2007 Pre-Conference Events

Since all Christians can benefit from learning biblical principles of conflict resolution, each year Peacemaker Ministries provides a variety of training events prior to our Peacemaker Conference. These training events are for churches and individuals who wish to learn how to apply God's Word to any type of conflict and to respond in a way that glorifies Him. Plan to make the most of your trip to Charlotte by attending one of the pre-conference training events.

(For complete details on these training events and registration, click on the event title. The events listed require pre-registration, unless otherwise noted. Most events have pre-requisites. Pre-conference and conference attendees are responsible for arranging their own accommodations.)*

Plan to make the most of your trip to Charlotte by attending one of the pre-conference training events:

• Conflict Coaching & Mediation Training - September 18 - 20; training begins at 7:30 a.m. on the 18th and 8 a.m. on the 19th and 20th.
  
  Conflict Coaching and Mediation Training are foundational in building a Culture of Peace in your church. This training is designed for those serving in a Reconciliation Ministry, on a Peacemaking Team, or providing ministry to others in conflict.Conflict Coaching will provide you with tools to help guide an individual toward Christ-like behavior in a personal conflict with another individual. You will learn how to provide encouragement, godly advice, prayer support, and informal instruction in basic peacemaking principles.  Mediation training builds on the principles and concepts taught in Conflict Coaching, focusing specifically on the skills needed to facilitate reconciliation between two or more people who are unable to resolve a conflict on their own.. Mediation training will teach communication and problem-solving skills as well as addressing problems most frequently encountered during mediation. This training is the stepping-stone to further peacemaking training!  Please note:  these comprise two different courses and two different registration forms.
• Teaching Peacemaking Cross-Culturally - September 18 - 20; training begins at 7:30 a.m. each day.
  
  In a world of conflict and strife, peacemakers from around the world want to teach and encourage others to live at peace and positively impact their communities through their passion for peacemaking. The "peace of God" that Christians pursue is not the result of passively withdrawing from the world. Rather, it is the fruit of actively and fully engaging in conflicts that arise in everyday life, as well as in more complex societal issues, in ways that bring honor and glory to God. This course is designed to equip people interested in learning how to teach peacemaking and other biblical principles in a cross-cultural setting. It will be a valuable resource if you plan to participate in or teach as part of a short-term mission trip involving another culture, whether in the United States or internationally. We live in extraordinary times where the speed of travel and the increasing capacity for connecting electronically, make it possible to reach the world for Christ in ways never before possible. Join us as we think strategically about ways to teach peacemaking cross-culturally. 
• Case Administration Training - September 20, 2007; training begins at 9 a.m.
  
  If your church has a Reconciliation ministry, a Peacemaking Team, or if you are serving conflicted parties in complex disputes, good case administration will be essential. This training is designed to teach case administration for mediation and arbitration cases using the ICC Rules of Procedure. Case administration may be described as the process of assisting people in conflict and the conciliators who serve them. The Case Administrator is an encourager, facilitator, and scheduler who manages the process for the parties and conciliators. Using lecture, case studies and role-plays to explain Case Administration, this training will cover the topics of data gathering and management, fund management, and assisting the parties and conciliators to follow the ICC Rules of Procedure so you can provide an important "P" - Process Satisfaction. (Attendees must have completed the Conflict Coaching/Mediation Training.)
• Certification Course - September 18 - 20; training begins at 7:30 a.m. each day.
  
  This training is part of the Certification Program, which leads to certification as a Certified Christian Conciliator™. This training event is designed to help you provide services for resolving conflicts in more difficult conflicts that may have more parties and issues, with more intensity and complexity. This training also provides an introduction to an arbitration process that can be used within a church setting and conducted by people who are not attorneys or professional counselors. It is a three-day, living training event, involving instruction in the form of lectures, demonstrations, individual exercises to assist in the application of specific skills, and a half-day role-play. In the role-play, each participant will conduct a case that transitions from mediation to a simple arbitration requiring a written decision. (Attendees must have completed the Conflict Coaching/Mediation Training. Application and enrollment into the Certification program not required.)
• Reconciling Church Conflict - September 18 - 20; training begins at 8 a.m. each day.
  
  When a church experiences conflict, the results can be devastating; couples divorce, families are torn apart, pastors resign, churches split, and our witness for Christ is lost. Conflict robs people of their perspective. In fact, churches in conflict are usually there because they have lost their perspective. It doesn't have to be like this. One of the roles of a peacemaker is to help pastors or other church leaders responding to conflict regain a biblical perspective. This training brings together experienced and skilled Christian conciliators to help attendees prepare to intervene in organizational conflicts (church congregations and other large groups). This intensive course is for those who are working with churches and other religious groups experiencing organizational conflict or those seeking to establish and facilitate biblical conflict resolution ministries within their church. (Attendees must have completed the Conflict Coaching/Mediation Training.)
• Reconciling Marital Conflict - September 19 - 20; training begins at 8 a.m. each day.
  
  Marriages are in danger today, and although many things can cause martial conflict, divorce becomes the only option when hopelessness pushes people over the edge. Couples who have endured years of frustration and disappointment, hoping that somehow things would improve, find the one moment when they just give up hope. They frequently ask, "why should I go on being miserable when there is no hope of things ever getting better?" Peacemakers have a unique opportunity to shed the light of the gospel into the dark tunnel of marital conflict. This course is designed to bring together highly experienced and skilled Christian conciliators to help lead attendees in an in-depth training for those who intervene in the deeply painful conflicts in marriages. This training will address the unique emotional, spiritual, and practical aspects inherent in conflicted marriages, providing attendees with the processes and skills to assist couples who are experiencing marital conflict while working toward reconciliation. (Attendees must have completed the Conflict Coaching/Mediation Training.)
• Walking Redemptively Through Divorce  - September 20; training begins at 9 a.m.
  
  In spite of religious convictions or commitment to marriage, many Christians find themselves in a divorce - either by their choice or against their will. Emotions run rampant and a court process can push these emotions to the brink. Coping with the consequences in the years after divorce can be overwhelming, especially when children are involved. When Christians are caught up in the painful whirlwind of a divorce, or the consequences thereafter, what can a friend, family member, lawyer, and church do to help them go through it redemptively? This course will teach attendees how to help people in divorce work through the necessary decisions and agreements in a biblically faithful manner to help preserve future and family relationships. The training includes the use of case studies. (Attendees must have completed the Conflict Coaching/Mediation Training.)

Conflict surrounds us every day. It's in the news, it's in the workplace, and it's even in our homes. Learning how to face conflict biblically is what applying the basic peacemaking principles is all about. But there is so much more we can do as peacemakers! Scripture calls us to teach, admonish, encourage and build each other up, (Col. 3:16, I Th. 5:11). In fact, our unity is through the bond of peace as we "make every effort" (Eph. 4:3). As your peacemaking ministry to others expands in practicing these scriptures, consider taking the following training courses to help prepare you to "spur one another toward love and good deeds" (Heb. 10:24).

*All pre-conference events will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center. For this year's conference, accommodations are right across the street at the Hilton Charlotte Center City hotel (501 S. College St., Charlotte, NC  28202; (704) 339-6000). The Hilton is connected to the convention center and is located just 15 minutes from Charlotte International Airport.

For your convenience, a block of rooms have been reserved at a discounted rate at the Hilton. To register or for more information on the hotel, visit the special Hilton website set up for this event. You may also make your reservations by phone at 877-667-7213 (use code PEA to receive the discounted rate). Make your reservations early, as these blocks of rooms fill up quickly.