Creation Care and Biblical Development: Relief and Development Workshops Equip Leaders for Kingdom Impact

Discover how Relief and Development workshops empowered global leaders to integrate Creation Care, biblical stewardship, and community development through practical teaching, testimonies, and participant-driven action plans.

At the 2025 AWF Quadrennial Convocation, Alliance leaders and development practitioners gathered to explore how caring for creation and strengthening communities lie at the heart of God’s Kingdom mission. Through two Relief and Development (R&D) workshops facilitated by Stephen Albright and Jérémie Boré, participants were equipped to link biblical stewardship, practical development, and Christ-centered transformation.

Creation Care and the Kingdom of God

Led by Stephen Albright, the first workshop examined the relationship between Creation Care and the Kingdom of God as part of CAMA Services’ contribution to the Quadrennial program. Fifteen participants from the United States, Africa, Latin America and Europe—including CAMA Zending leaders and African pastors—joined the conversation.

Albright invited participants to consider how walking with the King transforms the way we approach development. Kingdom-centered development is not merely technical work; it is rooted in obedience to Christ and participation in his redemptive mission.

A moving testimony highlighted this truth. In one farming community deeply affected by a persistent potato blight, a local farmer known as “O” was on the verge of losing his crop. After a missionary prayed over the field in Jesus’ name, “O” witnessed a surprising harvest while surrounding fields failed. Later, surviving a venomous snake bite and sensing God’s hand in his healing, he told a missionary, “Your God really answers prayers.” He has since begun reading the Bible and desires to know more about Jesus.

Participants appreciated the practical approach, stating that the most valuable part of the workshop was learning to “reflect on the solution, not the problem,” and seeing concrete real-life examples of God at work in development ministries. Several expressed the need for more time for discussion and deeper engagement in future events.

Understanding the Basics of Development

The following day, Jérémie Boré led a session titled “Understanding the Basics of Development.” He emphasized that true development begins with God, who created everything humanity needs for flourishing. “Development,” he explained, “is less about money or technology and more about aligning with God’s design for stewardship.”

Drawing from Genesis, Boré highlighted humanity’s mandate to work, care for creation, develop talents, and steward God-given resources—land, water, natural gifts, relationships, and spiritual insight—for the good of the community.

Participants resonated with these ideas. Rev. Alberto Guala, President of the C&MA of Angola, said, “We must work, help, and create while we have the favorable time, and we must begin with small projects.” Others expressed gratitude for the training, saying, “Thank you for putting on the seminar, I enjoyed it.”

Participants also identified clear next steps in their ministry. Their action plans included:

• “Use the material to help others learn more about development.”
• “Have my church community receive the same teaching.”

Together, both workshops affirmed that development and discipleship are inseparable. When God’s people walk with the King, steward creation faithfully, and invest in their communities, transformation becomes visible, bringing hope, restoration, and tangible signs of Christ’s Kingdom.