Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith

A program of empowering learning

Since 2021, 136 students from 20 countries have gained the practical skills, thelogical grounding, and community to be effective advocates for climate justice through the Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith at PLTS. The Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith is one of three Continuing Professional Education programs offered by the PLTS Center for Climate Justice and Faith. Visit our website at www.centerforclimatejusticeandfaith.org or our Facebook page to learn more.

The Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith is a two-semester, online program that includes a 15-week fall semester and a 15-week Spring Semester. We accept applications for the upcoming academic year each spring. Sign-up for the Wellspring newsletter from the Center for Climate Justice and Faith to be notified when the application is open.

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This certificate offers a cohort-based, online, project-based, trans-continental curriculum which empowers participants to cultivate moral, spiritual, and practical power for leadership in the work of climate justice in communities of faith and in collaboration with others. Topics covered include theology, ethics, and spirituality related to climate justice; climate change knowledge; and social change practices that connect ecological well-being with racial, economic, and gender justice.

Anyone who is interested in learning about and acting on faith-based initiatives to engage in climate justice work within their context -- and who wants to explore spiritual grounding for that work -- will benefit from this highly accessible opportunity. This non-degree learning program is 100% online via Zoom and interactive digital learning platforms. We especially encourage applicants from populations most affected by climate change and from member churches of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). A limited amount of tuition support is available.

This page is for the English-language Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith. For more information on the Spanish-language Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith click this link.

Also check out the Continuing Education Opportunity:
Community Organizing for Climate Justice as Faith Active in Love

Expectations of Participants:

Two-four hours of independent work per week for each 15-week semester.
Engagement in two hours of scheduled Zoom meetings with their cohort every month.
Participation and collaboration with local initiatives, congregations, and/or groups (especially by the Spring semester) to ensure context-based practice of the concepts discussed in the Fall semester.
Willingness to take on the work of climate justice as a spiritual practice within their spheres of influence.

Participants will be better prepared to:

lead congregations and other groups in developing or deepening climate justice work in their context.
practice climate justice work as a spiritual practice, and lead others in doing so.
recognize and address intersections of climate change with racial, economic, and gender-based inequity, and intersections of ecological well-being with racial, economic, and gender justice.
articulate biblical, ethical, theological, and spiritual grounding for climate justice.
articulate and employ a practical theo-ethical framework for building a more ecologically sustainable and socially equitable society.
access key resources of the scientific community related to climate change.
collaborate with interfaith and community partners on climate justice.
practice hope in the face of the climate crisis.

Tuition

$600 for the entire program (optional resources from outside organizations may request contributions).
Scholarships of up to $550 are available based on need.

Learning Guides

Rev. Dr. Chad Rimmer, Rector of the Lutheran Theological Seminary of the Soung
Phoebe Morad, Executive Director of Lutherans Restoring Creation

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