How Sustainability Crept Out of the Black Box: The Case of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

Abstract

This paper describes how sustainability thinking crept out of the black box into the spotlight by the power and persistence of a growing cadre of internal outlier activists in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Discussion, even arguing, on linkage of sustainability with the core values of the church boosted energy and insight needed for defining an ambitious strategic intent of becoming a trailblazer in society in sustainability thinking and actions. Over a period of three decades internal activists reinforced by external volunteers developed numerous independent strategic initiatives that gradually brought sustainability into an integral part of mainframe strategic agenda.