Fulfilling a directive from The Episcopal Church’s General Convention, the church’s corporate organization has fully divested from fossil fuel investments.
Proposed by the Executive Council Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (CCSR) and approved by the 81st General Convention in June, Resolution A029 calls for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) “to divest fully and finally from all companies in fossil fuel industries by December 31, 2024,” and to reinvest those assets.
“As chair of CCSR, I am grateful that our church has followed through on this commitment to the care of God’s creation—this Earth we all share,” said Sarah Lawton, committee chair. “In all our work, CCSR will continue to consider our investments in terms of our deeply held values as a church. We encourage other church bodies with investments to do so as well.”
The divestment follows a decades-long history of socially responsible investing within The Episcopal Church that seeks to support and advance environmental sustainability, justice, and human rights.
“The CCSR Story,” a 30-minute documentary released in 2022, chronicles the church’s efforts to align its financial investments with the values of Jesus Christ. The film explores the multifaceted investment policies and practices developed by the CCSR, which works closely with the church’s Office of Government Relations, and General Convention.
These policies preclude investment in some economic sectors and in companies that systematically violate human rights, while supporting investment in firms that are environmentally and socially responsible. Episcopal organizations also use their power as shareholders in various companies to advocate for change through resolutions and media campaigns.
The church’s Executive Council has adopted investment-portfolio restrictions for the DFMS in five categories: human rights, military contracting, for-profit prisons, tobacco products, and fossil fuels.
The 78th General Convention in 2015 called for investing in clean and renewable energy and refraining from any new investments in fossil fuel companies. It also urged all dioceses and parishes to engage the topic.
Interested in learning more? Read the Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility’s Blue Book report to the 81st General Convention (starts on p. 71 under “Executive Council”).
