Conflict is normal and inevitable – but Christians often feel ill-prepared to handle conflict in the church. The Skills Training Course for Mediation and Facilitation in the Church is designed to equip Christians with practical skills for responding constructively to conflict. This five-day course explores conflict within us, between individuals and within the congregation. The course aims to raise self-awareness, to develop understanding of conflict and to teach methods to facilitate resolution and transformation of conflicts, particularly through mediation. Although focussed primarily on the church setting, the skills learned are transferable to other areas of life.

Bridge Builders, the training and mediation service of the London Mennonite Centre, invites all those interested in addressing conflicts within the church to take part in the course. The course is being held residentially in London for the first time at the Guy Chester Centre. Spaces are limited, but we retain a desire to have a breadth of denominations represented, as in previous years. Course participants will be invited to join our Bridge Builders’ Network, of Christians around Britain involved in transforming church conflict.

The course will include teaching, group work and guided practice. Active and practical in focus, the sessions will emphasise hands-on skills training and use role-plays based on the kinds of conflicts encountered in the church. Each day will include times of prayer and worship. The course is intensive, and includes evening sessions on the Tuesday and Wednesday; significant other commitments are best avoided during the week.

Presenters
Colin Patterson is is assistant director of Bridge Builders, and an Anglican priest. He has worked as a training officer for the Diocese of Durham, is an experienced adult educator and is author of the Grove booklet How to Learn Through Conflict.

Sharon Kniss is a trainer and mediator with Bridge Builders. She is a Mennonite from the United States, with a degree in Justice, Peace and Conflict Studies from Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia.

Jo Williams is a regional tutor with Northern Baptist College. She works as a trainer and mediator in the North West of England, and is a member of the Building Good Relations Project and Conflict Reduction Group in Burnley.

Meals and Accommodation
The course is mostly residential with accommodation provided from Sunday evening to Thursday evening, and with meals provided each day from Monday breakfast until Friday lunch time, of breakfast, lunch and evening meal, in single or shared room accommodation at the Guy Chester Centre in Muswell Hill, London N10 1PR (see www.chestercentre.org.uk). There are a few non-residential places available, with lunch and two evening meals provided.

Cost, Application and Cancellation
The standard cost for the course is £650. Precedence is given to applicants sponsored by their church or organisation, and who may use the training for its benefit, or to enhance their own ministry. If you are on a very low income, then please contact us to see whether a bursary may be available. Two training manuals and a style profile are included in the fee.

Spaces are limited to a maximum of 24, so do apply early, as these courses are regularly over-subscribed. To apply, download the brochure and application form, print out the application and mail it, with a cheque for £100 made payable to Bridge Builders, to

Bridge Builders
London Mennonite Centre
14 Shepherds Hill
London N6 5AQ

The balance of the fee is due eight weeks before the start of the course. Once accepted, the £100 deposit is a non-refundable. The full fee is owed if a place is cancelled within six weeks of the course start date.

Programme Overview

Sunday 2 March
Arrival between 5:00-10:00pm (no evening meal provided)

Monday 3 March (9:00am-6:00pm)
• Conflict and Faith: Our Call to Peacemaking • Introduction to Conflict • Understanding Conflict and Ourselves in Conflict • Your Personal Style Profile for Communication at Work • Communication Skills

Tuesday 4 March (9:00am-1:00pm, 3:30-6:00pm, 7:30-9:00pm)
• Power: A Self-Assessment • Understanding Conflict and Negotiation • Mediating Conflict Between Individuals: An Overview of the Process • Mediation Skills Practice: The Introduction and Story-Telling Stages

Wednesday 5 March (9:00am-1:00pm, 3:30-6:00pm, 7:30-9:00pm)
• Mediation Skills: Listening and Reframing • Mediation Skills Practice:
The Problem-Solving and Healing Stages • Mediation Skills Practice:
The Agreement Stage and Private Meetings

Thursday 6 March (9:00am-6:00pm)
• Mediation Skills: Further Practice • Ethical Dilemmas in Mediation • Facilitation Skills: Group Decision-Making Principles, Strategies and Tools

Friday 7 March (9:00am-4:30pm)
• Facilitation Skills: Planning Process • Dialogue Tools and Techniques • Levels of Conflict and Using Outside Help • Conclusion and Review

Download the brochure and application form for this course. (in pdf format)