Conducting Reconciliation Activities --
A New Mission/Evangelistic Model
for Congregations -- and Other Organizations

       While Reconciliation activities may be conducted by anyone, Reconciliation as a congregational specialty may be especially attractive to suburban congregations who want to get themselves directly involved in doing mission and ministry in a hands-on way, but where the demographics of the congregation and its locality do not suggest that focusing on other common ministries is the best choice for that particular congregation.

      This model is described here because many models already exist for such common ministries to unmet community needs as soup kitchens, food pantries, transportation ministries, advocacy for the poor and homeless, etc. But what is a congregation to focus on for mission if such needs either are not prevalent in their locality, or are already being competently addressed by neighboring congregations (including those of another denomination or faith)?

      One possibility is to take undertake a mission and ministry of Reconciliation.  For instance, the congregation of Christ the King Episcopal Church, which is in a middle-class region of Santa Barbara, California, is engaged in Reconciliation activities both with an African-American congregation (of another denomination), and also with a Jewish congregation, both in the same community as Christ the King.  With members of the African-American congregation, the history of black-white relations in the US is explored, along with present-day emotions about various aspects of the history and current events.  Historical and present-day subjects such as slavery, segregation, economic justice, racially-motivated murders and bombings, etc. are covered, along with how to heal the emotional divisions caused by all these factors.  With the members of the Jewish congregation, the history of Christian-Jewish relations since the time of Christ are explored, including:

• massacres of Jews during the Crusades, when crusaders would enter a town, herd all the Jews into their synagogue, lock the doors, and burn it down
• the forced deportation of virtually all Jews from Spain during the 16th Century
• legal discrimination against and geographic ghettoization of Jews in many parts of Europe from the dark ages through World War II, and in some counties for decades thereafter.
• complicity of Christian churches with the Nazis and/or collaborating Fascists during the Holocaust
• present-day hate crimes, such as murders, synagogue bombings, synagogue desecrations with Nazi graffiti, etc.
• other examples of prejudice, such as social or business club membership restrictions or quotas, telling "Jewish jokes," etc.

These and other historical and present-day subjects are covered, along with how to heal the emotional divisions caused by all these factors.

A particular reconciliation group may consist of about 10 members from Christ the King parish and 10 from either the African-American or the Jewish congregation.  The group of 20 or so goes through the Reconciliation process described below, and then another group is formed, which goes through the same process.  Thus the overall Reconciliation relationship between the two congregations is an on-going activity.  In addition, the two congregations may take on joint service projects together, visit each others' religious services, etc.

Christ the King parish also houses the Reconciliation Institute, which is jointly sponsored by the parish and by the Institute for Freedom and Democracy, which is located in Washington, DC.  Many members of the parish, along with other persons, staff and support the Reconciliation Institute.  The Institute both teaches seminars on the Reconciliation process, and facilitates Reconciliation activities in the Santa Barbara community, and in Central Europe and Africa.

In the Reconciliation activities, part of what is taught is that the value of and the principles of reconciliation were modelled and taught in the life of Jesus of Nazareth -- the activities thus have a clear evangelistic/renewal component.

For more information on the Reconciliation Institute, click here.  For an example of an ECUSA national-level reconciliation effort -- the work of the New Commandment Task Force, which uses these principles -- click here.

According to the Reconciliation Institute, the conflict resolution negotiation process consists of five basic steps:

Step #1: The Parties Look at Themselves

• Needs
  1. What are our needs?
  2. What are we lacking?
• Values
  1. How do we define what is moral or right?
  2. What is important to us?
  3. What are we willing to "die in a ditch" for?
• Feelings
  1. How do we feel about this situation?

Step #2: The Parties Look at Each Other.

• Hearing and being heard
  1. People need to be heard
  2. Key step of the process
• Listing of concerns
• Sharing each others' stories

Step #3: The Parties Brainstorm Options

• Everything is possible.
• Importance of acceptance and a nonjudgmental atmosphere.

Step #4: The Parties Negotiate Solutions

• Solutions should focus not only on resolution of issues but on rebuilding of relationships.
• Should involve a principled approach.

Step#5: The Parties Memorialize the Agreement

• This can be done in written and/or symbolic form.

Note that in practice there is a great deal more to each step than is indicated above. Many of the additional details are given in the participant's manual of the Reconciliation Institute Basic Seminar. For more information, click here.

To download the brochure (Word 6.0 format) and registration information for the May 31-June 3, 2000 Seminar right click here, and save the link (file).  While this seminar has already been conducted, the brochure gives information applicable to future Reconciliation Institute Seminars.  

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This  page last updated 9/28/01.