For Christians, however, generosity is more than preference or personality; it is theological. Scripture teaches that “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). We are not owners, but stewards. Our giving is not simply philanthropy; it is an act of worship and an expression of trust. When we return a portion to God, we acknowledge His sovereignty and participate in His redemptive work. As St. Paul reminds us, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Christian generosity flows from gratitude for grace already received.

As tax season approaches, this theological truth intersects with practical reality. In the coming weeks, many Canadians will gather receipts, review statements and prepare their returns. It is a natural time to reflect not only on income and expenses, but also on our charitable giving. Yet according to the Canada Revenue Agency, only 19 per cent of tax filers claimed charitable gifts in 2021 – down significantly from two decades ago. Many either overlook their receipts or underestimate the value of the credit available to them.

Charitable tax credits are non-refundable, but for the average Ontario tax-filer they reduce the real cost of giving by roughly 40 per cent. Let us use the 2024 average annual offertory gift in the Diocese of Toronto ($1,775) as an example:

• Federal credit: 15% on the first $200 and 29% on the remaining $1,575. (15% × $200) + (29% × $1,575) = $486.75
• Ontario credit: 5.05% on the first $200 and 11.16% on the remaining $1,575. (5.05% × $200) + (11.16% × $1,575) = $185.87
• Combined credit: $486.75 + $185.87 = $672.62. This represents 37.89% of the total gift (and up to 41.4% if provincial surtaxes apply).

In effect, a $1,775 gift costs closer to $1,102 after tax credits.

For some, the tax credit is simply prudent stewardship – making wise use of the provisions available to us. For others who wish to give sacrificially without “benefit,” the credit itself can become an opportunity: it may be reinvested into further generosity. Either way, tax season becomes more than a financial exercise; it becomes a moment of reflection on how we steward what God has entrusted to us.

Gifts of publicly traded securities offer additional advantages. When such securities are donated directly, capital gains tax is eliminated, and the charitable tax credit still applies. Appreciated assets therefore provide one of the most tax-effective ways to support the Church’s ministry.

As you prepare your return this year, take a moment to consider not only what you owe, but what you have given – and what you might yet give. Tax season is an annual reminder that our resources are entrusted to us by God. Understanding the tax implications of charitable giving may not be the primary reason we give, but it can encourage us to give faithfully, wisely and perhaps even more generously for the sake of the gospel.

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Matthew 5:1–12, the Beatitudes, is not a list of moral rules or religious achievements. It is Jesus’ portrait of a blessed life – a life that appears foolish by the standards of the world, yet radiant with God’s presence. Stewardship, rightly understood, is the practical outworking of this life. It shapes how disciples of Jesus manage their time, their resources, their relationships and their influence in light of God’s kingdom. The Beatitudes don’t say, “Blessed are the successful, the powerful or the financially secure.” They declare blessing upon the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful and the peacemakers. Stewardship, then, flows not from abundance, but from trust. Not from control, but from surrender.

Scripture consistently grounds stewardship in this truth: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1). What we have is not self-made but God-given. This posture changes everything. If our resources are gifts entrusted to us, generosity is no longer a loss but participation in God’s ongoing giving. As Jesus teaches later in the Sermon on the Mount, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Our giving reveals what we value and what we hope for. When we hunger and thirst for righteousness, our resources naturally flow toward ministries that heal, restore and reconcile.

N.T. Wright describes the Beatitudes as “a summons to live in the present as people whose future has already arrived.” Stewardship is how we live now according to that future reality – investing in hope rather than fear. The early Church embodied this vision: “All who believed were together and had all things in common… distributing to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:44–45). This was not coerced sharing, but Spirit-led generosity that made God’s peace visible.

That same Beatitude-shaped vision is embodied in the ministry of FaithWorks, which will celebrate its 30^th anniversary in 2026. For nearly three decades, the meek, the merciful, those who hunger for righteousness and those committed to peace have given generously so that the most vulnerable are cared for. Through FaithWorks, the hungry have been fed, the vulnerable sheltered, the lonely visited and newcomers welcomed – an expression of the blessed life Jesus proclaims.

This year, as one Anglican family across the Diocese of Toronto, we are invited to build on that legacy by seeking not only to meet but to exceed our FaithWorks goal of $1,500,000. I encourage you to pray, to reflect and to give as you are able, trusting that God will multiply what we offer. In living and giving this way, may we discover again Jesus’ promise: that those who walk this path are truly blessed.

