We believe that care for the natural environment, which is God’s creation, is a fundamental duty for all Christians.
The diocese aims to provide a lead on Caring for God’s creation by helping churches, schools and other organisations to be more effective in responding to environmental concerns. This is how we hope to fulfil the Anglican Mark of Mission to Care for Creation.
The Church of England expresses the above vision through its ‘Five Marks of Mission.’ These principles help us to see how we might participate in God’s plan for the world and how we can live out our Christian mission in this diocese. We want to be people and communities who allow the Holy Spirit to live and work in us so that we may faithfully fulfil the Marks of Mission.
The natural environment, which is God's creation, is facing many threats. These include waste in the oceans and the extinction of many animals and plants. Above all, we face a mounting crisis of climate change. Human beings are responsible for these problems and must change their ways to tackle them.
The Church of England and the Diocese of Salisbury have made climate change a priority, and we are taking action to eliminate our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Already, a small percentage of our parishes have achieved net-zero emissions.
A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working to protect and restore the natural world and committed to equipping Christians and churches in the UK to care for the environment. Check out their Eco Church Programme designed to equip your church to express your care for God’s world in your worship and teaching; in how you look after your buildings and land; in how you engage with your local community and in global campaigns, and in the personal lifestyles of your congregation. Do also see their online community for individuals, Wild Christian.
A Rocha UK is part of a federation of independent A Rocha charities working across the world, facilitated in their work by the coordinating body A Rocha International.
The Diocese was the first to achieve the Bronze Award in 2019. Many of our churches have already achieved bronze, several similar and some have even been awarded gold! We feature them regularly in our news pages. This autumn 2024, we will be running a campaign called Eco Church in an hour, to encourage churches to dedicate just an hour a week to get their award. Email comms@salisbury.anglican.org to find out more.Getting more involved
Sign up to receive the diocesan eco newsletter where you’ll be in touch with the latest news and events related to environmental stewardship.
A Creation Care course offers a great opportunity to learn more about the issues surrounding environmental concerns and what can be done in your church. The 6-evening course run twice a year (September and January starts) with Winchester diocese. Email the Diocesan Environment Group for more details.
Thousands of churches, schools and other church organisations have used the Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) to measure their energy use. Hopefully your parish has also completed this tool so we can accurately know our overall diocesan carbon footprint.
Read our ‘First Steps’ guide here. Including information on becoming your parish’s advocate for caring for creation and working alongside a large network of existing Eco Champions moving forward creation care across the diocese.