The United Church of Christ, a Protestant denomination with more than 5,200 churches and 1 million members across the U.S., is getting a lot more serious about people being the stewards of the earth. This week at its national gathering, the church announced that it would divest itself from fossil fuels, becoming the first national religious body in the U.S. to formally distance itself from oil, gas and coal.

The resolution came about as the part of the denomination’s efforts to fight climate change. The resolution was brought by the Massachusetts Conference of the church and was supported by 10 of its other conferences. “[The resolution] calls for enhanced shareholder engagement in fossil fuel companies, an intensive search for fossil fuel-free investment vehicles, and the identification of ‘best in class’ fossil fuel companies by 2015,” the church said. Under the original resolution the church would divest itself from fossil fuel investments after a plan is put in place by 2018.

However, resolution advocate Rev. Jim Antal, conference minister of the Massachusetts Conference of the denomination, observed that that is likely an oxymoron since there are likely no “best in class” fossil fuel companies out there.

“Today, the UCC added another ‘first’ when it became the first national faith communion to vote to divest from fossil fuel companies—and to do it with the support of its major investment institution, United Church Funds,” Antal said.

The church also passed a resolution to make its buildings more carbon-neutral and to conduct energy audits on their facilities. Both resolutions are good news for the earth and likely good news for solar, wind and other renewable energy industries. As a result, church facilities are now more likely to install or purchase renewable energy. In addition, their parishioners are likely to see and or embrace solar and renewables as well.

“This resolution calls on each and all of us to make difficult changes to the way we live each day of our lives,” said Donald Hart, United Church Funds president. "Implementing the multiple strategies outlined in this resolution will demand time, money and care."
Already at least four of United Church of Christ’s churches in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are recognized under Interfaith Light & Power’s list of Cool Congregations.

Interfaith Light & Power, which bills itself as “A religious response to global warming” is a multi-faith collaboration of religious institutions of all creeds, Christian and others. Its mission to promote energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy, is one that United Church of Christ is likely to adopt on a larger scale now that it’s passed a church-wide resolution against fossil fuels.