An Historic Conference on Creation Care

National Association of Evangelicals, Christianity Today, and the Evangelical Environmental Network

In March 1999, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), composed of 48 denominations and 42,500 churches, sponsored its first conference on the environment, "Compassion and the Care of Creation," at Malone College in Ohio. Previously, the NAE had passed resolutions on the environment in 1970, 1971, and 1990. However, this was the first time the NAE had sponsored an in-depth discussion of environmental issues from multiple perspectives.

Jo Anne Lyon, Executive Director of World Hope International and president (in 1999) of the NAE's Social Action Commission, organized the conference with assistance from the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN). "The conference was an historic occasion, the presentations were first-rate, and the discussions were stimulating and wide-ranging," Lyon said. "This was a good beginning to NAE's exploration of this vital part of Christian discipleship," she added.

The following spring, the NAE-EEN connection continued when EEN sponsored a presentation on "Caring for Christ's Creation" at the NAE's annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Adapted from an article in Creation Care magazine.