Conflict in Ministry
Delivered by Place for Hope, and hosted by Cliff College as part of the Methodist Church's Positive Working Together initiative, this four-session course will equip you to navigate conflict well, transform relationships and enable people to flourish and have better relationships in church life.
Difficult conversations are part of church life and ministry. It is essential to prepare well for this by understanding ourselves better in conflict situations, and by learning skills and tools to help respond to a potentially escalating conflict well. This course will equip you to navigate conflict well, transform relationships and allow all people to flourish and have better relationships in church life. Whether you are already a church minister, in training for an ordained or lay leadership role, or a church member interested in facilitating healthier relationships and growth in your church, this course will give you practical guidance and develop your skills in this area.
Course Content
Over four sessions, this course will explore:
- What do we understand by conflict and how do we respond to it?
- What tips and tools help us keep conflict from escalating?
- How do we deal with patterns of high conflict behaviours that can be destructive?
- How can I care for myself when dealing with challenging situations and relationships?
- What tips and tools can be helpful when facilitating difficult conversations?
- What do I need to practice more of to help me develop my skills and gifts further?
Place for Hope accompanies and equips people and faith communities so that all might reach their potential to be peacemakers who navigate conflict well.
Place for Hope aims to resource the church and wider faith communities with peacemakers and to accompany groups navigating conflict and difficult conversations in our faith communities.
The core values of Place for Hope include:
- Courage and compassion – being bold and working with loving kindness.
- Challenge and trust – unafraid to go to the difficult, uncomfortable places, and going there with care, humanity, and empathy.
- Inspiration and effectiveness – fostering prophetic and creative voices alongside workable approaches.
- Integrity and fairness – honouring our differences and diversity and enabling respectful processes.
Find out more about the work of Place for Hope on their website.
This course runs online on Tuesday afternoons in November 2023, starting on 7 November, from 1:30-5pm. The cost of this course is £120.00 and includes all teaching materials and tutorial support.
A non-refundable deposit of £24 secures your place on the course, and is payable either by card or by BACS when booking. The balance of fees should be paid up to two weeks before the course commences.