Pathways to Sustainability: The Greening of US Faith Communities.

Abstract

Awareness of climate change and concerns about impacts on human communities have inspired activity within religious organizations as leaders call on people of faith to conserve resources, build more resilient communities, and advocate for environmental policies. Efforts to promote a faith-based response to environmental issues are of interest because religion played a significant role in historical periods of social change such as the US civil rights movement. Previous scholarship has focused on “eco-theologies” through which religious leaders articulate scriptural precepts describing why people of faith should practice environmental ethics, however, there has been no systematic research examining the empirical experiences of faith-based environmental initiatives that do arise. Recent research suggests that theology alone is insufficient to motivate behavior change in faith communities. Consequently, this dissertation seeks to examine the motivations and processes through which people of faith undertake environmental action. The dissertation used in-depth case study methods to examine factors affecting development of sustainability initiatives in US faith communities. Field research was conducted in fifteen congregations that have undertaken extensive sustainability initiatives that include multiple activities sustained for at least four years. Archival data, field notes, and transcripts of fifty-two semi-structured interviews were used to create case studies, which were then compared. The data analysis revealed that factors within four domains of activity influenced initiative development. 1) Individuals played a vital role as initiative leaders. These individuals were motivated by a combination of personal environmental concerns and religious beliefs and were effective leaders due to their institutional knowledge and networks of personal relationships within their faith communities. 2) Faith Leaders legitimated sustainability as a faith issue, thereby making it an appropriate activity for a faith community. They also helped integrate it into community values and practices. 3) Congregations contributed human and material resources that determined initiative capacity. Congregational engagement in development of initiatives influenced the levels of support they provided. 4) Organizations provided the venues for enacting initiatives. Consequently, organizational procedures affected initiative development and alignment with organizational structures affected implementation. These four domains contributed elements that were equally important to theology for embedding sustainability in faith communities.