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n the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and proclaimed that all He had made was “very good.”
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He then commanded the first humans to “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth” (Gen. 1:28). Not only did God create all that exists— He entrusted the responsibility for its proper management to us. Churches and mission agencies are increasingly recognising that, in addition to bringing the life-changing gospel, we need to make sure we keep the Biblical mandate to care for the world God created. In 2009 Max Gove, a well-known senior leader in MAF, along with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), first looked at this topic and developed a position statement. Since then an increasing awareness has grown within MAF of the importance of caring for the created world as an element of integral mission. Today many organisations with whom MAFI interacts (aviation, churches, missions, NGOs and governments) already have action plans in place to help protect the environment. As a Christian mission agency we recognise this changing landscape. The ELT has set up an Environmental Working Group to develop both short- and long-term measures to be implemented across the organisation.
MAF management make the following points: • Our flying is critical to sustain life; it is a lifeline, not a “luxury” for those that use us.
• MAF flies in countries where there are often few alternatives to flying. Other forms of transport cannot meet the needs of isolated people—which is why we are there in the first place.
• MAF serves people groups that are usually physically isolated and sparsely resourced. Such people are often affected by environmental issues. Care for creation is therefore directly connected with the welfare of those we are called to serve.
• MAF flights are actually very efficient. Road travel may require far more resources than those used by an aircraft flying directly to its destination. For example, driving by road from N’Djamena to Tchaguine in Chad requires 55 litres of diesel fuel and results in greater CO2