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It’s easy to turn our stewardship – our giving, our praying, even our faith – into a kind of transaction. We want to be good, faithful, generous people. But sometimes, in the process, we forget why we give, who we give for, and what grace really looks like.

That is the heart of Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in the Gospel of Luke. Luke tells us that Jesus says this parable to some “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” It’s one of those uncomfortable passages where we would prefer to identify with the humble tax collector; yet if we’re honest, we probably have more in common with the Pharisee than we would like to admit.

Here we have two men praying in the temple. Both believe in God. Both make time for prayer. But Jesus points us not to what they are doing, but to how they are doing it – the posture of their hearts. The Pharisee stands tall, confident in his record. “I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” By every outward measure, he is a good man – disciplined, generous, religiously observant. Yet Jesus shocks his listeners by saying that it is not the Pharisee but the tax collector – the sinner, the collaborator, the despised man – who goes home justified before God.

Why? Because the Pharisee’s stewardship begins and ends with himself. His giving and his moral record have become a means of self-congratulation. The tax collector, on the other hand, has nothing to boast about. His only prayer is for mercy. He recognizes his dependence on God and casts himself entirely on divine grace.

The Pharisee’s error is not that he gave, prayed or fasted; those are good and holy things. His error is that he turned them into evidence of superiority. His gratitude was not directed to God but to himself. He thanked God that he was not like other people. He used his stewardship as a mirror of self-righteousness instead of a window through which God’s mercy could shine.

How easily does this happen, even in our own lives? Stewardship campaigns can become occasions for pride rather than gratitude. We might compare our giving to others’ giving, our service to others’ service, our faithfulness to others’ failings. We can begin to imagine that what we do for God is what makes us acceptable to God. But the gospel reminds us that our standing before God has nothing to do with the size of our gift and everything to do with the posture of our hearts.

Henri Nouwen once said, “Fundraising is, primarily, a form of ministry. It is a way of announcing our vision and inviting other people into our mission.” Stewardship is exactly that: an invitation to participate in God’s abundance, not a plea born of anxiety. When we give, we are saying “yes” to God’s ongoing work in the world.

What does this look like to us today as we begin a new year? It begins with examining the posture of our hearts. Do we give from pride or from gratitude? Do we see stewardship as a task to complete or as a way of life? True stewardship is not seasonal; it is spiritual. It is defined not by a campaign but by a calling. Every act of generosity – whether money, time, attention or compassion – is a prayer of thanksgiving, a declaration that we belong to a God of abundance.

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Certainly, pre-pandemic trends indicated that church attendance was declining by about 2.5 per cent nationally, with higher numbers reported in some dioceses. The story was fodder for church-focused blogs and online chat groups, as various opinions focused on the imminent collapse of the Anglican Church in Canada. The persistent sentiment was disheartening for those of us who commit our professional lives to the service of God’s Church.

In the Diocese of Toronto, however, statistics from the annual parish returns of 2023 and 2024 indicate a sharp increase in both Sunday attendance and the number of donors to the Church. This is a remarkable result, owed in large part to our response to the pandemic. From its onset, many parishes pivoted to worship services on Zoom, Facebook or YouTube when corporate gatherings became impossible. In terms of using technology, we accomplished in a fortnight what probably would not have happened in a decade under normal conditions. With the support of staff and volunteers from the Congregational Development department, grants, and an overall enthusiasm to connect with housebound Anglicans, the Church embarked on a new chapter in its worship ministry.

In the 2024 returns, 62 per cent of parishes in the diocese (121 of 195) indicated some form of online Sunday program, amounting to nearly 4,600 participants. Although data was collected for the first time only in 2023, it’s reasonable to assume that this figure may have been even higher in 2020 when in-person worship wasn’t permitted. This statistic is nothing short of remarkable, especially as it is corroborated by an increase in the number of regular identifiable givers. The online worship community represents about 25 per cent of all those gathered on a given Sunday in our diocese. The number of givers has increased by more than 10 per cent.

The narrative of decline in the Church is nothing new. Data from nearly every church-based and secular source, be it General Synod, Statistics Canada, the Church of England’s statistics office or The Episcopal Church, indicate that membership, worship attendance and giving have been trending downward for decades. Our own records show that the trend here began in 1966. That is why the last two years of data are so interesting. Two consecutive years of growth is unrivalled in the last half century. To be clear, not every parish is growing, and some remain in a perilous state. But this level of growth is worth acknowledging.

