This report emerged from the work of Catholic parishes and ecumenical partners in east London, who responded to Pope Francis’ “Synodal” call, and have found the practice of broad-based community organising helpful in both the internal and the external journey.

This may seem surprising: community organising is known best for its campaigns on issues such as the Living Wage, affordable housing and migrants’ rights. However, what is most distinctive about community organising is the foundations it builds before such action is taken – focusing on the identification and development of leaders (especially those who are overlooked and marginalised by the dominant culture), the “cultural, spiritual, and religious values of the people”, and the life of the parishes, congregations and other organisations of which they are a part. It is this focus on the renewal of congregations and the development of leaders that gives community organising such relevance to the Church’s “Synodal journey”.

Participants in our east London workshops identified a distinctive character to community organising which is intentionally and deeply rooted in prayer and discernment and draws heavily on Pope Francis’ teaching on Synodality. Our report calls this “Synodal organising” and it has six key features:

• Patient relationship-building: The foundation of all community organising is the one-to-one relational meeting. Synodal organising “ is slower paced. As one leader said “It made me understand how to have deep, rooted relationships — it’s not a race, it’s a matter of trust”
• Discernment of the Holy Spirit: By slowing down and paying close attention to the realities of people and place, Synodal organising provides a set of tools with which to ‘discern’ both individually and collectively. The parishes and congregations engaged in this work recognise that people need to create space to discern and develop.
• Relationship between prayer and action: Synodal organising involves a commitment to inward reflection in the service of outward action – particularly embodied through CTC’s Cycle of Prayer and Organising [link to the cycle on the tools page]. This leads lay leaders to make a deep connection between worship and daily life.
• Evangelisation: When action is the fruit of prayerful dialogue and is open to the work of Divine Providence, the power of the Gospel becomes visible beyond the Church’s walls to all. This is one reason a number of the churches supported by CTC are experiencing numerical growth across age groups.
• Action to develop leaders: When community organising proceeds too quickly, it amplifies the voice and agency of those already used to acting. Synodal organising encourages an intentional focus on small-scale campaigns (for example getting lighting installed in a local park) which develop new leaders. This leads to both more diverse and participatory churches, and to a stronger and more deeply-rooted broad-based movement for justice in the wider community organising alliance.
• An emphasis on the vocation of all the faithful: This process helps each member of the parish to discern a vocation which is fostered within and alongside the vocation of the Body of Christ and the local neighbourhood. “Synodal Organising” helps local churches to be places where people can develop new skills, build strong relationships, grow their faith and act for justice

Since the report was launched, we have been developing new initiatives to help more of this “Synodal organising” to happen. Fr Sean Connolly has become the first Catholic “priest-organiser” in the UK, in an innovative partnership between CTC, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Diocese of Brentwood – and we are also piloting a School of Faith and Organising for young Catholics, including opportunities for Community Organising Apprenticeships, with support from the Assumptionist Legacy Fund. In November 2026 we appointed Paula Apeja as the first apprentice on this programme, based at St Francis’ Catholic Parish in Stratford.

In our anniversary year, we are working with Citizens UK on a Signs of the Times process, in which Catholic schools, colleges, and parishes will be listening deeply, discerning boldly, and acting collectively for the common good.

More to follow on this soon…