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Introduction
Taking a synodal path in the generation of Catholic social thought, teaching, and action calls for a deeper engagement of the whole people of God. Synodality moves beyond merely consulting the laity for their practical experience or technical knowledge by taking seriously their faith experience and theological insights. By mobilising synergies between a community engagement approach to practical theology and existing elements of the Catholic social justice tradition, theologians and bishops can contribute to the development of new expressions of synodality in relation to thought and action on social, economic and ecological justice.
This article will describe a community engagement approach to practical theology, and identify synergies with the Catholic social justice tradition. It will then note and reflect on previous attempts in Australia to expand participation in the development of local Catholic social teaching. Finally it will explore four possible directions for the development of new expressions of synodality in Catholic social justice teaching and action in Australia: co-responsibility for agenda-setting; open-ended processes; uncovering the theological insights of the community; and structures for shared leadership and collaboration.
A Community Engagement Approach to Practical Theology
S.R. Arnstein's seminal article on citizen participation, written in the 1960s, presented degrees of participation as ascending rungs on a ladder.1 The terms 'participation' and 'engagement' are used in a variety of ways in Australia today. For some non-government organisations, businesses and government agencies, 'community engagement' seems simply to be new language for public relations; on the other hand, there has also been significant systematic thinking about community engagement. For example, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency's engagement framework2 draws on both the International Association for Public Participation's stakeholder engagement model3 and AccountAbility's 'Stakeholder Engagement Standard'4 to identify four levels of 'engagement.' These are: inform (inform or educate stakeholders in one-way communication), consult (limited two-way communication in which stakeholders provide answers to questions, supplying information to inform decisions), engage (two-way or multi-directional communication to gain information and feedback from stakeholders throughout the process to ensure that issues are understood and considered), and collaborate (partner with stakeholders or groups of stakeholders for the development of mutually agreed solutions and joint plans of action).5
How might this inform our approach to practical theology and the development of Catholic social teaching?