Richard Bromley 

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Since studying the doctrine of creation at a bible college in the ’80s, how we care for God’s earth has been personally important. Since the excellent decision by the Church of England General Synod to set a target to be net-zero by 2030, the impact we at ICS have on our environment has come more into focus. 

As we developed our latest strategy it was agreed that we would make our environmental impact and how we operate, an important strategic priority that will affect our behaviour and ways of operating.

Over the next month, we will be highlighting COP26 and other initiatives. They matter hugely to many of us, but we don’t do this from a point of view of having got it right, in fact, we are desperately aware of areas where we have got it wrong. There is a challenge in running a mission agency that involves international travel, significant financial restraints and lack of resources that means speed and efficiency have trumped environmental responsibility. So, we don’t think we have got it right, but we do want to keep on working to get it right. 

We, like the Church of England, want to be net-zero by 2030. We want our ministry and impact to be careful for the creation that is ultimately God’s and loaned to us. Of course, as a parent, I am always aware of what sort of earth we are passing on to our children and our children’s children.

So, you will be hearing a lot about this in the next month or so, we really hope it is not just virtue signalling, but indicates a deep desire within ICS to be part of the solution and not the problem, while acknowledging we still have a long way to go.