"Outdoor ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serve the whole church. We are committed to affirm and experience our interrelationship with all of God's creation in an intentional Christian community. Outdoor ministries encourage spiritual growth for the whole person by providing encounters with encounters with scripture, experience and care of the environment, witness of staff, and opportunities for worship, re-creation, and development of relationships. Primarily in partnership with congregations, outdoor ministries encourage and enable people to live lives of service and witness." (ELCA Outdoor Ministries Mission Statement)

The basic approach to environmental education taken by ELCA outdoor ministry centers has been to 1) model, 2) teach and 3) partner with others.

Modeling good environmental stewardship is essential for the integrity of church-owned outdoor ministry centers. There are 140 camps and/or retreat centers affiliated with the ELCA. These outdoor ministry centers own or lease in excess of 30,000 acres of land which they are directly responsible for managing. In addition, each site has any number of humanly-created structures and systems which are necessary to support the programmatic activities occurring on that particular site. Outdoor ministry centers, therefore, become ideal places for the church to model positive environmental practices. Several sites in the Midwest have made intentional efforts to reestablish large areas of native prairie plants. Others are working with local farmers to develop organic farming practices on their leased farmland. Many outdoor ministries are actively engaged in forest management programs which include the regular harvest and replanting of trees. In cooperation with Dr. Job Ebenezer of the ELCA Department for Environmental Stewardship, a growing number of centers are participating in programs to cut electrical usage by converting existing lighting fixtures to new high efficiency units. (See the related article in this publication: "Green Lights to Green Zones." ) These centers become important models for congregations who are motivated to do the same. Other outdoor ministry centers are modeling active recycling programs which remove large quantities of materials from the regular waste stream. Organic waste materials from food service operations are routinely turned into compost for use in camp gardens. All of these efforts are serving as models of good environmental stewardship for program participants (children, youth and adults), for member congregations, and for the communities in which these sites are located.

Outdoor ministries have the unique opportunity to teach environmental stewardship on a multidimensional level which is rarely achieved in other settings. The church-camp setting combines the natural environment, a social environment, an a spiritual environment into a powerful combination for learning. Environmental education does not just happen at camp. It requires the skilled leadership of trained and experienced teachers. In recent years, a growing number of ELCA outdoor ministries have employed highly qualified environmental educators as full-time members of the staff. These persons work with other staff, including volunteers, to assist in the environmental education program.

The outdoor environment provides the setting for learners to increase their awareness and sensitivity to the natural communities surrounding them. It allows them to explore the processes that shape and govern our natural world and demonstrates the interrelatedness of all things. This is most effectively accomplished through planned activities in which the learner is encouraged to use sensory skills to observe the natural world.

The social environment at camp provides an experience in intense community living. For child learners, this may be the only time they will experience living with others in community outside of their family until they are adults. Through planned activities campers are given opportunities to form new friendships, and are taught qualities of cooperation, teamwork and leadership. These are all important qualities in teaching about the diversity and the interrelatedness of the human species.

The spiritual environment is central to Lutheran outdoor ministries. It is within a biblical and liturgical framework that ELCA outdoor ministries addresses the question of environmental stewardship. The mission statement of one ELCA outdoor ministry center describes the connection as follows:

"The purpose of LOMC is to be the Church in outdoor settings, nurturing Christian faith and providing experiences connecting the Word of God with the World of God." (Mission Statement, Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center, Oregon, Illinois)

The God who created the universe is the same God who redeemed us and who sustains us in our daily lives. Environmental educators and learners in the outdoor ministry setting are confronted with the biblical witness and the witness of God's world. In the wonder of creation, doxologies, psalms, litanies and hymns come alive. Praising God takes on new energy and deeper meaning.

Environmental education at an ELCA outdoor ministry center can happen in several ways. Most often it occurs within the context of a regular day camp or resident camp experience. It becomes part of the total camp experience, along with bible study, worship, create activities and recreation activities. In this way, every camper has an opportunity to benefit from environmental education when attending a Lutheran camp. Environmental education can also occur within the context of a retreat experience. Retreat planners should ask the outdoor ministries staff for assistance in building an environmental component into their retreat.

Not all environmental education programs at ELCA outdoor ministry centers are church-sponsored. Outdoor ministries also form partnerships with other groups. Public and church-related schools are key partners with many outdoor ministries. Outdoor ministry centers contract with school systems to provide environmental education experiences for children and youth. School groups spend anywhere from one to five days at outdoor ministry centers under the leadership of professional staff. Some sites have even expanded their facilities to include a nature center with displays and work areas to make their program more appealing. Still another attribute can be added with low and/or high ropes challenge courses which strengthen the social dimension of environmental learning. On the cutting edge of outdoor ministry programs are new partnerships that are being formed with colleges and seminaries to provide hands-on experiences in environmental education for adult learners. Older adults can participate through Elderhostel programs offered by several outdoor ministry centers.

ELCA outdoor ministries are well-equipped to play a key role in assisting the church to meet the goals outlined in the recently adopted social statement on the environment.

Mark D. Burkhardt is Associate Director for Outdoor Ministries of the ELCA.

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