As long as I can remember, my mother has had a garden. Even in our small home in Medford, my mother could create a bountiful harvest of food and beauty. My grandfather, my mom's father, was a gardening legend. The sight of my grandfather jarring up his spicy dilly beans every year is something I’ll always cherish. His tomatoes tasted unlike anything I’ve ever had, freshly sliced with mayo and black pepper — I’m salivating just thinking about them. And his pumpkins were legendary in size!
My grandfather, on my father’s side, grew up on a farm in northeast Missouri that was homesteaded in 1836. Every fall I leave my home in Oregon in order to spend a week on the farm working on maintenance projects and enjoying the land. It's a sacred place for me. Although no one currently resides on the farm, it continues to be worked by a local family. Our crops include winter wheat, soybeans, and corn. With the soybeans and corn being used for ethanol production. It’s essentially a typical modern monoculture farm. Watching them bring in the harvest each year ignited my interest in farming, and that eventually lead me into the wonderful world of Permaculture. While some progress has been made, such as adopting a no-till method and incorporating cover crops, the farm still falls short of my permaculture ideals.
When I purchased my own home and began raising a family, one of the first tasks I realized I needed to take on was tending to a garden. We’ve since expanded from our small backyard in the house I grew up in to a larger property with nearly an acre. I’ve learned a lot, failed a lot, and embarked on an exploration of permaculture gardening. I’ve learned how to conserve water, the benefits of different mulch types, and the secrets of no-till gardening. Interestingly enough, I’ve also gained valuable insights into being a pastor by what the Lord has taught me through this way of stewarding the land. It’s no wonder that the Bible is filled with some many agricultural metaphors and examples!
What is Permaculture?
Permaculture refers to an ecological design system that aims to meet human needs through ecological and regenerative practices. It was first introduced in the mid-1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgreen. The term, derived from the words “permanent” and “culture,” emphasizes the importance of ethics in garden, farming, and landscape design. Permaculture design prioritizes ethics over means, ensuring that projects align with the principles of sustainability and harmony with nature. Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein, in their book “Practical Permaculture,” outline four key permaculture ethics that guide the design process.
Care for the earth
Care of people
Careful process
Transitional ethic
A structured approach with an ethical foundation can lead to practical solutions that align with your objectives and values. As a pastor, this way of thinking resonants with me. I’ve been blessed to be part of a church that has our own theological foundation that drives both our vision and expressions of ministry. Over the last ten years I've noticed a connection between the ethical foundation, principles, and practices of permaculture and the way we guide our ministry. I want to take the next 10 years to further connect the two and help others along the way -- hence why I'm writing this. (yes I wrote hence…what of it?)
Biblical Connection
Within both Christian theology and Permaculture lies a profound respect for creation, stewardship, and community. Christian theology teaches the inherent value of the natural world as God's creation, emphasizing principles such as stewardship, humility, and care for neighbors. Likewise, Permaculture ethics are grounded in the principles of Earth Care, People Care, Careful Process, and Transitional ethic. Throughout this exploration I will seek to show how these shared values intertwine, offering a holistic framework that bridges faith and permaculture, encouraging a harmonious relationship with both the Creator and creation. Tending the soil and our souls.
Permaculture shares many parallels with the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. One similarity is the ethic of Creation care, derived from Genesis 1:28, where God grants humanity dominion over creation. I’ll be the first to admit that this responsibility has been misused over time, however, permaculture offers a path to recapture God’s original intention for humankind's relationship with His world. I’m excited to show you how!
Another connection between Christianity and Permaculture is the call to love one’s neighbor, as expressed in Matthew 22:39, which seamlessly integrates into the permaculture emphasis on caring for people. The scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, emphasize justice and generosity, aligning with permaculture’s careful planning and transitional approaches, which consider the potential consequences of our actions on the environment and people.
Just as permaculture ethics can guide us in designing and creating beautiful gardens, farms, and landscapes that nurture the earth and its inhabitants, we can also apply these principles to establish sustainable and thriving church communities that mirror the abundance and harmony of a well-planned and designed garden, farm, or food forest.
(The Garden of Eden was a food forest by the way!)
Vision for “The Permaculture Pastor”
The vision for this project, titled “The Permaculture Pastor”, is to establish a connection between the soil and the soul. This connection will occur when the wisdom of permaculture’s design system, derived from God’s benevolent creation, intersects with the core of Christian ministry and life. I want to see how Permaculture, guided by its ethical principles of caring for the earth, people, and sharing resources fairly, provides a blueprint for constructing churches that flourish like well-planned forest gardens.
My vision aims to illustrate how these principles can transform pastoral work, leading us to nurture congregations that are resilient, connected, and rooted in God’s call to steward creation (Genesis 1:28) and contribute to the manifestation of the kingdom of heaven on earth (Revelation 21:1-4).
As a vocational pastor and permaculture practitioner, I see the church as an ecosystem, where members, resources, and the land we inhabit are interconnected under God’s care. By shifting our perspective away from viewing ministry and the church as constructing skyscrapers, corporate and hierarchical, we can instead envision growing food forests, which offer a net benefit to all those around them.
What’s Next?
In the future, I intend to write essays (and possibly start a podcast) that delve into how permaculture’s tools and ethics can enhance and support the sustainability and faithfulness of Christian ministries and churches. This project is intended for pastors seeking renewal, congregants yearning for purpose, and permaculturists curious about faith.
Join me on this learning pilgrimage to discover how tending the earth and tending souls are intertwined in a holy work for God’s glory.
Next time, I’ll introduce creation as God's garden. We'll see how creation reflects God's handiwork and explore how permaculture's holistic views can be used to create a "divine order" (Romans 1:20) in our churches. I invite you, whether pastor, congregant, or curious permaculturist, to explore with me.
Reflection question of the week
How have you seen God’s presence in nature, and how might it shape your faith or community?
Your insights will help shape this project,
Here is to tending the soil and our souls.
- The Permaculture Pastor.
All Amazon links are affiliate links.