At our Synod in 2005, Archbishop Colin Johnson challenged every parish in the diocese to grow by 2 per cent. He was well aware that the trend across the Canadian Church at the time was a 2 per cent annual decline in membership. To reverse this pattern and make up for the initial decline, we would actually need to grow by 4 per cent. This was no small feat, for while the Anglican Church has historically been a missionary church, it is alien to generations of churchgoers today. Gone are the days when you could simply build a church and expect that people would come. Today, if you want your church to grow, you must be determined to welcome and invite people.

It’s interesting that in the span of two years, Sunday attendance and the number of donors to the Church in our diocese have increased at a pace unrivaled in the last 50 years. In his book Outliers, Canadian author Malcolm Gladwell makes the point that small changes can have significant impacts. His book covers a myriad of interesting phenomena, including how the amount of practice time devoted to an instrument affects one’s level of proficiency, or how a birth date later in the year affects the draft status of an aspiring hockey player. We see the same with our pandemic response, and our continued support. The latter is especially critical, given that so many other churches have simply returned to the pre-pandemic pattern of doing church. In their case, most have experienced a continued decline in membership and participation.

In 2021, Canon Janet Marshall, director of Congregational Development, asked a significant question when we were planning our Tending the Soul series of online forums: “Ten years from now, when we look back at our experience, will it have changed us?” Certainly, within five years it has. I am relatively confident that had we not taken the steps we did in the spring of 2020, we would have nothing new to talk about, and the narrative of decline would continue to occupy our attention.

Will we continue to see growth, or have we plateaued? It all comes down to evangelization. It seems appropriate in our high-tech age that online ministry should play a role in engaging seekers, the curious or church shoppers. Interestingly, online worship is probably the least invasive form of Christian salesmanship. It does not involve street preaching, door-to-door proselytizing or even asking a neighbour to join you at church, yet it allows the Church to be on full display in all its glory or awkwardness, right on a computer screen.

In six months, I will get my hands on the 2025 returns. As the unofficial diocesan stats wonk, I can hardly wait.

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First, I beguiled them with my presentation on charting growth in the Diocese of Toronto. For over a decade, I’ve made an annual presentation to Synod Council on how demographics, faith identification, giving patterns and attendance are impacting the Christian experience in our diocese. Typically, the news has been less than encouraging – that is, until the pandemic hit and attendance and giving patterns were jolted in a positive direction thanks to a spike in online worship.

The audience of 25 souls was most fascinated by the transition in faith adherence since the mid-1960s and the growth of the so-called “nones.” Those with no faith affiliation now comprise 33 per cent of the Canadian population, according to our latest census (c. 2021) and is the fastest growing component of identifiers (if you can use that word).

What I really wanted to share with the group is the impact of the Bishop’s Company. After all, the first presentation was supposed to be the side show. The original intent of the invitation was to showcase the work of our fund to assist clergy in need.

Each year, our bishops receive numerous requests for help. Some may be small, like travel assistance to a conference or help with paying for an online theology course. Others are not so small: counselling, dental reconstructive surgery, and speech and occupational therapy for children. Most years we get over $100,000 in requests. All of this is funded outside the operating budget of the diocese. It’s not covered by parish allotment; not a penny.

For 64 years, the Bishop’s Company has hosted an annual fundraising dinner. It has proven to be an important fundraising event in the diocese, generating over $5 million since its inception. It was at this point that I asked the men at St. John, York Mills if they would sponsor a table or two for our event on Oct. 17, and they happily obliged.

The Bishop’s Company has provided financial support to Indigenous programs and stipendiary assistant for clergy. It provides annual bursaries for theological students and postulants and a purse to clergy widows at Christmas, and it gave seed funding for our employee assistance program.

I am grateful for the work of the Bishop’s Company in supporting our clergy and their families who are in need. The work our clergy do is significant, and often their struggles come from a place of real vulnerability.

I would be happy to repeat my presentation 10 times over to any fellowship group in the diocese that is interested. But you’re going to get the sales pitch as well. Invite me anyway, as I love speaking about the important ministry that goes on in the Church and across our diocese.

