WCC highlights faith-aligned finance at European Church Investors Conference

The conference, jointly organised by leading European church investor networks, brought together church-based asset owners and partners to explore how Christian values can shape engagement with global capital markets to address key challenges of our times. Discussions focused on sectors such as mining and artificial intelligence, and on identifying opportunities for collaboration among churches across Europe and beyond. 

Seidel offered reflections that underscored the transformative potential of ethical investment choices that put biblical teachings into practice, emphasizing that aligning financial decisions with Christian values could become one of the most impactful ways to address the root causes of today’s global crises, while strengthening the unity of the churches. 

“Speaking with one voice in demanding transparency and holding accountable banks and businesses, church investors can influence ethical capital allocation,” said Seidel.

She commended the success stories and plans discussed during the conference, as church investors shed light on the contradictions between corporate discourse and the realities of environmental and human rights violations caused by mining.

Coordinated action—such as shareholder engagement, ethical capital allocation, and policy advocacy—can influence corporate behaviour and help safeguard both people and the planet.

Seidel also highlighted the prophetic role churches can play in global finance, recalling how church investors have supported affected communities and contributed to corporate accountability. 

A key message of her intervention was the urgency of scaling up faith-consistent investment practices. While churches are deeply engaged in addressing the impacts of the climate emergency and social injustice, financial decision-making remains an under-utilised lever for systemic change.

“Faith-aligned investment is one of the most powerful tools we have—yet still one of the least utilised,” she said, stressing that accelerating this work is essential for ensuring intergenerational justice. 

Seidel also lifted up the voices of young people, who have been calling attention to the role of financial institutions in driving the climate emergency. She noted that youth from churches around the world have urged greater scrutiny of banking and investment practices, pushing for accountability and a shift away from financing activities that harm the planet.

The WCC has been actively responding to these calls through initiatives promoting climate-responsible finance, including research, multi-faith advocacy, and practical tools that support churches in engaging financial institutions on transparency and sustainability. 

Reflecting on the broader outcomes of the conference, Seidel emphasized that the new alliance of European church investors can be a model to strengthen collaboration among church investors globally, and to advance church unity through collective action. “The time is now to use the power of investment choices for deep transformations,” she said, pointing to the responsibility of all asset owners to verify that their money is managed in a way that it does not contribute to harms, but ensures accountability for human rights, advances intergenerational justice, and accelerates climate solutions.

Learn more about Churches’ Commitments to Children and Climate-Responsible Banking