Property and Prophecy: meet Tim O'Brien, the net zero officer of the Yorkshire North & East District

The Yorkshire North & East Methodist District is committed to climate justice. Not only do they intend to install photovoltaic panels wherever possible with their Tea & PV project, but they have also hired a net zero officer, the first one in a Methodist district. This position would not be possible without funding from the Benefact Trust. Through the Trust’s Transformational Grants Programme, the district has been funded to act as an example for the wider Methodist Church as it moves towards Net Zero. The programme has also funded the Connexional Action for Hope Implementation Officer.

The first thing to do when starting a net zero journey as a church is to make an assessment of the building, an absolutely necessary step before doing any work. “It is also an expensive step that can be difficult to fund but it is vital to understand what can be improved and to help in apply for funding,” says Tim.

Tim O’Brien’s role is threefold: buildings, energy and teaching. It translates into reaching out to churches – the Yorkshire North & East District has 250 buildings under its care – and helping them to find the best pathway in their net zero journey; creating relationships with energy suppliers to negotiate tariffs and working with them and local communities to find sustainable options; and also providing support to churches in finding resources. “My wife and I go and talk with them about both the science and the theology of net zero. We put on events, activities and preach. This role covers both property and prophecy,” adds Tim.

When Professor Simon Pringle of BDO’s Sustainability and ESG Hub and Project Rome examined the district’s carbon footprint, they realised that the district could not be Net Zero for the 2030 aspirational target set by the Conference. “But we could meet a 2040 deadline. We are still hoping to get about 80 percent of the work done before 2030, but a 2040 target is a more realistic date for completion,” says Tim. There is the strategy and the opportunity: the district will follow a specific funding strategy but if there is new, temporary funding made available, they will identify it and encourage local churches to apply.

To this end, the Tea & PV project is pivotal not only in showing how solar panels can be installed on a vast array of roofs but also in building a model for others. The funding opportunity and the number of churches looking for the next step in their net zero journey allows the district to work on multiple churches at once, which is more efficient. Grouping similar projects offers the possibility to negotiate with the installers and create relationships with installers, funders and consultants. “Funding is often not only for a single item. This time we focused on solar panels, but it could be heat-pumps too,” explains Tim.

An important aspect of Tim’s role is to meet and engage with churches and give them the tools to succeed on the net zero path. However, local circuits and churches need to be committed as, even if the funding the district secures is important, churches, circuits and the district still need to finance part of the installation. “I usually tell them to have an assessment, register for Eco Church and plan what needs to be done. So if we find the funding, and you have got those things ready, we can move quickly,” says Tim.

Teaching climate justice and highlighting aspects of the Bible that people may have overlooked is an important part of Tim’s work. Changing perspective brings an awareness of creation. “Our responsibility to creation is central to the Bible.  After the flood, when God is talking to Noah, he makes a covenant not just with Noah, but with all the animals because they are important to him. Animals are not just there for our convenience, they have a value of their own beyond us,” explains Tim. With his wife, Sam, they teach creation care gently, mixing theology and science and encouraging churches and their members to adopt different ways of doing things.

Hope in God’s Future, our theological resources for Climate justice can be found here