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Despite these positive developments, many congregations continue to experience a decline in attendance, giving, volunteer recruitment and community engagement. While much of this was underway long before the pandemic struck in 2020, in some communities this trend has accelerated. Indeed, parishes that did not adapt quickly to the impact of social distancing and lockdowns have had a challenging time rebuilding.

Regrettably, the pandemic abruptly changed people’s pattern of social interaction, including worship attendance. The negative impact of these changes is profound. The Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health and The Canadian Geriatrics Journal both report that feelings of loneliness and isolation were especially pronounced during the pandemic, with more than two thirds of women over the age of 65 being negatively affected. Given that, you would expect a run on church attendance, yet many churches report stubborn growth numbers, especially in rural communities.

I know the Church as an institution has gotten a bad rap in the last few years. As Christians we have been fed a constant news reel of examples of abuse, neglect and lack of respect. These are, sadly, real causes for concern. Church leaders, and especially women in authority, have experienced real hurt. Despite this trend, our Church remains a beacon of hope for a broken and lonely world. And going to church CAN be good for you.

Putting aside the obvious and well-founded criticism, we should promote church attendance and membership not just because it allows us to connect with the Divine. It can also have a transformative impact on our daily lives.

Some ways in which going to church can be beneficial include: an increased sense of purpose and meaning in life; greater emotional and social support; increased feelings of belonging and community; reduced feelings of loneliness and isolation; improved mental and emotional well-being; and increased feelings of hope and optimism.

Of course, our intention is not to turn church into a country club or alternative service organization. We are first and foremost a house of worship where we give thanks to God and participate in God’s grand mission for creation.

Still, church attendees regularly experience a host of quantifiable health benefits according to the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. The report concludes that “religious service attendance is associated with greater longevity, less depression, less suicide, less smoking, less substance abuse, better cancer and cardiovascular disease survival, less divorce, greater social support, greater meaning in life, greater life satisfaction, more volunteering and greater civic engagement.” Compared to those who do not attend church, suicide rates are a staggering 84 per cent lower among church attendees. Study after study concludes that going to church is a good thing.

Science alone will not convince people that having faith improves your lot in life. But the evidence does indicate that despite its shortcomings – it is composed of human beings, after all – church and faith and religion have a positive impact on one’s overall disposition and outlook.

Now that the pandemic is in the rearview mirror (for good, I hope), be a good neighbour, a good steward and invite others to church. It might just improve your health and perspective at the same time.

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Can you remember a time when sidespeople passed the collection plate and it was filled mostly with loose change and the odd $2 bill? For many of us, that was the normative way folks would give to ministry and operations. That was also before the Church got serious about teaching stewardship, generosity and giving, and grounding our message in scripture. In the last three decades, a flurry of workbooks, workshops, manuals, programs, campaign outlines and conferences have informed people’s understanding of why and how we give.

Most recently there has been significant interest in “tap to give.” This is a credit card giving option where the donor “taps” a pre-set gift amount, usually in the $5-$20 range. You might have seen unsupervised tap stations for the Salvation Army at the entrance of your local grocery store. It’s exactly the same thing. The diocese launched a pilot project for this giving option in five parishes just before Christmas, and there appears to be interest – particularly in parishes that promote its use (in the order of service, for example) and in those churches that have a youngish demographic.

We have explored other methods of giving as well, with varying success. During the pandemic, when we transitioned to an online cabaret in lieu of a Bishop’s Company Dinner, we introduced a quick response or QR code to viewers. A QR code is a two-dimensional matrix barcode that you scan with the camera function of a smartphone that subsequently opens an application whereby you donate. The QR code proved popular during the event and over the next two years, but it has waned in popularity since. Even though all our stewardship stationery has the code on it, donors who give by credit card have gone back to making gifts online.

The pandemic also led to an increased use of pre-authorized remittance (PAR) and e-transfers as a way of making donations automatically. As offertory envelope use has declined, donors have embraced PAR for its convenience and the assurance that their gift is received. Using PAR ensures that a monthly donation goes to the ministry of the church even if you are not always present in church. More than 40 per cent of givers in the diocese use PAR, representing over 60 per cent of all offertory revenue. Twelve parishes boast that at least 75 per cent of their givers use PAR.

The great benefit of all these methods is they offer the donor a choice in how to give. They also provide the church and charities with ways of securing gifts more efficiently and confidentially. One of the great benefits I appreciate with online giving is that tax receipts are generated automatically. This positively impacts donor relations and helps streamline record keeping.

