A Synodal Church Toward a Dynamic Collaborative Christian Community

Abstract

Synodality is not explicitly found as a term or as a concept in the teaching of Vatican II, however, it is fair to say that synodal journey has been at the heart of the work of renewal of the Council. Fundamentally, synodality is about journeying together. This happens through listening to one another in order to hear what God is saying to all of us. It is realizing that the Holy Spirit can speak through anyone to help us walk forward together on our journey as the People of God. Indeed, synodality is not so much an event or a slogan as a style and a way of being by which the Church lives out her mission in the world. The mission of the Church requires the entire People of God to be on a journey together, with each member playing his or her crucial role, united with each other. A synodal Church walks forward in communion to pursue a common mission through the participation of each and every one of her members. The objective of this paper is to explore how synodality is an indispensable pastoral conversion for effective collaboration in Christian community in the parish.