The Centre for Theology and Community (CTC) hosted a participatory conference on the 19th November 2025 to listen, share, and learn about how faith-filled community organising can help weave trust in an era of populism.
The conference brought together guests from faith organisations, alongside academics from the UK, Germany, Italy, and Portugal. All participated and contributed to the first faith-filled community organising conference. The main project aims and outcomes are explored below:
1. Ongoing collaboration between delegations, building an international network of faith-based academics and practitioners, faith leaders
This outcome was achieved by creating intentional spaces throughout the conference for delegates to learn from one another, exchange practical insights, and build relationships grounded in shared values and challenges. Participants from faith organisations, practitioners and academics took part in structured presentations, facilitated discussions, and small-group exchanges that encouraged deep listening and mutual understanding. These sessions allowed guests to explore how faith communities across Europe are responding to rising social and political polarisation. Delegates also saw firsthand how faith-filled community organising can generate real change through concrete examples from campaigns rooted in faith communities to interfaith alliances addressing local inequalities.
As a result, the conference not only showcased effective faith-filled community organising models but also laid the groundwork for an ongoing international network through which faith leaders, practitioners and academics can continue learning from each other. This broad mix of participants helped strengthen ties between sectors and countries, making a strong case for sustained collaboration with faith actors. Through its participatory design, the conference achieved the outcome of long-term collaboration by ensuring that delegates left not only with knowledge but with new relationships capable of enhancing local and national cohesion across Europe.
2. Strengthened faith-rooted community organising as a model of social cohesion and civic participation, adaptable across European contexts.
This outcome was achieved by convening the first international gathering dedicated specifically to exploring the role of faith in community organising. The conference brought together faith leaders, practitioners and academics for a full day of collective reflection, enabling participants to compare approaches, share experiences, and articulate how faith traditions can inspire public engagement and civic participation. Through structured dialogue sessions, participants examined how strengthening the internal life of faith institutions – through relationship-building, leadership development, and local listening – creates the foundation for strong institutions.
Delegates contributed examples from across Europe, demonstrating how faith communities are being challenged or have adapted community organising in response to recent political and social pressures, including the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, migration debates, and the rise of right-wing populism. These contributions highlighted how faith remains both resilient and flexible, capable of addressing local needs while building bridges across differences. This shared reflection deepened collective understanding of what makes faith-filled community organising effective and transferable across diverse national and cultural contexts.
3. A published resource of insights, case studies, and reflections
The wide range of practical insights gathered during the conference is being compiled into a joint publication, offering a long-term resource for practitioners and researchers. This conference report captures the core lessons learned, the case studies shared, and the emerging questions that shape future faith-filled community organising efforts. The event and the conference report – that follows – will continue to serve as powerful tools for ongoing learning, inspiring further collaboration, and supporting the wider dissemination of faith-filled organising practices across Europe. The project’s legacy will extend well beyond the conference.
Conclusion
The conference demonstrated a growing appetite across Europe for deeper collaboration, shared reflection, and collective action rooted in faith and community organising. It brought together leaders and thinkers who are navigating increasingly complex social and political landscapes yet remain committed to building trust, strengthening relationships, and fostering resilient communities. The outcomes of the event, new international partnerships, a strengthened understanding of faith-rooted community organising, and a forthcoming publication mark an important step in developing a more connected and confident field of practice.
As Europe continues to face polarisation, populism, and social fragmentation, the lessons from this gathering underscore the importance of investing in faith-based civic leadership and in the community organising tools that help communities act together for the common good. The work initiated at this conference will continue to develop through ongoing collaboration, future shared projects, and a forthcoming publication that will extend these insights. Building on the energy of the event, we hope to undertake a research project in each participating country (and maybe others) to gather case studies of effective practice and co-create the first Faith-Filled Community Organising toolkit and resource library.
This research is both relevant and urgent. Across all the countries represented, faith communities are navigating rising polarisation, the spread of populist narratives, and increasing pressure on democratic culture. At the same time, they hold trusted relationships, moral authority, and a commitment to the common good, that positions them uniquely to bridge divides. A research project may offer timely guidance to faith leaders, practitioners and policymakers who are seeking constructive, hopeful ways to strengthen civic life in the current context. Insights could speak directly to challenges unfolding now and will help shape a proactive rather than reactive response.
This may allow not only to understand the unique challenges and strengths within each context, but also to produce shared resources that can be used across countries and promoted as a constructive counter-narrative to populism.