Bethany Evangelical Free Church (BEFC) isn’t just nestled within a garden. Behind the Edenesque frontage is a faith community reimagining its role as “a church in a garden”, quietly seeding a movement to establish creation care as integral to Christian discipleship.

Their commitment to building a culture of stewarding creation stems from a deep conviction that God cares about all creation, and not just humans.

“We didn’t ‘choose’ to include creation care,” BEFC said, “It is already part of our God-given mission.”

From theological conviction to tangible action

BEFC’s journey began as it should, with the right theology. The Bible starts with the act of creation (Genesis 1:1), and ends with a scene of a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21-22). It continually proclaims Christ’s lordship over all creation (Matthew 28:18, Colossians 1:15-16).

Led by Rev Dr Desmond Soh, the pastoral team saw creation care as central to God’s grand plan to redeem and renew all creation under Christ’s lordship.

As God’s Word began to convict, practical steps ensued. BEFC has since implemented shifts to both backend and front-facing aspects of its ministry. These include:

  • Tracking the church’s carbon usage and consumption habits
  • Planning church events with sustainability and stewardship in mind
  • Supporting creation care-related initiatives and organisations
  • Incorporating creation care into preaching schedules and overall discipleship plans
  • Organising intergenerational nature walks and workshops

But perhaps the most symbolic of these efforts is BEFC’s community garden, where worship, stewardship and outreach have taken root.

“Through gardening – germinating, propagating, watering, feeding and protecting plants – we care for what God cares for,” said Rev Desmond.

Reaping rich rewards

Beyond harvesting lush bananas and organic herbs, BEFC’s garden ministry has strengthened church life and extended its reach to the neighbourhood.

The well-attended gardening events have allowed BEFC to build relationships with the wider community, create space to share the heart behind their work, and eventually point back to the Creator.

Jesus is coming back anyway, why should I care about the state of the earth now?

There has also been much reward in BEFC’s discipleship journey of creation care. Many members express a deeper faith and stronger camaraderie within the church community through shared work and harvest. Even non-believers have joined the community gardening team.

For the youth and young adults, sermons and Bible teachings on creation care have even piqued their interest in reading the Bible. Some exclaimed, “I didn’t know that the Bible talked about these relevant issues,” and were stirred to delve more into God’s Word for instruction and encouragement.

Ploughing through pain points

Rev Desmond acknowledges significant hurdles exist. Caring for creation demands forsaking creature comforts and convenience. It also often comes with organisational costs. Disruptions span from budget to manpower, and even affect overall church and ministry development plans.

Some members may worry if an environmentally friendly stance would impinge on other more “spiritually critical” priorities such as evangelism.

Others question feasibility and impact: won’t reusable cutlery be too manpower-inefficient and logistically demanding? How much difference would recycling and reducing single-use decor really make? Does the outcome justify the gargantuan effort?

But if we truly believe that caring for creation is a part of Christ’s whole mission, we need to relieve ourselves of the world’s zero-sum mentality. BEFC has proven that stewarding creation is itself a beautiful testimony that paves the way for evangelistic opportunities.

As for our small efforts, we do them for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31) and have faith that He will bring them to fruition. We should also do our best to avoid furthering environmental degradation, which brings harm to others, especially the most vulnerable.

Creation care isn’t a distraction from the Gospel. It is integral to it – restoring what sin has damaged in both people and their living environments.

Ultimately, God’s mandate to care for His creation is clear. As Rev Desmond posits, “You must not see stewarding creation as an option. If you truly believe this is an imperative from God, you either obey or you disobey, and at the end of the day we are called to be accountable.”

Cultivating conviction

For BEFC, the journey is an ongoing one. They shy away from the label of “model” church and see themselves as far from exemplary.

When asked how the pastoral team discerned readiness for change, Rev Desmond quipped: “You can never be ready… if you wait till you are ready, the Lord would have come already.”

Indeed, ready or not, it is better to start small, start somewhere, than not at all.

BEFC remains committed to being a “seed” church for creation care, to be planted and nurtured through discipleship and modelling. Prayerfully, their seed will take root and flourish, bearing fruit that in turn sows greater conviction and action across the wider Christian community.

Creation care must never be a fad or a fringe idea. It is core to the Gospel of Christ. It should be instinctive and intuitive to all Christians and to the Church.

Keen to kickstart your church’s creation care journey? Join like-minded believers at Our Father’s World (OFW)’s Creation Care Conference 2025 (CCC25) on 12-13 September in Singapore. New: At the conference, OFW will be launching its RENEW programme, with a roadmap, tools and programmes designed to equip churches to live out creation care faithfully and practically.