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ABOUT UNITY

EDUCATION

Congregational Peacemaking Process Overview

The primary objective of a congregational peacemaking process is to assist the leadership and community in creating a spiritual context within which all parties can demonstrate Unity principles and take authentic action towards whatever is highest and best for the congregation at large. No part of the peacemaking process evaluates the competence of leadership or the rightness of people's positions. It supports everyone's best efforts to find win/win solutions and discover healthy pathways to creating thriving, coherent and integral organization.

Below is a general overview of a peacemaking process that engages the entire congregation (minister, board, community). Congregational processes are implemented only when circumstances warrant the entire community participating in a peacemaking process. In many cases, conflicts and disputes can be resolved through small group mediation processes involving only the leadership or affected parties. Since each case is unique, this Process Overview is a general outline only and should not be construed as a guide for all peacemaking activities.

A congregational peacemaking process usually consists of three to five on-site visits by the peace worker or other consultants. The peacemaking process can be postponed or terminated at any time by the client ministry. Peacemaking is completely voluntary.

When to request assistance:

Conflict is only one indication that assistance may be warranted. Assistance should be requested when:

The minister/board relationship is uncomfortable.
The competence of the leadership is questioned.
There are significant fluctuations in church attendance or finances.
Hurt feelings, distrust or ill-will are present.
The viability of the organization is of major concern to the leadership or the congregation at large.
Prior to the congregation engaging in the ministerial search process.

Requests for assistance:

All requests for assistance go to the Director of Peacemaking and Transitional Services. Requests can come from the Minister, Board, the Minister and Board.
Each request is evaluated by the Director of Peacemaking and Transitional Services to determine if peacemaking is warranted and/or the best course of action on behalf of the ministry and parties making the request.
When there is disagreement between the minister and board, or the congregation and the leadership of the church regarding whether or not assistance is warranted, the party/parties initiating the request will be coached in following their church bylaws to resolve this issue.
When a financial hardship exists that would otherwise prohibit or delay a ministry receiving assistance, every effort will be made to assist the ministry in receiving support from their regional association providing that: (1) the client is willing to reimburse in a timely manner their region; (2) All parties involved (minister, board, congregation) are highly motivated to take ownership of issues and ensure the success of the peacemaking process; and, (3) the client ministry is not engaging Peacemaking services as a condition of a Plan of Action or as a condition to avoid a review by the Credentialed Leader/Ministry Review Team.

Assignment of peace worker/transitional consultant:

The Director of Peacemaking and Transitional Services will endeavor to assign a peace worker/transitional consultant with the competencies needed to meet the complexities of each individual case.
The Director of Peacemaking and Transitional Services will contact the regional representative, the vice president of Minister and Ministry Services and/or Ministry Employment Services.

Peace worker/client contracting:

The peace worker will contact minister and board president to: clarify the roles and purposes of the peacemaking process; outline the goals and the steps of the peacemaking process; and provide coaching to address immediate tensions.
The peace worker will send a letter/email regarding the logistics of first on-site visit (Education and Assessment); the goals and steps of the peacemaking process; and a contract between the client ministry and the peace worker regarding expenses and fees associated with the first visit. The client agrees to reimburse the peace worker for all expenses and fees associated with the first visit when services are rendered. In the event the client cancels, the client is responsible for all expenses incurred in the preparation of the visit (travel, car rental, etc.).
It is by mutual agreement and contract that subsequent visits are scheduled. The client is under no obligation to schedule subsequent processes unless obligated to do so as a condition of a CLMRT Plan of Action.

Education and assessment:

The peace worker generally meets with the minister and board (and others as warranted) for an informal meeting to discuss issues, observe parties' interactions, gain a general overview of the tensions and concerns of affected parties, identify client's needs and goals, and clarify the roles and objectives of the peacemaking process.
This step is not a formal information gathering session but is for the purpose of evaluating the client's capacity to work the peacemaking process in good faith, and providing coaching and support as necessary.
In addition, if warranted, a board/leadership training may be conducted by the peace worker/transition consultant during this first visit.
The peace worker/transition consultant meets with the congregation via a Sunday worship service, presenting the lesson and an afternoon workshop (The I of the Storm). This provides the peace worker/transitional consultant with insight into the community dynamics of the ministry as well as giving the community an opportunity to interact with the peace worker.
It is the responsibility of the peace worker/transitional consultant to share in enrolling the community and its leadership in subsequent processes if deemed warranted.
The peace worker/transitional consultant discusses the nature and structure of subsequent process, and contracts, if necessary, to implement them in a timely manner.
The client ministry is strongly encouraged to conduct an I of the Storm class using the Teacher's Guide prior to the community engaging in the Making Peace With Our Past process. If possible, it is best to have the class taught by a minister or licensed teacher who is not a part of the congregation.

Story Telling:

The Story Telling phase (Phase 1 of the Making Peace With Our Past process) is usually implemented on the second on-site visit.
Depending upon circumstances (size of ministry, whether or not a minister is a part of the system, etc.), a meeting with the leadership to discuss issues and to prepare them to participate as co-facilitators for the congregational process is very valuable.
Experience has demonstrated that the Story Telling phase should be done in two parts: a Friday evening session followed by a Saturday session. There are a variety of methods (structures) for conducting the Story Telling phase. Care is given to insure that the Story Telling phase is complete and inclusive of all who are affected by the conflicts prior to implementing the Healing Circle.
If a minister is present, Story Telling does not include the present era unless there are no tensions associated with the minister's presence.
Tensions associated with a current minister should be processed with a formal or modified information-gathering process combined with mediation among disputants.
If it is determined that a healing and reconciliation process is warranted, the peace worker will set the stage for this phase of the process.

Healing Circle:

The Healing Circle (Phase 2 of the Making Peace with our Past process) is implemented after there is sufficient client preparation to guarantee a high probability that the process will be beneficial to all concerned.
To this end, this phase includes individual coaching of key participants such as the minister, board and other disputants. The success of the process is highly dependent upon key individuals being authentic and in alignment with the principles underlying the healing process.
During this visit, small group mediation may be necessary in preparation for the larger congregational process.
Large group Healing Circles must be well structured and adhere to the principles and ground rules of the process (See Making Peace With Our Past: Guide for Facilitators Section).

Visioning and goal-setting:

The peace worker/transitional consultant assists the leadership and the community in a visioning and goal-setting process to address structural, systemic and cultural problems using The four Why's, Appreciative Inquiry or some other whole-system method.
When requested, the peace worker/transitional consultant will provide guidance and assistance in addressing specific issues that the client deems important.
In circumstances where the ministry is in the ministerial search process, the peace worker/transitional consultant may be requested to provide coaching to facilitate a healthy approach to this important process.

Capacity building:

The peace worker:

Encourages the leadership of the community to regularly attend ongoing education, regional and national conferences, and the Thriving Ministries Workshop.
Ideally, the peace worker maintains an ongoing contact with the client ministry, providing prayer, coaching and other support that may be needed down the road.
The process is officially closed when either the client or the peace worker deems that the client/consultant relationship has ended and peacemaking services are no longer desired or warranted.

Note: In the event that allegations of clergy misconduct or violations of Ministry/Ministry code of ethics emerge, the peacemaking process will be terminated.