A United Methodist church in the U.S. Midwest was growing rapidly. It developed a warm sense of community and helped many people put their lives together by introducing them to Jesus Christ. As the congregation grew, it began to consider building a larger sanctuary.
The church building was located on a ten-acre plot of ground along the main road into town. There was plenty of land for expansion, but the back of the property fell away into a swampy area unfit for building. What should the church do?
A committee was appointed to study the situation. Its proposed solution was to fill in the swamp to provide enough land for a larger building and expanded parking. This development would give plenty of space for the congregation to grow.
Most favored this plan, but one church member-- a biology teacher in the local high school-- raised questions. What was the ecological significance of the marshland the church owned? How would filling it in disrupt the wildlife in the area? What kind of witness would the church be giving if it didn't face these questions?
Some people saw this as a conflict between evangelism and ecology. But Christians believe that what really holds everything together is Jesus Christ. Although God created the universe as good, the "creation was subjected to futility," according to Paul (Romans 8:20-21). Jesus Christ is reconciling the whole earth to God. Shortly after Jesus' resurrection and ascension the Apostle Peter said that Jesus would "remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago" (Acts 3:21). We look forward to a "new heavens and a new earth" (2 Peter 3:13). And Paul concluded the Romans passage by writing "the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay" and brought into the glorious freedom that we experience through faith in Jesus Christ" (Romans 8:21).
Our hope, then, is in Jesus Christ for "in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17)
--Howard A. Snyder, professor of the history and theology of mission,
E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism, Asbury Theological
Seminary