Conflict is normal and inevitable – but Christian leaders often feel ill-prepared to handle conflict in the church. The Skills Training Course for Mediation and Facilitation for Senior Church Leaders is designed to equip leaders with practical skills for responding constructively to conflict. This acclaimed five-day course explores conflict within us, between individuals and within the church. The course aims to raise self-awareness, to develop understanding of conflict and to teach methods to facilitate resolution and transformation of conflicts within the church, particularly through the development of mediation and facilitation skills.

Bridge Builders, the training and mediation service of the London Mennonite Centre, invites senior church leaders to attend who want to equip themselves with practical peacemaking skills in the service of the church. The course is being held residentially at the Hayes conference centre in Derbyshire. Spaces are limited, but with the hope of wide ecumenical representation.

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and
has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18

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 conflicts faced 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; we strongly advise that any other commitments are best avoided during the week.

Presenters

Alastair McKay is director of Bridge Builders at the LMC, providing training, mediation and consultancy services to churches since 1996. Alastair has an MA in Conflict Transformation, and has contributed to the book Making Peace With Conflict (Herald Press, 1999).

Colin Patterson is an Anglican priest who joins Bridge Builders' staff in October 2005. He has worked as a training officer for the Diocese of Durham and is author of the recent Grove booklet How to Learn Through Conflict.

Who is the course for?
The course is designed for senior church leaders such as Bishops and senior staff (Anglican and Roman Catholic), Deans of Women’s Ministry (Anglican), Regional Ministers (Baptist), District Chairs (Methodist), Divisional Commanders (Salvation Army), Moderators (URC), or equivalents in other denominations. If in doubt, do contact us.

Accommodation and Meals
The course is residential with accommodation from Sunday night, 18 March, to Thursday night in individual rooms at The Hayes conference centre, Swanick, Derbyshire, DE55 1AU (see www.cct.org.uk). Meals are provided each day from Monday breakfast until Friday lunch time (but not on Sunday evening, for which you will need to make your own arrangements).

Cost, Application and Cancellation
The cost for the course is £675. Two training manuals and a style profile are included in the fee.

Spaces are limited to a maximum of 20, so do apply early, as our courses are regularly over-subscribed. To apply, download the flyer 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. Please note that the full fee is owed if a place is cancelled within six weeks of the course start date.

Programme Overview

Monday 19 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 20 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 21 March (9:00am-1:00pm, 3:30-5:30pm, 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 22 March (9:00am-6:00pm)
• Leadership and Anxiety in the Church • Levels of Conflict and Case Studies • Facilitation Skills: Group Decision-Making Principles, Strategies and Tools

Friday 23 March (9:00am-2:00pm)
• Facilitation Skills: Planning Process • Dialogue Tools and Techniques • Using Outside Help • Conclusion and Review

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