The ecological devastation of the earth can no longer be regarded as peripheral to Christian witness. Climate instability, the rapid disappearance of species beyond our capacity to catalogue, and communities suffering losses for which they are not responsible are often classified as environmental or ecological problems, typically assigned to scientists and policymakers rather than to theology or mission. However, these issues cannot be contained within such boundaries. They consistently raise questions central to missiological reflection: the nature of God, the meaning of humanity, and the role of all creation within God’s redemptive purposes.

This group offers a forum to explore these questions collectively. The intention is to revisit Scripture, draw upon the church’s historical tradition, and critically engage with both the contributions and omissions of contemporary missiological scholarship. A central question persists: if the missio Dei is understood as God’s mission, does the healing and sustaining of creation fall within its scope? If so, in what ways is the church called to bear witness amid ongoing ecological devastations?

These questions are not new. The Orthodox churches have long articulated a theology emphasising the integrity of creation. Documents such as Together Towards Life (WCC, 2013), Laudato Si’ (2015), and the creation-care commitments of the Lausanne Movement have each provided significant resources.  We are equally attentive to what has not yet been adequately heard.  Indigenous, Asian, African, Latin American, Oceanic, and other contextual theologies carry wisdom that the wider church has been slow to embrace—wisdom that emerges, in significant part, from those who live closest to the land and who bear the earliest consequences of its degradation.

This study group has been newly established for the IAMS Assembly in Pretoria in 2026. We welcome scholarly contributions and the dialogue they generate, including constructive disagreement. The group aspires to foster shared reflection and engagement.  Proposals may address the biblical and theological foundations of creation care, the integration of ecology within mission practice and theory, and the unique contributions that various disciplines, cultures and traditions offer to the ongoing missiological pursuit of Shalom for all creation.

Eco-theology Study Group’s Conveners:
Bright Myeong Seok Lee Email: brightlee@acts.ac.kr
Xiaoli Yang Email: xiaoli.yang@divinity.edu.au