Commonweal || Making Change from the Ground Up

There’s a common saying in faith-based community organizing: “Nothing about us, without us, is for us.” It’s also a particularly important axiom to reflect on as we continue the journey through the synodal process. Over the last twelve years as a community organizer, I’ve come to see first-hand how an emphasis on building relationships brings about a radical shift for those who are active in faith-rooted organizing: a full understanding that we can’t accomplish anything meaningful in our communities if we go at it alone or remain in isolation. Though we have heard it said many times by now, it really is the case that the only way of coming to know another person is through listening and dialogue. And it is only through knowing the other person—what they care about, what they worry about, what stirs and moves them, and what they hope for—that we can begin to discern and understand the points of mutuality that bind us together.