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 Durham at Ushaw College. 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

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 joined 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.

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

Meals and Accommodation
The course is residential with meals provided each day from Monday lunch until Friday lunch time, of breakfast, lunch and evening meal, in single or shared room accommodation at the Ushaw College in Durham (see www.ushaw.ac.uk). There is the option of overnight bed and breakfast accommodation on the Sunday night.

Cost, Application and Cancellation
The cost for the course is £595 residential. 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 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. The full fee is owed if a place is cancelled within six weeks of the course start date.

Programme Overview

Monday 8 October (9:00am-5:30pm)
• 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 9 October (9:00am-1:00pm, 3:30-6:00pm, 7:30-8:45pm)
• 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 10 October (9:00am-1:00pm, 3:30-5:30pm, 7:30-8:45pm)
• Mediation Skills: Listening and Reframing • Mediation Skills Practice:
The Problem-Solving and Healing Stages • Mediation Skills Practice:
The Agreement Stage and Private Meetings

Thursday 11 October (9:00am-5:30pm)
• Mediation Skills: Further Practice • Ethical Dilemmas in Mediation • Facilitation Skills: Group Decision-Making Principles, Strategies and Tools

Friday 12 October (9:00am-4:30pm)
• Facilitation Skills: Planning Process • Dialogue Tools and Techniques • Levels of Conflict and Using Outside Help • Conclusion and Review

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