Relationships have always been central to Franciscanism. St. Francis did not base his movement on praying or believing a certain way, like other religious groups before him, but let the movement grow out of transformed relationships among people and with the rest of creation.
Franciscans doing community organizing, often in inner cities, have for decades followed the organizing practice of “one-to-one relational meetings.” A one-to-one is a natural but uncommon conversation about values, motivations, and life stories. It is creating a sacred space where the Holy Spirit can enter and begin to build a deep relationship. The purpose of sitting down and doing a one-to-one is to build a relationship in which the Holy Spirit can reveal what may be a path forward for building the kingdom together. Its relationship-oriented with an honoring of the person and openness to what God might have in store for you, not agenda-oriented where you are trying to fit this person into your plan. These intentional conversations are a great joy in building up a community for doing faith-based justice work.
Download the outline and reflection sheets for doing one-to-ones here.
These documents have been utilized by faith-based community organizers for decades.