Sam introduces MinistriesLab, a space where faith, ecology, and ministry meet. Drawing on his background as a minister, teacher, consultant, and current PhD student in Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion at CIIS, Sam explores why churches need to embrace ecological spirituality as central to their mission.
From Thomas Berry’s vision of The Great Work to Hildegard’s viriditas and Edith Stein’s insights on empathy, Sam weaves together theology, philosophy, and practical ministry. Along the way, he offers concrete examples of what MinistriesLab can do for congregations: from rethinking digital outreach with ecological imagination, to planting pollinator gardens as acts of hospitality, to creating liturgies rooted in local watersheds.
This episode is both an invitation and a provocation: What would it mean for churches to “stay with the trouble” of our ecological moment (as Donna Haraway puts it) and to rediscover the Tree of Life in their own backyards?