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This five-day residential course, designed for those in senior church roles (see below), is focussed on conflict in church and other Christian settings, and through the themes of leadership, discipleship and community will help you to be a more resilient leader, and to understand more of the work of reconciliation in practice for a community of faithful disciples. Drawing on the Bridge Builders’ theological roots in the Mennonite tradition, the course explores the call of all Christians to be entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, that begins with facing and blessing enemies, and calls us to live faithfully in a spirit of power, of love and of self-control.
Attend this course if you want to:
The course includes teaching, group work and guided practice. Active and practical in focus, the sessions provide hands-on skills training and use role-plays based on the kinds of conflicts encountered in the church and other settings. Each day includes times of prayer and worship. It is designed specifically for senior Christian leaders such as Bishops, Archdeacons and others in the senior staff team (Anglican and Roman Catholic), Regional Ministers (Baptist), District Chairs (Methodist), Divisional Commanders (Salvation Army), Moderators (URC), or equivalents in other denominations and other Christian settings. Those in local church leadership should book on the standard Transforming Conflict 1 course. If in doubt, then please contact Liz Griffiths liz@bbministries.org.uk to enquire.
Transforming Conflict 1: Leadership, Discipleship and Community for Senior Christian Leaders (formerly called Transforming Church Conflict for Senior Church Leaders) serves as the foundation for further Bridge Builders courses. It builds on our experience of leading similar training since 1996, and our commitment to peace-making.
The course is intensive and includes some evening sessions; we strongly recommend avoiding any other commitments during the week.
Liz Griffiths is Director of Training for Bridge Builders. She is an Anglican Priest and has a broad experience of both parish ministry and adult education. Liz has worked in city centre and urban estate parishes, and as Vice-Principal of the Eastern Region Ministry Course, helping to train ordained and lay ministers.
Rupert Ward is a Bridge Builders Training Partner. He leads a church in the centre of Edinburgh and is increasingly devoting time to training and facilitation of leadership groups in other churches & charities. He has trained in facilitation, counselling and theology.
Sandra Cobbin is an independent trainer, mediator and consultant based in Glasgow and working all over the UK. Her work focuses on resourcing church leaders through leadership development, including finding ways to explore power and leadership. She also works with leadership teams in churches, cathedrals and in the charity sector.
Sunday 27 April: arrival from 5:00pm; dinner 6:15pm; session at 7:30pm
Monday 28 April and Thursday 1 May: 9:00am-6:00pm
Tuesday 29 June and Wednesday 30 June: 9:00am-1:00pm, 3:30-6:00pm, 7:30-9:00pm
Friday 2 May: 9:00am-2:00pm
The full cost of the course is £1075.
A training manual, accommodation, meals and refreshments are included in the fee.
Bursaries: if you are on a low income, a bursary may be available to help cover the cost of attending. Please see the bursary information page.
To apply, add a ticket to your cart below. Applications remain provisional until Bridge Builders has received a deposit of £150. The balance of the fee is due eight weeks before the start of the course (i.e. by Monday 3 March 2025). Once accepted, the £150 deposit is non-refundable. The full fee is owed if a place is cancelled within eight weeks of the course start date (i.e. from Monday 3 March 2025 onwards). Please see our terms and conditions and data protection policy.
If no more places are available and you would like to be added to a waiting list, please contact us on 020 3968 4999 or email bb@bbministries.org.uk.
Please note: If a third party (eg. Diocese) is paying for your ticket, please book using your own name and contact details. Select direct bank transfer as the payment option and you will receive an order confirmation containing bank details. You can either pay directly, or forward the order confirmation to the third party for payment.
If you experience any difficulty logging into our website, please contact us on 020 3968 4999.
