A futures approach to addressing parish conflict
The central idea behind the Peaceful Parish is to frame a parish conflict as a desire to restore Christian community in the future, rather than as a problem to be solved. This recognises the multi-layered nature of most parish conflicts, which often invoke complex histories of hurt and misunderstanding, which are often not easily remedied just through dialogue or mediation.
The Peaceful Parish seeks to help a parish transcend a conflict rather than (re)solve it. It rests on the belief that Christian scripture and teaching contain a vision of harmony and peaceful co-existence which can be realised through prayer, honest conversation, humility and forgiveness.
The Peaceful Parish offers a simple process with four main elements:
- Dwelling in the Word: reflecting on a scriptural passage about peaceful Christian community.
- Acknowledgment: that a parish community falls short of its members’ own understanding of Christian peacefulness.
- Re-envisaging: what the parish would look like if it were more peaceful using biblical hallmarks of Christian peace and a simple envisioning process.
- Movement: identifying simple personal and collective actions that will move the community in the direction of its vision as a peaceful parish.
The Peaceful Parish is about articulating shared aspirations and nurturing a willingness to travel together towards a more peaceful Christian future, rather than a specific plan or goal to be reached. Small changes can have big effects. It focusses peoples’ attention on moving into the future together, building on their strengths, rather than returning to some kind of idealised status quo.
If you are interested in having a Peaceful Parish workshop in your church, contact:
simon.keyes@bathwells.anglican.org Simon Keyes
Peacebuilding Adviser (vol)