We still rely on tried-and-true methods of giving like cash and cheque. But if you have neither of those handy (and for many of us that is often the case), new ways to give are available. Part of the motivation can be explained by changing demographics and the nature of commerce. I’d like to believe that our diligence in promoting generosity has also had something to do with the shift.

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Statistics from the latest churchwarden and incumbent returns indicate a sharp increase in Sunday attendance and the number of givers to the Church in the Diocese of Toronto. This is a remarkable result, owed in large part to our response to the pandemic. From its onset, parishes across the diocese made the quick decision to pivot to Zoom, Facebook or YouTube services when corporate gatherings became impossible. In fact, we accomplished in a fortnight what might not have happened in a decade under normal conditions. With support from the Congregational Development department and grants to enable the purchase of equipment, and with an enthusiasm to connect with housebound Anglicans, the Church embarked on a new chapter in its worship ministry.

Our 2023 statistical returns confirm what was set in motion in 2020: going online allowed worshippers to connect with their church communities and participate in the ritual of Sunday services. In its early days, online worship also spawned the proliferation of online bible studies, book clubs, morning prayer and vespers, and coffee hours. Some have continued to this day, effectively embracing a “fresh expression” of Church that is altogether virtual and apart from an in-person experience of worship and community-building.

The narrative of decline in the Church is nothing new. Data from nearly every church and secular source, be it General Synod, Statistics Canada, the Church of England Office of Statistics and The Episcopal Church indicate that membership, worship attendance and giving have been trending downward for decades. Our own records indicate that the trend began in 1966. That is why this year’s data is so interesting.

Last year, Synod Council commissioned the Virtual Counting Working Group, led by the Rev. Lucia Lloyd of St. John, Bowmanville and Laurie Robertson from St. John the Evangelist, Port Hope, to articulate a clear metric that could be used by every church to accurately identify the size of their online worship community. Essentially, when using Zoom it amounted to heads on the screen, and when using YouTube (the predominant medium) it is the equivalent of one hour of watch time as determined by using its analytic tool.

Even though response to the questionnaire was optional, 62 per cent of parishes (121 of 195) indicated some form of virtual Sunday program, amounting to nearly 4,600 participants. Although data was collected for the first time only in 2023, it is reasonable to assume that this figure may have been higher in 2020 when in-person worship was not permitted. This statistic is nothing short of remarkable, especially as it is corroborated by an increase in the number of regular identifiable givers. The online worship community represents about 25 per cent of all those gathered on a given Sunday. The number of givers has increased by nearly 10 per cent. Electronic giving (which includes pre-authorized giving and electronic funds transfer) now represents 40 per cent of all gifts made – an all-time high.

There is a myriad of other statistics that give us cause to be hopeful, including the fact that 11 churches have online communities larger than in-person ones, or that parishes are now investing in upgrading their online worship technology and a few have hired digital pastors.

I have begun to share our learnings with other professionals knowledgeable of church growth and statistics, and our experience is unique in terms of resourcing and promotion. Most areas within the Anglican family have seen sharp declines in online activities and have reverted to the practice of in-person gatherings as the preferred method of Sunday worship. Our data and experience suggest that abandoning online worship is imprudent and risks closing us off to the potential of exposing newcomers to Anglican church life and engaging existing members with an opportunity to participate when in-person worship is not possible.

We have stumbled upon something new, exciting and positive. When so much news about church membership is about decline, closure and indifference, it feels so good to demonstrate through tangible evidence that growth is possible! Good things are happening in the Diocese of Toronto. Thanks be to God.

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While it’s never a bad idea to invest in year-round stewardship education, sometimes a parish needs a quick fix that will arrest offertory decline and get things back on track. Here are five proven giving techniques that can be implemented right now to help restore health to your parish’s financial picture.

The 13^th month. This is often introduced as a stop gap at the end of the year to make sure a parish doesn’t live beyond its means. In days gone by, a generous benefactor might provide a “bridge” gift to ensure security. But why wait until December? With many congregants receiving a tax refund in April, now is the perfect time to ask for an extra month’s giving. Equaling about 8.5 per cent of one’s annual gift, a 13^th month will help alleviate much of the inflationary shock parishes have experienced over the last couple of years.

