CLIMATE-INFORMED MINISTRY COHORTS

• Open to Iowa clergy of any denomination or faith who are employed in a congregation at least half-time. We know clergy may have unique employment situations, so please don’t hesitate to ask if you would like to be considered.
• Participants must commit to the full experience and have the support of their council, board, etc.
• A total of 30 clergy will be accepted, 15 for each of the cohorts.

• $75 application fee (upon acceptance)
• Participants will receive a stipend of $1000, paid in two $500 installments.
• Several books will be covered.
• Congregations can apply for funds (up to $1000) for a final project.

Not included:

• Optional books you choose to read
• Final project expenses may be only partially covered

Partial List of Topics

• Basic science of climate change
• Climate communications and storytelling with congregations
• Connecting climate and environment with any ministry
• Coping with eco-anxiety and climate anxiety
• How to work with community organizations and government on projects
• Using the arts to enhance your efforts
• Environmental hermeneutics
• Climate justice issues
• Making your building, grounds and congregation more resilient to climate change
• Essentials of doing advocacy work

Estimated investment per month: 12-20 hours

We know your schedule is often overflowing, so we’re designing this to be flexible and to fit in with what you’re already doing. So, for example, the readings will hopefully be useful for your sermon preparation. The monthly actions can be integrated with things you’re already doing. Books will vary in length so that you can read at a pace that works for you. Here’s an estimate of what you can expect; please let us know if you have any questions.

• Monthly cohort meeting via Zoom (1.5-2 hours).
• Additional, optional monthly cohort gathering via Zoom (1-1.5 hours)
• Reading: 8 books during the year from a list. 6/8 are required with 2 electives. (6-12 hrs)
• Monthly action of your choice, e.g. creation care sermon; farmer conversation (1-5 hrs)
• Check-in phone call 4x/year (10-15 minutes each)
• Participation as time allows in an online/app forum (optional).
• Completion of reflection, feedback and other forms periodically. (15-20 min.)
• Final project & report, done in collaboration with others from your congregation. (3-8 hrs)

Ministry is understandably unpredictable, so we know your exact time investment and availability will fluctuate. You may wish to set aside a full week during the year to ensure you have the time needed to participate fully and to mitigate against any unexpected circumstances.

The cohorts will be facilitated by Tim Gossett, Associate Director of Iowa Faith & Climate Network. Tim is a graduate of United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, with a Masters of Religious Education and a Masters of Religious Communications. He’s the author of nine books, including Burst: Green Church (Abingdon Press), along with dozens of Bible study lessons and articles for various publications. Tim worked in faith formation roles for over 25 years at 3 United Methodist churches, primarily Collegiate United Methodist Church/Wesley Foundation in Ames, Iowa. Before joining the team at Iowa Faith & Climate Network in 2024, Tim spent several years as the Director of User Experience at Aboundant, a nonprofit-focused web design agency and carbon-neutral webhost.

In addition, other climate ministry experts will join us for our Zoom calls as guest speakers. We’ll add their names here as they become available.

Participants in the cohorts will assist in the leadership of the Zoom calls by offering prayers, reflections, and so on.

Each participant’s results will vary due to differences in the needs of their settings, the time they invest, their previous experience, and so on. However, we anticipate that these will be some common outcomes:

• Participants will feel empowered to take consistent climate action (i.e. climate-informed ministry) in their contexts.
• Participants will experience a strong sense of connection with others doing climate-informed ministry.
• Participants will know how to utilize natural settings effectively in ministry.
• Participants will develop a final project in and with their faith community.
• Participants will see a measurable change in their congregation’s climate engagement.
• Participants will receive a completion certificate. We will also be glad to inform the state, regional or national organization you affiliate with that you have completed the cohort training.

 “Climate-informed Ministry” is a faith-based approach to congregational life and ministry that is borne out of an awareness that humanity is never separate from the environment. It acknowledges and prioritizes the current impacts of climate change on individuals and local communities and prepares for climate-related events. Some key principles include:

• Reading sacred scriptures and texts with a “green lens”
• Emphasizing connection and community
• Building and growing community partnerships with farms, local businesses, government and others
• Working against environmental injustice
• Telling hope-filled climate stories.

This type of ministry addresses issues like protection of the land and water, increased food prices, threats to vulnerable people, climate-induced migration, and psychological crises related to climate stress. By integrating climate awareness regularly into sermons and classes, offering counseling and other opportunities to process climate anxiety, and creating community-focused initiatives, climate-informed ministries aim to build resilience and meet the evolving needs of their communities amidst rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Unfortunately, the grant limits us in who we can accept. Clergy who live outside Iowa but work in an Iowa church full-time are also eligible to participate. 

Over the course of the year, there will be several projects for you to complete. Many of these can be done as part of your regular ministry, such as giving a sermon on climate change or talking with a board of trustees about considering renewable energy.

Each participant will also develop a final project, ideally along with others from the congregation. These are limited only by your time, imagination, and resources. Examples: creating a community garden; offering a climate-focused public event; creating an ecumenical or interfaith Disaster Resilience Team in your community.

We are grateful to the Walton Foundation for providing most of the funding for these cohorts. Additional funding comes from individual and congregational donations to Iowa Faith & Climate Network.

Most of the required and recommended books are available in audiobook and digital formats. If, for accessibility reasons, you need the books provided as audiobooks or digital books, we will do our best to work with you. Please contact us if this will be important for you. Of course, you are always welcome to secure copies on your own if you wish.