In this episode of Live from the Siburt Institute, host Myles Werntz sits down with Eric Howell, pastor of Dayspring Baptist Church and author of Under the Francis Tree: A Practical Theology for the Church Grounds in the 21st Century.
Howell talks about his path from studying industrial engineering at Texas A&M to becoming a pastor with a deep interest in ecology and theology. His interest in the environment started with a high school club, but over time it became something deeper. He began to observe that God’s grace meets us through the material world (like baptismal water, communion bread and wine, and the other physical elements of worship).
A big part of the conversation is Howell’s challenge to the traditional idea of “stewardship.” He points out that stewardship can make us think of ourselves as middle managers who are simply taking care of property for an absentee landlord. Instead, he suggests thinking in terms of integration, participation, and worship.
Drawing on the Franciscan tradition, Howell sees the church not as standing apart from the rest of creation, but as joining the whole created world in praising God. He also draws on the work of Dr. Ellen Davis, who describes the biblical covenant as a “three-legged stool” involving God, people, and the land. (Find her book, Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible, here.)
Howell shares some great examples of what this can look like in everyday church life. At Dayspring, a community composting project became an unexpected way to talk about reconciliation and resurrection during a pastoral conversation. He also tells the story of a San Antonio church that built a bird blind so people with Alzheimer’s could find therapeutic relief watching birds and connecting with the natural world.
Howell encourages churches to rediscover their sense of community by paying attention to and caring for the land right where they are.
The Francis Tree Icon: The book’s title comes from a huge live oak at Dayspring Baptist Church. The tree has become a place for sunrise services, prayer, pastoral conversations, and care.
Rethinking Stewardship: Instead of seeing ourselves as managers of nature, Howell invites us to see ourselves as part of a larger community of creation that worships God together.
Sacramental Ecology: Baptismal water, communion bread and wine, and the other physical elements of worship are more than symbols. They remind us that God’s grace meets us through the material world.
The Eremocene: A term for our current age of “silence” and loneliness, brought on in part by our growing separation from the rhythms and patterns of the natural world.
Practical Parables: Everyday things like composting and bird watching can become powerful ways for churches to talk about big ideas like resurrection, reconciliation, and God’s care for creation.
The Sacred Grounds Project: A collaborative effort that helps congregations take small, practical steps toward turning the land they care for into a place of ministry, learning, and encounter with God.
