SCCs/BEC Asia Synodality
Small Christian Communities (SCCs) and Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) are places where synodality can take root and be practiced in everyday Christian life.
SCCs/BECs are rooted in the life of the local Church and gathered around the Word of God, they offer opportunities for the baptized to listen to one another, discern together, share responsibility and participate in the Church’s mission. Through these everyday practices, SCCs/BECs shape how people live their faith, make decisions together and reach out to others in implementing synodaliity.
SCCs/BECs: Listening to the Word and Discerning Together
Gathering around the Word of God, members of SCCs/BECs share their faith and life experiences and listen attentively to one another. Through prayer, dialogue and communal discernment, they seek to recognize the guidance of the Holy Spirit and respond to the challenges of their lives in the light of the Word.
This way of listening calls for openness, mutual respect and a willingness to learn from one another. It also requires particular attention to voices that are often unheard, especially those of the poor and marginalized. Such practices resonate with the spirit of ‘Conversation in the Spiri’t, which invites participants to listen attentively to one another and seek together what the Holy Spirit may be asking of the community.
Through this process, members can grow in faith, deepen their understanding of one another and contribute to a Church in which every baptized person is valued and encouraged to take part in its life and mission.
SCCs/BECs: Participation and Co-responsibility in the Church
Synodality calls all the baptized to participate actively in the life and mission of the Church. Through SCCs/BECs, members have opportunities to share their gifts, contribute their experiences and insights, take part in communal discernment and assume responsibility for the life of their communities and the Church.
The Final Document of the Synod highlights the significance of SCCs/BECs:“In many regions of the world, small Christian communities or basic ecclesial communities are the terrain where meaningful relationships of closeness and reciprocity can flourish, offering the opportunity to experience synodality concretely.” (no. 117)
The Final Document also affirms that “no one simply receives formation: everyone is an active subject and has something to give to others” (no. 144). This points to a Church in which the faithful are not merely recipients of pastoral care, but contribute actively, according to their gifts and vocation, to the life and mission of the community.
In communion with their pastors, parishes and local Churches, SCCs/BECs can bring the voices, experiences and hopes of people at the grassroots into the Church’s ongoing discernment and mission. In this way, they can foster relationships between the faithful and their pastors and strengthen a shared sense of responsibility.
This vision also resonates with the experience of the Churches in Asia. The FABC 50 Bangkok Document recalls the commitment made at the FABC Plenary Assembly in Bandung in 1990 to pursue “a new way of being Church” by promoting the growth of BECs as “our most concrete expression of a truly participatory Church” (no. 18, n. 2).
SCCs/BECs: Living the Word and Reaching Out in Mission
Synodality is directed towards mission. As the Church listens and discerns together, it is called to respond to the realities of people’s lives and to share the joy of the Gospel through concrete action.
SCCs/BECs are called to look beyond their own members and respond to the needs of their neighbours and society. Faith shared and nurtured in community can bear fruit in care for the poor, solidarity with those who suffer, and commitment to justice, peace and human dignity.
The FABC 50 Bangkok Document calls SCCs/BECs to become “catalysts of renewal in society” (no. 148). It emphasizes that synodality involves more than dialogue and communication; it also calls for accompaniment and journeying together. SCCs/BECs are therefore challenged to look beyond their own concerns and contribute to the life and well-being of society.
In many SCCs/BECs, this mission takes shape through sharing the Word of God, listening to one another’s life experiences and responding together to the needs of their neighbours. Through these practices, communities connect faith with daily life and contribute to the Church’s mission in their local contexts.
SCCs/BECs: Growing Together as a Synodal and Missionary Church
Through listening, communal discernment, participation and service, SCCs/BECs can help synodality take root in everyday Christian life. In communion with their pastors and local Churches, they contribute to the ongoing renewal of a Church that values the gifts of all the baptized, shares responsibility and reaches out in mission.
As SCCs/BECs across Asia share their experiences and learn from one another, we are invited to discern together how our communities can grow in participation, inclusion and missionary commitment, walking together in the light of Christ.
Synod of Bishops. For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission — Final Document (2024), especially nos. 7, 50, 60, 86, 107, 117, 123 and 144. Read the document
Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC). FABC 50 General Conference — Bangkok Document (2023), especially nos. 18, 46, 86, 118, 148, 149, 155 and 158. Read the document