Faith-rooted Community Organising (FRCO) is about living our Christian faith by coming together to work for change. Rooted in Methodist heritage, FRCO involves building connections, gathering people and using our collective power to act for justice, change and transformation in our churches and communities, all grounded in the love of God.
FRCO is about putting faith into action. It begins with listening: discovering where God is already at work, building relationships and partnerships, and finding practical ways to make a difference to those around us. Through this, we can help your church grow in confidence to act for justice in your community, rooted in faith and led by love.
Imagine what could grow when churches start by listening. Through Faith Rooted Community Organising, we have seen new faith and possibilities emerge in all kinds of places; from a warm space that has become a weekly community meal where faith and friendship are shared around the table, to a Muddy Church where faith and spirituality are explored surrounded and immersed in God’s creation. The practice of FRCO helps these stories take root, turning compassion into justice-seeking action and ordinary relationships into signs of God’s transforming love.
Bringing Fresh Energy to Church Life
FRCO weaves a thread of justice through the District’s ongoing work in Church Development and New Places for New People gatherings.
Church Development
It can bring fresh energy to established churches by helping congregations reconnect with their communities, listen afresh, and build relationships beyond the physical walls. Many churches find that as they engage locally through conversation, shared action, and prayer, energy grows, leaders emerge, and faith feels alive again. It’s about becoming the kind of flourishing, missional communities we are called to be, joining in with what God is already doing on our doorstep.
New Places for New People
FRCO also supports the development of and the creation of New Places for New People; creative forms of worship and community life that speak to those outside the established Church. We want to continue growing communities of faith that are flourishing, outward-looking, and shaped by local relationships. FRCO helps ensure we are working alongside our communities, particularly with those most affected by inequality, and nurturing new life where the Spirit is moving.
Rooted in the God for All Vision
FRCO is part of the Methodist Church’s God for All vision, helping us live out our calling to be a growing, evangelistic, justice-seeking, and inclusive Church. It is a practical expression of following the way of Jesus: listening to people’s stories, standing alongside those on the margins, and working together for God’s justice and peace. Through Faith Rooted Community Organising, we turn compassion into action and hope into change, joining in with God’s transforming work in our communities.
Get Involved
If you’d like to explore how your church can get involved please get in touch with our FCRO lead, Suzanne Morton. Email: Suzanne.morton@methodist-nd.org.uk
Let’s listen, learn and act together; rooted in faith and led by love.