We inspire, equip, and connect regional cohorts of church leaders to love their places through spiritual formation and practical action projects.
Christians are not always known for caring for creation. But God calls us into reconciliation with all things, including the community of creation.
The Churches of Restoration (CoR) program helps churches integrate care for God’s creation more deeply into their life together as part of their faithful discipleship and witness. During the 12-month experience, participants learn from A Rocha staff, partners, and each other as they engage in meaningful earthkeeping in their context.
Our program welcomes Christian communities who affirm the Nicene Creed and our Commitment to Creation Care to apply to join our regional cohorts.
We are still accepting churches to our 2026-27 cohorts in Grand Rapids, Tennessee, and Chicagoland. If you’re not in this area, you can still fill out the inquiry form below to be informed of future opportunities.
Upon completing the program, participants can become an A Rocha USA Church Partner to stay connected and supported in ongoing creation care action and formation.
This program is generously funded by a Lilly Endowment Thriving Congregations grant.
By Noah Guthrie. Jeremy expressed that “during times of extreme environmental crisis,” it’s vital for Christian communities to consider how to become a “local refuge… for the sake of the world.”
By Noah Guthrie. “Indeed, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, and to children the Kingdom belongs (Matt. 13:31-32, 19:14). It’s only fitting that kids should be some of the most passionate gardeners.”
By Noah Guthrie. “What does the creation care promised land look like?” Katherine asked. “None of us really know.” When we’re striving for something we can barely imagine, it’s crucial that we let the Holy Spirit guide our actions — whether in building or destroying, in planting native coneflowers or removing invasive honeysuckles.
By Noah Guthrie. Our labors for creation, muddying ourselves so that the creatures of mud can be dignified, are profoundly Christ-like. What is the incarnation but Jesus plunging in the muck to drag TVs and shopping carts from the creek, striving to heal the creation He loves?
By Noah Guthrie. What can it look like, in practice, to treat creation as “sacred”? Part of what it may look like is entering a conversation with our landscapes and their species. It may look like asking, “What does the Living God – the Source, Redeemer, and Sustainer of this place – invite us to hear? And once we have listened, how might God invite us to respond?”