Jul 3, 2013 2 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A group of Protestant churches has become the first U.S. religious body to vote to divest its pension funds and investments from fossil fuel companies because of climate change concerns.

The United Church of Christ, which traces its origins back to the Pilgrims in 1620 and has about 1.1 million members in 5,100 congregations, voted on Monday to divest in stages over the next five years. But it left open the possibility of keeping some investments if the fossil fuel companies meet certain standards.

“Implementing the multiple strategies outlined in this resolution will demand time, money and care — but we believe creation deserves no less,” United Church Funds President Donald Hart said in a statement. The affiliated group has managed church investments since 1909.

Harvard University professor Theda Skocpol, who has written about the politics of the climate change movement and divestment efforts, called the move significant.

Skocpol said she doesn’t think the divestment movement is “going to bring the fossil fuel industry to its knees” but that it is symbolically significant, since action by a national church group brings the debate over climate change “into the heart of American communities.”

“This is definitely part of changing community and elite opinion” in America, she said.