In the Church and in society we are side by side on the same road.

In our local Church, who are those who “walk together”? When we say, ‘our Church,’ who is part of that? Who wants to journey with us? What groups or individuals are being left behind or lost from view? 

Listening is the first step - it requires an open mind and heart, without prejudice.  

Who do we need to hear from? How is God speaking to us through voices we sometimes ignore? How are lay people heard, especially women and young people? What helps or prevents our listening? How well do we listen to those on the peripheries and those with whom we disagree? What space is there for the voice of minorities, the discarded, and the excluded? What prejudices and stereotypes prevent our listening? How do we listen to the social and cultural context in which we live? 

Everyone is invited to speak boldly and courageously in freedom, truth, and love.

What helps or hinders us to speak out responsibly in our local Church and in society? When and how do we manage to say what is important to us? How are our relationships with the media? Who speaks on behalf of the Christian community and how are they chosen?

“Walking together” is only possible if it is based on communal listening to the Word and the celebration of the Eucharist.

How do prayer and liturgical celebrations inspire and guide our common life and mission? How might liturgical celebrations fail to do this? How do they inspire the most important decisions? How do we promote the active participation of everyone in the liturgy? 

Synodality (‘walking together’) serves the mission of the Church, in which we are all called to participate.

As missionary disciples, how is every baptised person called to participate in that mission? What stops us from being active in mission? How does our community support those of us who serve society in so many ways (social and political involvement, scientific research, education, promoting social justice, protecting human rights, caring for the environment, etc.)? How could we better support each other to live out our service to society in a missionary way?

Dialogue requires perseverance and patience, but it enables mutual understanding.

How do diverse peoples in our community gather for dialogue? What are the places and means of dialogue within our local Church? How do neighbouring parishes, communities and dioceses work with each other? What issues in the Church and society do we need to pay more attention to? What experiences of dialogue and collaboration do we have with believers of other religions and with those who have no religious connection? How does the Church dialogue with and learn from other sectors of society: politics, economics, culture, civil society, and those who live in poverty?

The dialogue between Christians of different confessions, united by one baptism, has a special place in the synodal journey.

What relationship does our Church community have with members of other Christian traditions and denominations? What do we share and how do we journey together? What fruits have we drawn from walking together? What are the difficulties? How can we take the next step in walking forward with each other?

A synodal church is a participatory and co-responsible Church.

How does our Church community identify the goals to be pursued, the way to reach them, and the steps to be taken? How is authority or governance exercised within our local Church? How are teamwork and co-responsibility practiced? How are things evaluated and who does this? How do we promote lay ministries and the responsibility of lay people? Are ‘synodal bodies’ effective at the level of the local Church (Parish and Archdiocesan Pastoral Councils, etc.)? How can we foster a more synodal approach in our participation and leadership?

In a synodal style we make decisions through discernment of what the Holy Spirit is saying through our whole community.

What methods and processes do we use in decision-making? How can they be improved? How do we promote participation in decision-making within the Church’s hierarchical structure? Do our decision-making methods help us to listen to the whole People of God? What is the relationship between consultation and decision-making, and how do we put these into practice? What tools and procedures do we use to promote transparency and accountability? How can we grow in communal spiritual discernment?

Synodality entails receptivity to change, formation, and on-going learning.

How does our church community form people to be more capable of “walking together,” listening to one another, participating in mission, and engaging in dialogue? What formation is offered to foster discernment and the exercise of authority in this synodal way?