizations have signed onto the platform.
Climate Hope Affiliates are dedicated to advancing and protecting federal legislation through the development of ongoing relationships with members of Congress, local media, and the broader community. With the guidance of Sam Daley-Harris, who pioneered this effective model of advocacy, we have already launched our first eleven affiliates in Lehigh Valley (PA), Framingham (MA), the East Bay of Northern California (CA), Concord (NH), Carlisle (PA), Ephrata (PA), Atlanta (GA), the greater Cleveland area (OH), Shasta (CA), Collegeville (PA), and East Lansing (MI).
Climate Hope Affiliates is a joint initiative of the United Church of Christ and Creation Justice Ministries, which represents 36 different denominations. Our vision aligns with the Equitable & Just National Climate Platform that centers economic and racial justice. With core leadership from leaders in the environmental justice movement, 346 organizations have signed onto the platform.
