Furthermore, a significant “perception gap” exists between the pulpit and the pew. Preachers consistently underestimate the environmental concerns of their parishioners. For example, while 80% of congregational leaders rate “concern for future generations” as a high motivator for action by their fellow churchgoers, only 64% of preachers perceived this to be true for their parishioners. In addition, while only 27% of ministers believed specific geographic places (like forests or beaches) were a high motivator for potential action in their congregation, 75% of congregational leaders reported that these local connections to nature are highly motivating for their churches.

The discovery of this “perception gap” matters because congregations’ willingness to explore eco-grief is a strong statistical predictor (r = .50) of making climate change a high priority for attention and action. In this sense, engaging people’s feelings of eco-grief is not just good pastoral care; it’s a strategic necessity for churches seeking congregational alignment and motivation for collective action.

The EcoPreacher Cohort

The EcoPreacher Cohort is a monthly, online, synchronous gathering designed to equip clergy and aspiring faith leaders with the theological frameworks, practical resources, and support networks needed to address the urgency of the climate crisis and environmental justice from the pulpit.

A hallmark of the program is the use of Kinship Circles, which are small, facilitated groups where participants reflect together on their learning and local applications in similar ministry contexts (e.g., rural congregations, congregations navigating recent climate disasters). By providing expert homiletical guidance and a facilitated environment with shared commitments, the Cohort helps preachers process complex emotions like eco-grief and navigate the complexities of preaching amid climate disasters and a fractious political landscape. Research findings indicate that processing climate emotions is also needed within their churches as well.

Methods

The intake surveys utilized a mixed-methods research design developed by a team of scholars and consultants to evaluate the congregational contexts of participants. These online surveys were administered to 97 EcoPreacher participants and 186 congregational leaders at the launch of the program year in September 2025.

The quantitative methodology involved descriptive statistics, correlation rankings, and multiple regression modeling to identify the strongest statistical predictors of a congregation making climate action a high priority. Complementing this, qualitative analysis was performed on open-ended responses through thematic coding, which measured the frequency and relative prominence of specific emotions related to climate change and motivations for taking action.

Demographic Summary

The 2025 intake surveys highlight distinct demographic profiles for both the EcoPreacher participants and congregational leaders. EcoPreachers have an average age of 50, are majority female (53%), and are racially diverse, with 66% identifying as white and 20% as Black. They represent 22 U.S. states and 12 other countries. In addition, 90% identify as Christian (predominantly mainline Protestant), and 77% hold progressive political views.

In contrast, congregational leaders surveyed were older on average (63 years), with a higher percentage of females (66%) and white participants (76%). While also skewed toward affiliation with the U.S. Democratic Party (81%), congregational leaders identified as progressive at a slightly lower rate (62%) than preachers.

Why Congregants Are Unequipped to Deal with Eco-Grief

Despite their intense feelings around climate change, many faith communities lack robust biblical, theological, and spiritual frameworks for processing these emotions. Further, environmental concerns can feel like “just one more thing” for an already overwhelmed congregation. Preachers most frequently cited “listeners being too overwhelmed to take on anything else” as the top barrier (40%) to engaging with climate issues as a congregation.

Faith leaders cite the fear of congregants’ pushback as another major reason to avoid talking about climate change. Nearly a quarter of preachers in the study saw political resistance as a “major barrier” that could drive people away from their church. However, the data shows that actual hostility is rare: only 8% of EcoPreachers reported “occasionally” receiving angry emails, threats to withhold financial giving, or complaints to their governing board in response to their environmental sermons. Furthermore, 95% of EcoPreachers report that listeners respond “occasionally” or “frequently” with curiosity, openness, and enthusiasm when environmental themes are integrated into preaching and teaching.

This perceived barrier creates an additional challenge: when climate change is framed as a political matter rather than a spiritual one, that framework limits the church’s ability to offer pastoral care to those in ecological mourning or experiencing climate anxiety. When faith leaders neglect to develop spiritual tools to engage climate-related emotions, many congregants consequently find it difficult to connect their religious identity to climate change. They often rely on secular language rather than the rich resources of scripture and theology to express their concerns about the environment.

How Preachers Can Help: Strategies for Engagement

The research identifies specific predictors and practices that help congregations prioritize climate action and emotional health. Willingness to explore the connection between faith, science, and eco-grief is a strong predictor of a congregation making climate change a high priority for their attention and response. Practices to aid that exploration include:

1. Creating sacred spaces for vulnerability, grief, and climate anxiety

Preachers are often practitioners of ritual as a means of meaning-making. As such, they use scripture, art, music, poetry, prayers, hymns, and rituals to provide a constructive outlet for complex emotions. Preachers often find relevant textual resources in the Hebrew scriptures’ Psalms of Lament. The Psalms may serve as a historical, communal model of grief as spiritual practice and also provide a theological framework for practicing lament. Christian examples of sacred space can include outdoor “Wild Church” services or a Lenten focus on both “nature-based” and emotional wilderness.

2. Modeling vulnerability by sharing honestly about preachers’ own eco-grief

When a leader expresses personal loss, such as mourning the destruction of a local ecosystem, it can move congregants to deep resonance and open doors for collective healing and action. The team also suggests that preachers invite parishioners into a “sermon feedback circle” to discuss how local environmental issues (like “forever chemicals” in soil, watershed pollution, or weather catastrophes) impact their personal sense of faith.

3. Drawing on trauma studies

This approach acknowledges the mental health implications of the climate crisis and incorporates multidisciplinary modes of response. Trauma-informed best practices may allow faith leaders to acknowledge and engage the collective grief of a climate-changed world.

Conclusion

When preachers acknowledge eco-grief, they do more than advocate for the planet; they fulfill their role as pastoral caregivers and can potentially revitalize their church’s community life. Research from previous cohorts indicates that addressing these challenging emotions leads to increased feelings of gratitude (70%) and compassion (60%) among people of faith and their congregational leaders.

By bridging the gap between faith and emotion, churches can become formative communities that offer meaning and resilience in a climate-changed world.