An hour’s pay. With the average household giving to church ministry somewhere around 1.5 per cent of net household income, it wouldn’t take much to achieve fiscal security – so long as everyone followed suit. While a biblical injunction of 10 per cent carries weight for many Christians, the truth is that a consistent level of giving equal to about 2.5 per cent from salary or retirement income would ensure vibrant programming in almost every parish. Begin promoting an hour’s pay, and perhaps church members will make it a normalized pattern of giving.

Aim of 50 per cent PAR participation. Prior to the pandemic, only three parishes in the diocese had at least 50 per cent of their givers using Pre-Authorized Remittance for the offertory giving. As of 2023, nearly 65 parishes have achieved that milestone. In addition, 10 parishes have at least 70 per cent PAR usage. PAR givers demonstrate their commitment to first fruits theology by ensuring that their gift is consistent, regular and reliable. Make a commitment today to enroll in PAR. If you already use PAR, please prayerfully consider giving a 13^th month.

Invite newcomers to give. It’s not enough to simply leave boxes of envelopes or PAR enrollment forms at the church entrance. Newcomers (and non-givers) need to be invited to give. In fundraising theory, it is frequently noted that a would-be donor needs to be asked seven times before they commit. There is an expectation that churchgoers intuitively know they should give, but that’s just not the case. People need to be asked – and sometimes it needs to be personal. If you host regular gatherings for newcomers, don’t neglect to invite their offering. Remember, all the seats in the church are free, though the ministry needs of the parish are provided by all who attend.

Get a quick response (QR) code. Increasing numbers of parishes are acquiring a QR code from CanadaHelps.ca. Though there is a service charge associated with this giving vehicle, it is rapidly becoming a popular choice for Gen Z, Millennials or anyone who eschews carrying cash. The QR code is a unique matrix barcode that connects your phone to a donations page and makes giving quite easy. The code can be easily inserted into your service bulletin, on your webpage or on a screen during online worship. Like tap or text to give, a QR code is new giving technology. Like PAR 20 years ago, it represents the next generation of giving and will soon be a normative choice in the charitable sector.

Any of these suggestions can be incorporated into annual or year-end giving patterns. But why wait? It’s April, and we’re a third of the way into the new year. With thoughts of summer just around the corner, invite members of your congregations to make a commitment to increase their gift today so that 2024 becomes the year your parish is able to overcome the post-pandemic drag.

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The creation narratives give no hint that humanity should plunder or endlessly aim to consume as much as possible. The achievement of creation is celebrated by God’s desire to share its abundance. After giving over the birds of the air, fish of the sea, creatures of the earth and livestock, God blesses humanity and gives them care of all that is good. In the New Testament, we read in 1 Peter that there is great responsibility in having dominion, as it does not give license to domineer, but rather to be “examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3).

For most of my time as the director of Stewardship Development, the focus of my effort has been on assisting parishes to create an atmosphere of generosity among their membership to enable the resourcing of ministry. This means helping people understand their own giftedness and how those gifts can be shared among the church community and beyond. Unfortunately, this has been interpreted by some to mean fundraising for the Church. Or, more inaccurately, to make people feel uncomfortable that they are not giving enough. This is an unfortunate interpretation of what I try to impart. After all, what is a steward? They are the managers of the household, tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that adequate provision is made for the various routines necessary to run day-to-day operations.

The Church is not interested just in your time, talent and treasure – the oft repeated chorus of stewardship educators. These common elements are important in helping members of the Church understand their own giftedness and how that relates to supporting ministry. There is a fourth, however, that I have only just begun thinking about in earnest: terrain. Perhaps it’s because of the climate crisis or the relentless clutter in my own house, but the care of God’s creation needs to be at the top of our stewardship list for the others to matter.

I am reminded of the Marks of Mission as adopted by the Anglican Communion, in which the fifth states: “to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the Earth.” There needs to be some acknowledgement that human beings, including Christians, have not been particularly good at living up to this standard. We were given care of the Earth’s bounty, and we have done a remarkable job of mucking things up.

This lack of regard for creation is symptomatic of our fallen nature. There is a reason we confess our shortcomings at church. We have indeed failed, and there is too much that we have done and left undone. But there is hope.

Climate scientists tell us that there is still time to reverse the centuries of neglect we have imposed on creation and avoid the worst that climate change might mean for humanity. Next month I will review some of the ways the Church can step up and demonstrate our stewardship of terrain.

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