Seminario Evangelico de Puerto Rico

“Eco-Justice and Self-Sustainability: Climate Change, Community Vulnerability, and Faithful Leadership in Puerto Rico” is a theological education initiative that will equip Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico to engage climate science as a central dimension of leadership formation for ministry in Puerto Rico. The project responds to a context in which climate change is already reshaping daily life through coastal exposure, ecological stress, fragile infrastructure, extreme weather, and energy insecurity. In Puerto Rico, science is not a distant abstraction. They are lived realities that affect congregations, neighborhoods, schools, and families, especially those already facing poverty, displacement, or limited access to stable resources.

The project’s central goal is to prepare current and future religious leaders to interpret climate-related science responsibility, understand patterns of community vulnerability, and develop ministry practices that foster resilience, ecological responsibility, and self-sustaining local capacities. To accomplish this, SEPR will pursue a hybrid strategy combining capacity building, course engagement, and ministry or leadership applications.

Through a series of activities, we will strengthen institutional capacity and help faculty integrate climate science into theological and ministry-oriented teaching. SEPR will revise at least one core course and develop or adapt an additional ministry-facing course component, learning module, or workshop to ensure that students engage with scientific evidence alongside theological, ethical, and pastoral questions. This project will also create resources and practical learning opportunities for students, alumni, and ministry leaders that will translate climate science into congregational leadership, community accompaniment, and eco-justice practice.