Partnerships-Church-Partners

Caring for God's creation one congregation at a time.

A growing network of churches and gospel communities — rooted in their places and committed to creation care as part of discipleship, worship, and witness.

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Colossians 1:19-20

About the Program

Not a certification, a community.

Church Partners is A Rocha USA’s initiative for churches that believe caring for God’s creation is an essential expression of the gospel, not an optional add-on.

We are building a network of churches that share a common commitment: to care for God’s world as an essential expression of following Christ and participating in Christ’s ongoing mission to reconcile all things to himself. (Col 1:15-20)

Any church can become a Church Partner by taking concrete steps to steward creation through practical action, spiritual formation, giving, or prayer. The emphasis is on genuine participation, not paperwork. All you have to do is register to get started.

Church partners get connected to A Rocha USA and to a growing network of churches doing this work in their own places and contexts. Once a year, we invite Church Partners to share a story — what has creation care looked like in your congregation this year?

Churches are encouraged to support A Rocha USA’s conservation work financially, but giving is not required to join. What matters is the shared commitment and participation — putting down roots and loving what God loves, in your own particular place.

Church leaders from Michigan at an A Rocha USA event

The Network

Partner churches coast to coast

Every congregation on this map shares a commitment to the reconciliation of all things — creation included. Each is rooted in a particular place, doing this work in their own context — and together they’re part of A Rocha’s global network of Christian creation caretakers working in more than 20 countries across six continents. Local roots. Worldwide reach.

Church Partners will be added to the map as they join, starting in mid-May.

Ways to Partner

Three types of meaningful partnership

These aren’t tiers to climb — just different expressions of a shared commitment. Every type is a genuine and valued form of participation.

For any congregation

Church Partners

Any church taking concrete steps in creation care (or planning to take them). Financial giving is not required. Partners receive quarterly communications, access to resources, and a place in a rooted, growing network.

Financial partnership

Sustaining Partner

Churches that give annually to support A Rocha USA’s conservation work — bearing witness that the church’s stewardship of financial resources and its theology belong together.

Regional leadership

Keystone Partner

Ecologists use “keystone species” for organisms like the Live Oak that sustain a remarkable diversity of life. Likewise, keystone church partners make their region more alive to this work by hosting local creation care events with A Rocha USA to inspire and equip others in their region.

What Church Partners Receive

Resources & Connection

Church Partners are welcomed into a community with real resources and genuine relationships — not just a mailing list.

Quarterly communications with stories from the network, prayer requests, spiritual reflections, worship resources, and practical creation care tools delivered via email each quarter

Access to the Love Your Place online community to connect with other partner church leaders for mutual encouragement, shared ideas, and peer-to-peer learning

A place in the network — your church included on the A Rocha USA Church Partners map and website (with your approval), a public witness to your congregation’s commitment.

Storytelling — once a year we’ll invite you to tell us about your own creation care practice — both an act of accountability and a contribution to inspire others in the network.

Theological depth — access to curated resources that go beyond Genesis 2 and generic stewardship, engaging the full sweep of Scripture and Christian tradition to support preaching, teaching, formation, and worship.

Wild Wonder discount — reduced pricing on A Rocha USA’s creation care Vacation Bible School curriculum, and priority notification of events, webinars, and educational offerings.

Access to A Rocha USA staff — this is a relationship with real people; church partner leaders can reach out and expect a human response from A Rocha USA staff.

Volunteer opportunities. Send congregation members on volunteer service trips to A Rocha USA Conservation Projects and Affiliated Projects.

Participation in the work — through your congregation’s presence, prayer, and giving, you share in A Rocha USA’s conservation work across the United States and beyond.

Welcome packet including a few gifts to recognize your partnership and communicate this new relationship to your congregation.

Meet The A Rocha USA Team

A Rocha USA team

Ron Rienstra

Director of Church Partnerships

Deeper Engagement

Churches of Restoration

For churches ready to go further, the Churches of Restoration (CoR) program offers a year-long cohort experience — intensive formation, practical action, and community with other congregations.

All CoR participants are Church Partners. Current cohorts (2026–2027) are based in West Michigan, Nashville, and Chicago, with a virtual option for churches elsewhere. The program is supported by the Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations grant.

Each cohort begins with a kickoff retreat — worship, learning from theologians and scientists, building community. The goal is simple: people leave more rooted in their calling, more connected to each other, and more energized for the work.

Ready to make it official?

Every congregation — no matter its size or stage or place — is welcome to explore what it might mean to love creation faithfully right where God has planted them.

Please complete our short intake form by May 8, 2026 if you’d like to be included in our launch cohort. It takes about five minutes, and a member of the A Rocha USA team will follow up with you personally.

Questions? Contact Ron Rienstra at [email protected]