Environmental Missions

Environmental Missions defines an emerging category in missions, one that takes seriously both the mandate to evangelize the world and the responsibility of caring for God’s good earth. Lowell Bliss was a traditional church planting missionary in India when his best Hindu friend there died of malaria. This was just one of the events that led him to reexamine the politically charged term “environment,” understanding it now as simply “that which surrounds those we love, those for whom Jesus died.” In other words, the church is called to reach not only vulnerable people but the space in which they live and breathe. Pointing to the narrative of Scripture and the history of missions, Bliss shows us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for the whole creation, that we must unite two traditionally separate endeavors to fulfill the entirety of God’s commission, and that the challenge of the environmental crises of our day is also one of our greatest opportunities to reach the least reached with the love of Christ.

Environmental Missions defines an emerging category in missions, one that takes seriously both the mandate to evangelize the world and the responsibility of caring for God's good earth. Lowell Bliss was a traditional church planting missionary in India when his best Hindu friend there died of malaria. This was just one of the events that led him to reexamine the politically charged term "environment," understanding it now as simply "that which surrounds those we love, those for whom Jesus died." In other words, the church is called to reach not only vulnerable people but the space in which they live and breathe. Pointing to the narrative of Scripture and the history of missions, Bliss shows us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for the whole creation, that we must unite two traditionally separate endeavors to fulfill the entirety of God's commission, and that the challenge of the environmental crises of our day is also one of our greatest opportunities to reach the least reached with the love of Christ.

With climate change and the environment making headlines on an almost-daily basis, followers of Christ can find themselves asking, “What’s my role in this? What’s my responsibility? And how does it relate to the Great Commission?” People, Trees & Poverty shares a high-level overview, a snapshot, of what it looks like to reach the unreached through advocacy on environmental issues. However, this book does more than raise awareness and pluck your heartstrings. It concludes with a critical feature, listing additional resources, gatherings, and organizations to move the reader from concern to action. Ebooks in the Snapshot Series aren’t traditional books. They are the one chapter that you need to read out of the huge book you never seem to get through. At approximately 7000 words they are twice the length of an in-depth magazine article. They are packed with links to resources for further inquiry in a Wikipedia style manner, and an appendix with vetted partners you can trust to read or connect with.