As Super El Niño Looms, New Study Finds American Churches Unprepared to Help Congregants Cope with Climate Grief
Research reveals a “spiritual infrastructure gap” and a surprising disconnect between preachers and their congregations on climate emotions
PORTLAND, Maine — With a Super El Niño poised to amplify an expected record-breaking wildfire season, coastal flood risk, and extreme heat events across the United States this summer, a new study warns that American faith communities – among the most trusted institutions in civic life – are largely unprepared to help their members cope emotionally with the accelerating climate crisis.
The paper, “Unprepared for Eco-Grief: Study Shows Spiritual Infrastructure Gap in U.S. Mainline Protestant Churches,” is a publication from the EcoPreacher Initiative, a multi-institutional research initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Compelling Preaching Initiative and conducted through Lexington Theological Seminary in partnership with The BTS Center and Creation Justice Ministries. The findings, drawn from surveys of nearly 300 clergy and lay church leaders in Fall 2025, document a widespread and largely unaddressed emotional crisis in the pews.
Eco-Grief Common Among Congregants
Nearly half of active church members surveyed report feeling anxiety or dread about climate change (47%), while 45% describe anger or frustration, and 37% express alarm about the future of humanity. Researchers call this cluster of responses “eco-grief”: the mourning of lost species, disappearing ecosystems, and climate-devastated communities.
Yet the study finds that most congregations lack the biblical, theological, and liturgical frameworks to hold these emotions — what researchers term a “spiritual infrastructure gap.” This gap is both pastoral and strategic: a congregation’s willingness to explore eco-grief is a strong statistical predictor (r = .50) of whether climate action becomes a high priority for that community.
The Pulpit–Pew Divide
One of the study’s most significant findings is a notable perception gap between clergy and their congregations. While 80% of church lay leaders cite concern for future generations as a major motivator for climate action, only 64% of their ministers perceived this to be the case for their congregants. Even more striking: 75% of congregants said that connection to specific local places (e.g., forests, beaches, rivers) is a powerful motivator, yet only 27% of preachers recognized this.
Preachers also significantly overestimate the risk of backlash to climate preaching. Nearly a quarter of clergy cited fear of political resistance as a major barrier to addressing climate from the pulpit, yet only 8% report having actually received hostile responses to environmental sermons. In contrast, 95% report that congregants respond with curiosity, openness, or enthusiasm.
Why This Matters Now
With the convergence of long-term climate change and a nascent Super El Niño, federal forecasters have projected a severe 2026 hurricane season, elevated wildfire risk across the West and in southern Canada, and historically abnormal heat across much of the country. For the millions of Americans who turn to their faith communities in times of crisis, the question of whether churches can respond to climate-driven trauma has become increasingly urgent.
The research team argues that faith leaders are uniquely equipped to fill the spiritual infrastructure gap — if they choose to. Preachers already function as meaning-makers, using scripture, music, ritual, and communal practice to help people navigate loss. The study points to specific approaches: creating liturgical space for lament (drawing on the Hebrew Psalms as a model), preaching with personal vulnerability about ecological loss, incorporating trauma-informed care frameworks, and forming what the researchers call “sermon feedback circles” where congregants can connect local environmental realities to their faith lives.
Prior research from the project found that when congregations do engage climate emotions, the results are measurably positive: 70% of congregants report increased gratitude and 60% increased compassion — outcomes that strengthen the very community bonds needed for collective resilience.
About the Research
The study, authored by Benjamin Yosua-Davis, Leah D. Schade, Rebecca Kneale Gould, Amanda Wilson Harper, Kim Rahebi, and Wayne L. Thompson, draws on intake surveys administered in September 2025 to 97 EcoPreacher participants and 186 congregational leaders across 22 U.S. states and 12 countries. Methodology included descriptive statistics, correlation rankings, multiple regression modeling, and qualitative thematic coding of open-ended responses.
The EcoPreacher Cohort is a rigorous learning community that equips clergy and faith leaders with theological frameworks and practical resources to address climate and environmental justice from the pulpit. The EcoPreacher Initiative is a partnership of Lexington Theological Seminary, The BTS Center, and Creation Justice Ministries, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Compelling Preaching Initiative.
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Contact:
Rev. Nicole Diroff
Associate Director (Acting Executive Director), The BTS Center
[email protected]
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