Christian Environmental Stewardship: Restoring Creation

We had spent three days hiking into the mountains above Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was 2016, and our group was visiting several small villages where Plant With Purpose had begun working the year before. Most of the homes had dirt floors, and based on our surveys, food was scarce, with people averaging just over one meal per day.

In each community, we were received with an outpouring of joy. Not just dancing and celebration, but people literally laying their garments on the road before us. This was more than the exuberant greeting I had become accustomed to in other parts of East Africa — there was an unmistakable sense of hope and renewal in the air.

People were excited about new economic opportunities, improvements in farm productivity, and the chance to work together. They were eager to show us their farms, savings groups, and small business initiatives.

But surprisingly, despite their many challenges, it was their renewed commitment to caring for and restoring the watershed they lived in that stood out most. People told us about improvements in the soil, showed us trees that had been protected by the community, and pointed to areas where native trees had been planted. By the end of that first year, members of those villages had planted 53,000 trees.

I came home energized, wanting to tell everyone about what I had seen. It didn’t take long for that excitement to be tempered. As I shared my experience a few weeks later, someone responded with a more cynical perspective:

“That is nice, but while things might be getting better there, it is one tiny corner of a tiny province, lost in one of the largest countries in Africa. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is going downhill. In the face of what is happening globally, it is ultimately ridiculous.”

He may not have been altogether wrong, but I don’t think he was altogether right either.

That work became a seed that grew far faster than I ever imagined. Soon, it expanded into neighboring watersheds. New communities joined much more quickly than expected. Birori, who leads our partner organization in Congo, told me that in each new village, local leaders had heard what was already happening elsewhere and wanted to be part of it. Our team was repeatedly told,

“We have been waiting for you to finally get here.”

Today, nearly 10 years later, those 53,000 trees have grown into more than 8 million. Hundreds of thousands of people are eating more, building savings, and living with renewed purpose.

It is still far too small and extraordinarily fragile. Civil war continues to threaten these communities, and the future remains uncertain.

But the seed that was planted has already grown into something beyond what I ever imagined possible.

From Barren Land to Flourishing Creation

In my work with Plant With Purpose, I have been blessed to see many such seeds take root. Rocky hillsides and dry arroyos that were once barren are now flourishing, sustained by perennial streams that were recently seasonal, or even completely dry.

I think of forests in Mexico, where in the late 1990s I helped plant native pine seedlings, even as I questioned whether they would survive. The cynic’s voice in my mind insisted it was a waste of time and that these fragile seedlings didn’t stand a chance.

Twenty-five years later, I returned to walk in the shade of those trees. Older community members spoke of birds and animals that had returned, while younger people described nurseries that had been producing native seedlings for as long as they could remember.

These stories are not limited to one organization. They are happening around the world.

A Rocha International, a Christian conservation organization, fosters local environmental restoration projects in more than 20 countries. In places like Ghana, Kenya, India, and Peru, locally led initiatives are helping both people and ecosystems flourish, offering a powerful testimony to God’s goodness.

Tony Rinaudo of World Vision Australia has pioneered Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), a method that reveals what he calls the “underground forest.” Even when land appears barren, seeds and roots remain beneath the surface, waiting for the opportunity to grow again. With care — through pruning, protection, and sustainable practices — forests can regenerate far more quickly than expected.

His work, alongside thousands of local partners, has restored millions of hectares of native forest worldwide. Before-and-after images from these regions evoke the vision of Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones coming to life.

Faith, Hope, and the Work of Restoration

In many ways, the underground forest is a powerful metaphor for what I have witnessed globally.

Many of these stories remain hidden, especially those without connections to the Global North. Yet churches and communities everywhere are planting trees, practicing regenerative agriculture, and restoring rivers and ecosystems. Research consistently shows that Indigenous communities are among the most effective stewards of the land they inhabit.

These examples give me tremendous hope. Even taken together, they may still seem small. On a global scale, it may not look like we are winning.

But the Christian story has always begun this way. God planted a tiny seed in a small, overlooked place within a vast empire. Scripture reminds us that God often chooses what seems small or foolish to reveal something far greater.

Jesus himself compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed — something tiny that grows beyond expectation. Debra Rienstra writes in Refugia Faith that

“God loves to work in small, humble, hidden places.”

If we want to see God at work in creation care and environmental restoration, that is where we must look.

When I hear about massive global initiatives or policy breakthroughs, I remain cautiously hopeful. These efforts matter. But I am most encouraged when I see small, local seeds taking root, when communities begin to restore what has been lost, and when hope quietly grows beneath the surface.

Once you begin to notice it, you see it everywhere.

It is easy to feel discouraged. But when we pay attention to the small and seemingly insignificant, we discover that hope is already growing all around us. God often starts small until, suddenly, the whole landscape blooms.

Postscript

The surprising local stories of environmental restoration and flourishing can be hard to find. Often, we only find out about them through word of mouth. Nonetheless they deserve to be shared as a witness to what is possible. What examples have you seen or heard about where renewal is taking place?

Both A Rocha and Plant With Purpose have programs for churches in the United States, and the Environmental Justice page on the Christians for Social Action website lists more ways to get started locally.

Learn more about the power of environmental care in this video:

 

 

Scott Sabin serves as Global Ambassador for Plant With Purpose after filling the role of CEO/Executive Director for over 30 years. Plant With Purpose is an international Christian organization which partners with smallholder farmers around the world in places where poverty and deforestation intersect. Scott holds a BS in Political Science from Oregon State University and an MA in International Relations from the University of San Diego. He is the author of Tending to Eden: Environmental Stewardship for God’s People (2010, Judson Press). He lives in San Diego with his wife, Nancy, a nurse practitioner and college professor.