Berkeley Seminary Blends Climate Science Faith

Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley is expanding a program that puts climate science alongside theology in ministerial and lay formation. The seminary has opened applications for its 2026-27 Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith, a two-semester online program offered through its Center for Climate Justice and Faith. The curriculum combines climate-change knowledge with theology, ethics, spirituality and organizing practices, according to the seminary’s program materials. The application deadline is June 10, and the next cohort is scheduled to begin in September 2026. ### Which Berkeley seminary is running the program? Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, part of California Lutheran University, is the Berkeley school behind the initiative. The seminary’s certificate page says the program is one of three continuing professional education offerings run by its Center for Climate Justice and Faith. Berkeley has been building this work for several years. California Lutheran University said in a March 2, 2022, announcement that PLTS became a certified Green Justice Seminary in fall 2020, launched a climate justice concentration for master’s students, and started an online Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith in September 2021. ### What exactly are students being taught? The certificate’s published curriculum names three core areas: theology, ethics and spirituality related to climate justice; climate-change knowledge; and social-change practices that connect ecological well-being with racial, economic and gender justice. PLTS describes the program as cohort-based, project-based and trans-continental. The seminary says the non-degree course is delivered online through Zoom and digital learning platforms, with participants expected to complete two to four hours of independent work each week and join monthly cohort meetings. ### How does climate science show up in a faith program? The program materials say climate-change knowledge is taught as part of the certificate rather than as a separate technical add-on. PLTS says the course is designed for people who want to engage in faith-based climate justice work in their own settings while exploring spiritual grounding for that work. A 2022 California Lutheran University news release described the program’s practical component in concrete terms. The school said participants in the inaugural certificate cohort were expected to complete a “sacred action project” for their communities at the end of the program. ### How large is the program now? PLTS says 380 students from 40 countries have gone through the Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith since 2021. The center’s website includes testimonials from participants in California, Kansas, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, underscoring the program’s international reach. The seminary’s earlier numbers were smaller. California Lutheran University said the inaugural 2021 certificate class included 30 people from 12 countries, ranging in age from 21 to 70. ### Who is the program for? The seminary says the certificate is aimed at lay leaders and rostered religious leaders who want to advocate for climate justice. The program page says it especially encourages applicants from populations most affected by climate change and from member churches of the Lutheran World Federation. The Center for Climate Justice and Faith presents the work as leadership formation tied to congregations and local practice. Its website says the center is focused on “connecting ecological healing to racial and economic justice.” ### What other signs are there that this is part of a broader effort? On April 29, 2026, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary hosted a Student Colloquium on Climate Justice and Faith, according to the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. The event brought together students from seminaries associated with the Graduate Theological Union to present projects on subjects including compost, confirmation curricula and divestment campaigns. The next public milestone is June 10, when applications for the 2026-27 certificate cohort close. The seminary says the program will run from September 2026 to May 2027, and a limited amount of tuition support is available for participants.