Laying the Groundwork in Church-Rooted Community Transformation

Clare Radford Community Theologian

Faith in Community Scotland

Two phrases are common to many groups as they begin to awaken to the possibilities of community transformation: ‘we want to make a difference’ and ‘we have to do something’.  These desires are good, they provide energy, a starting point, but they are vague: they say nothing about the actions to be taken, or indeed the kind of difference that people want to make. Work needs to be done to focus these desires, without clarification we can be tempted to mistake any activity for real engagement. ‘We must do something’ becomes ‘we must do anything’; projects for the sake of projects.

Work must also be done to recognize the various sources of these interests to ‘do something’. With many church groups, there can be an element of fear. The sentence is often completed in the following way: ‘we have to do something or we won’t survive as a church’. There is the fear that if we don’t do something, then we will be irrelevant, obsolete, overlooked, and possibly even closed and empty. This fear needs to be acknowledged, worked with, transformed. It is not wrong to experience fear, but it is not a helpful motivating factor; it may jolt us into action, however it is not a solid basis for developing a compassionate church. We have to take the time to tease out the motivating factors that can be the converse elements in our fear: we wish to be engaged where people are; we desire to be part of a thriving community; we want to contribute to making this neighbourhood a better place to live.

This work can perhaps be described as a time of discernment, a laying of the groundwork, addressing ourselves to the questions of ‘what shall we do?’ and ‘how shall we do it?’ It is often frustrating and time-consuming to go through this period of discernment, especially when the mood is for action, yet it is key for the rootedness of the activities that follow on. Rootedness is different to success; it is about the flexibility to be resilient in adverse conditions, and about a commitment to a particular place. Good groundwork is not just talk, but includes action; it is not just ‘huddling inward’, but also the initial steps ‘out’.

My colleagues and I accompany church groups in laying the groundwork; three of us have just been involved with one group for an intensive six-month period. These times of discernment are different, responding to the unique circumstances, commitments and characters in each group. However, there are three crucial ‘conversations’ that we would encourage to happen with each group.

Conversations with other community members…

A church group may have strong connections to the local area, or they may feel that they do not know it at all. In either situation, it is important to consider what assumptions the group makes about the neighbourhood, and that they test these assumptions.  This is done through mapping exercises, and community surveys, but also in going to speak with individuals and groups in the wider area: other faith groups; schools and colleges; shops and businesses; health centers and housing associations. This helps to build relationships with those in the area who may already have an interest in making the community a better place to be, and to invite and encourage their contribution. Holding this conversation is key for getting beyond assumptions about what is needed in the area, ensuring that what takes place isn’t about ‘doing to’ others, but walking with them.

Conversations with other church members…

As people develop different interests and enthusiasms in a group, part of laying the groundwork is connecting to a sense of common identity and purpose in deciding what the best routes are to take together.  Key questions here are about the values or presence that make a group who they are, and what they have to offer. If we want to be an hospitable presence, what does that mean in practice? How does that impact how we treat other people? If we want to be a peaceful presence in a busy community – what should our drop-in be like? Holding this conversation is key for recognizing that our methods are as important as our tasks: running a drop-in is not the same as being welcoming.

Conversations in prayer….

Prayer roots our activity in God’s activity, helping us to recognize that there is a bigger picture of God’s love and grace being outworked in the world, and it is this love and grace in which we participate when we take action for community transformation. Prayer engages us with the sacred, the sacred that is beyond our determination or control and can be found inside and outside the church walls. Prayer also connects us to a sense of worship, that we bring our celebrations and our laments about our church and community to a God who always hears us. Holding this conversation is key for recognizing that spirituality and activism belong together in church-rooted community transformation.

Laying the groundwork is not an automatic, step-by-step process. It is not the case that if you complete 12 exercises then you will be ‘ready to go’; there’s no pass/fail test. This makes it complicated to judge how long things will take, and when the right time will be to move on to the next stage. However, as has been indicated, laying the groundwork includes building relationships with others in the community and the church. As a result, this discernment should bring us closer to reality rather than further away from it, and any development of projects should flow from these three ongoing conversations.