Creation Justice Ministries (CJM)

CJM has opposed oil and gas energy production, sulfide-ore copper mining, Endangered Species Act exemptions for oil and gas producers, and oil pipeline projects. In addition, it has campaigned to preserve federal funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The group has received funding from several left-of-center organizations including the BlueGreen Alliance, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, and the U.S. Climate Action Network. ^{4 5 6 7}

Background

The Creation Justice Ministries (CJM) was initially founded in 1983 as an “Eco-Justice Working Group” project of the National Council of Churches through merging several theological committees within the NCC. The initial project primarily worked with the Natural Resources Defense Council to develop forums and produce informative materials on environmental topics such as  global warming, carbon emissions and hurricane recovery. ³

The NCC would later approve the project becoming a separate 501(c)(3) organization under the name “Eco-Justice Working Group” which the NCC characterized as an independent entity and partner. ^{8 2 9}

According to its website, as of 2026 CJM has reported that its membership includes several religious organizations including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the National Baptist Convention of America, the National Baptist Convention USA, the United Methodist Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. ¹

Activities

Tree Equity Projects

Creation Justice Ministries (CJM) operates several “tree equity” projects with local congregations, nonprofit groups and community organizations to plant trees to “reduce urban heat, and address environmental injustices in disadvantaged communities.” According to its website, several partner groups include Faith in Place as well as the Georgia, Pennsylvania, and California state affiliates of Interfaith Power and Light. ⁵

Community Science and Theological Education

As of 2024, the CJM was designated one of four “AGU/Thriving Earth Exchange Community Science Hub[s]” operated by the American Geophysical Union to work with congregations and faith-based organizations to find solutions in “larger environmental justice issues affecting predominantly Black and brown communities.” The programs have received funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. ¹⁰

Policy Advocacy

In April 2026, Creation Justice Ministries (CJM) released a press statement in reaction to the U.S. Senate voting 50-49 to invoke the Congressional Review Act to overturn a 20-year mining ban in the Boundary Waters watershed. CJM’s statement claimed the vote was “a betrayal of our responsibility to be faithful stewards of God’s Creation” and accused the decision of favoring “the interests of foreign-owned mining corporations who leave local communities to bear the burden of environmental degradation.” ¹¹

In March 2026, CJM released a press statement reacting to the Endangered Species Committee granting exceptions to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for offshore oil drilling and gas production operations under the second Trump administration. The statement read “[b]y weaponizing this committee for short term profit, the administration is turning its back on our call to care for creation. We cannot remain silent while the political interests of the oil and gas industry are placed above the inherent value of God’s handiwork.” ¹²

In December 2025, CJM released a press statement condemning the second Trump administration’s proposed five-year offshore drilling plan to allow leasing for new offshore drilling projects off the coast of California, Alaska, and the Gulf of Mexico (also known as the Gulf of America). The statement read “The proposed expansion of offshore drilling in our nation’s waters not only threatens precious marine ecosystems, but also threatens the livelihoods of our neighbors who will be more exposed to toxic pollution.” ¹³

In August 2025, CJM executive director Avery Davis Lamb wrote an article for the faith-based magazine Sojourners titled “The EPA Has Abandoned Reason. Now We Build Arks.” The article was in reaction to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Lee Zeldin announcing his plan to revoke the EPA’s “Endangerment Finding” ruling that greenhouse gases are harmful to people. Amb argued that revoking the ruling would mark “climate change denial as the official policy of the U.S. government and make it much harder to regulate fossil fuel emissions.”  ¹⁴