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As conversations around climate change grow increasingly urgent, a new gathering at St. Olaf College is inviting young people to explore a central question: what does it mean to respond to the climate crisis through the lens of faith?

For the students helping lead the effort, that questions is far from abstract — it has guided their vision for the event. 

“There are so many voices that young people hear, telling them it’s either too late, or that they’re not doing enough — both can make you feel helpless,” says Paavo Rundman ‘26, a student organizer. “We want people to feel hopeful, but in a way that’s grounded in the reality of the world and also aware of the change we can realistically expect to make in our lives. Lutheran bodies have been engaging with questions surrounding climate change and what people of faith are called to do in response to it since the 1970s, so this is really just a continuation of that work.” 

“For me, I see nature as God’s creation, and something we have a special relationship with, and therefore we should care for creation like God has cared for us,” Addie Flesch ‘26, another student organizer, adds. “So, I think the relationship between faith and environmental stewardship can be, at its best, a motivating force — and we hope to share that with others.”

The Young Adult Faith and Climate Summit, taking place April 25–26, will bring together high school and college students interested in the intersection of environmental justice, Lutheran theology, and science. Through events held on campus and at Lutheran churches in Northfield, the summit aims to create space for reflection, dialogue, and action. 

The idea for the summit grew out of a multi-year research project led by Associate Professor of Religion and Environmental Studies Kiara Jorgenson ‘02, in collaboration with Flesch and Rundman. Their work examined how young people engage with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) teachings on environmental matters, specifically the church’s 1993 Social Statement on Care for Creation — and where those teachings have fallen short. That research revealed a gap: while many young people are deeply concerned about climate change, there are few spaces within faith communities to openly explore how scientific understanding, environmental advocacy, and religious identity intersect. 

“That was how the idea of the summit really came to be — to create a space for young adults who want to grow their faith and are really concerned about our planetary realities. A space where advocacy and spiritual practice can coincide,” Jorgenson says. 

The summit has been intentionally designed not just for young people, but by them. Flesch and Rundman have been involved in every stage of planning, from shaping programming themes to coordinating speakers and structuring sessions. 

“It’s kind of rare for undergrads to be planning a whole summit, but our opinions were prioritized, and we’ve been a part of every step of the process,” Flesch says.  

That student-led approach is reflected in the structure of the event itself. Rather than positioning older experts as the primary authorities, organizers have prioritized youth and young adult voices across all sessions. 

“This is not going to be an experience where older adults tell youth and young adults what the climate crisis is, or how their faith should motivate them,” says Peter Carlson Schattauer ‘08, interim director of the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community, which is partnering on the event. “We’ve really tried to center the voices of youth and young adults.”

Programming will span a wide range of topics, including theological reflection, social policy, spirituality, and mindfulness. The summit will open with a plenary address and panel in Boe Memorial Chapel featuring ELCA environmental policy specialist Christine Moffett, followed by breakout sessions on topics ranging from climate justice and scientific perspectives to embodiment and political advocacy. An intergenerational evening of music, poetry, and art will invite participants into shared reflection, before the weekend concludes with a campus worship service. 

“After attending the summit, I really hope that students have a clear sense of actionable tasks that they can take on, and what they can do to get involved at a local level to change policy and impact communities — human and otherwise,” Jorgenson says. “I also really hope that the young adults that come feel compelled and emboldened to challenge their own faith communities to go deeper with environmental commitments. The data suggests that most churches aren’t teaching or talking about these issues, which are really important to young adults. Why are Chrisitan communities that want to be hospitable, safe places for young people not engaging with the things they really care about? So, I’m hoping the summit gives young adults more confidence to ask their leaders and communities to do just that.”

That call to action is grounded in a deeper understanding of the reality young people are already living with.

“For young people, the climate crisis is more a chronic condition rather than an acute one,” Schattauer says. “It’s not something that’s just going to be fixed, so how do we live with hope, joy, and all the things that make a life while in the midst of that — how can you stay driven in this work over the course of a lifetime?”

That reality can bring unease — something the student organizers have encountered themselves. 

“We talk a lot about eco-anxiety, a term for feeling anxious about the state of our world and where it’s going — I think it’s really easy for young adults, looking at the state of our environment, to become paralyzed with fear,” Flesch says. 

The summit is designed to offer a different response: a form of hope that is both honest and sustaining. 

“Often when we talk about hope, it can seem kind of Pollyanna-ish, but within the Christian and other religious traditions, hope is a pretty fierce thing — something people claim in the face of really difficult odds,” says Schattauer. “Whereas the facts on the ground in regards to the climate crisis might cause despair, an orientation of hope can allow us to move through that difficult reality.”

For Rundman, that hope is rooted in a deeper understanding of humanity’s place within the natural world.

“I think the more I read and reflect, the more I think humans are not as distant from creation as we like to believe,” he says. “Theologically, it’s dangerous to view humans as something that are not, at their core, a body — and by that I mean, there’s so much emphasis on thinking about our soul and spirit, our mind and heart, but the more I examine my life, so many of the most important faith moments of my life are tied to me being a body in and of nature — things from camping in the woods to my own microbiome. I think we’re best able to connect with God and think about our place in the universe when we’re connected to our environment and all the things that make us creatures. You miss all of that if you don’t acknowledge our physical reality.”

Ultimately, organizers intend the summit to not only offer knowledge and tools, but a sense of connection — to one another, to faith traditions, and to the world itself.  

“The summit is for people who are really concerned about the world and about their place in it, are looking for guidance, but are also looking for a place to connect and a place to be affirmed that we have a future that can be hopeful,” Rundman says. “It doesn’t mean that the world won’t be broken, but that healing can happen.”

Co-sponsored by local Northfield churches, the St. Olaf College Ministry Office, the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community, and St. Olaf’s Environmental Studies and Religion Departments, the summit reflects a collaborative effort to engage the next generation in meaningful climate conversations. 

The Young Adult Faith and Climate Summit is open to high school students, college students, and other young adults. Registration is open through April 12.