Rev. Dr Sam Kobia, former WCC general secretary, emphasized, "The church should acknowledge that land is storied space, embracing Indigenous histories and community symbols. People belong to the land, which constructs social identity and provides dignity. Mother Earth should not be reduced to a mere commodity. Let’s go to the world and be the prophets who advocate the concept of land as commons, not commodity."

The consultation, part of the New International Financial and Economic Architecture process, reflected on theological teachings regarding land and the common good, critiquing economic systems that reduce land to a commodity. Discussions focused on the relationship between land, labor, capital, and technology and strategies for promoting an economy that values land as a shared resource. Participants from various countries, including Indigenous communities, shared testimonies about land struggles, such as the Ogiek people of Kenya, whose ancestral lands have been taken for economic development despite legal victories.

Adrian Jacobs from the Christian Reformed Church in Canada shared the story of the Land Back Lane movement, where members of the Six Nations, led by a new generation of youth, successfully mobilized to stop a new development on Indigenous land in Caledonia. This grassroots movement exemplifies the power of collective action and the role churches can play by entering into spiritual covenants with Indigenous communities to protect land.

Another example came from Alhaji Bunduka of Sierra Leone, who highlighted the dangers of carbon-offsetting projects in the Global South. International investors plan to create large-scale tree plantations for CO2 certificates in the Port Loko district, but local farming families—who contribute the least to climate change—were not consulted. This resistance highlights the inequity in land use and ownership.

Athena Peralta, director of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, stressed the moral imperative of land justice: “Our faith calls us to recognize land not just as a resource for human use, but as a sacred trust that must be protected for future generations. The commodification of land exacerbates inequalities and perpetuates climate injustice. Faith communities have a critical role to play in advocating for a just and sustainable relationship with the land.”

Participants at the consultation produced a theological communiqué and advocacy framework, committing themselves to promoting economic visions that recognize land as a commons. The communiqué called for repentance from anthropocentric ideologies and a renewed dedication to listening to the land. It also urged churches to take concrete steps, such as converting church-owned land into community spaces and conducting fact-finding missions to uncover instances of land grabbing. The communiqué further underscored the need for an ecumenical land rights movement to address land injustice on a global scale.

The consultation was hosted by the National Council of Churches of Kenya and co-organized by the World Communion of Reformed Churches, Lutheran World Federation, World Methodist Council, and Council for World Mission.

Read the Theological Communique on Land as Commons