Events and Training


The Peacemaker Seminar

The Peacemaker Seminar teaches the biblical principles of personal conflict resolution and provides practical applications for family, business, church, and legal conflicts. Since all Christians are called to be peacemakers, this seminar is appropriate for every Christian. Church leaders who assist others in their conflicts and who teach others will find this seminar especially helpful for leading their people to respond to conflict in a biblically faithful manner. Lay Christians will also learn how to resolve conflict in their own lives using biblical principles.

The topics covered in The Peacemaker Seminar include:
  • Understanding conflict and our responses to it
  • The opportunities provided by conflict
  • How to examine yourself and your role in conflict
  • When and how to confront others effectively
  • How to glorify God, even in difficult circumstances
  • What forgiveness really looks like
  • How to "divorce proof" your marriage
  • How to achieve genuine reconciliation
  • How to deal with unreasonable people
Once a leader has attended a Peacemaker Seminar, he or she is encouraged to teach the principles to other church leaders, church members, and Bible study groups. Resources are made available at the seminar for teaching others in group settings or coaching individuals in specific conflicts.

Benefits of Hosting a Peacemaker Seminar

As Christians living in a sinful world, we have often adopted the world's way of dealing with conflict. Although we should know better, we often respond to conflict by trying to escape or by attacking others. When we do, relationships are damaged, businesses and careers suffer, and the witness of the church is weakened.

In the Peacemaker Seminar, participants learn how to reverse this problem. They study key biblical passages and acquire new tools for remembering the basic principles and applying them in everyday conflicts. Past participants report how they have used these basic tools and principles to resolve everything from family squabbles to complicated lawsuits. You and your people will be challenged to apply these principles in the same way in the family, church, and workplace to resolve conflict in a loving, firm, and constructive manner. As you and others apply these principles, conflict will not disappear from your organization. In fact, initially you may have to deal with more conflict. As your people become more sensitive to God's call for peace, they will stop covering up the conflict that already exists among them. They will begin to discuss and resolve their differences more honestly and constructively, and old conflicts will be identified and eliminated from your church as new peacemaking skills are put into practice. As a result, the time and energy that is currently being wasted on escaping from conflict or attacking others will be redirected to honoring God, serving others, growing to be like Christ, and witnessing to the unbelieving world.

Each registrant at the Peacemaker Seminar receives a 30-page study guide for note-taking during the seminar and for use following the presentation. Additional copies of the Peacemaker Seminar Guide are available from Peacemaker Ministries in volume discount quantities for local teaching use.

The seminar usually runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, though the schedule is easily adaptable to fit the host's needs. Should the host organization desire to schedule a lunch or other activity during the seminar, case-by-case schedule arrangements can be made. The seminar is usually taught by one instructor. A book table featuring all of the materials available from Peacemaker Ministries accompanies each seminar so that participants can purchase materials that will help them in carrying out their peacemaking work.

If you are interested in hosting a Peacemaker Seminar, please contact:

Neil Evans Phone 09 414 9800
Email neil.evans@gazeburt.co.nz
or alternatively
Shona Sorensen Phone 09 535 9101
Email info@resolve.org.nz.

The Reconciler Training Programme and Practicum

The reconciler training programme is designed to equip you to intervene in other people's conflicts and help them resolve their differences in a way that honours God by demonstrating the reconciling power of Jesus Christ.

The training builds on the basic peacemaking you have already learned in the Peacemaker Seminar. It is designed to help you:

  • Appreciate more fully the scriptural processes for resolving conflict
  • Discern the true nature and causes of conflict
  • Apply biblical peacemaking principles in your own life so that you can model them to others
  • Learn when it is appropriate for you to intervene in conflicts of others
  • Select the most helpful conciliation role
  • Develop skills for biblical conflict coaching, mediation and arbitration


The training will give you a solid framework as you read the extensive 90 page manual which also has additional useful forms. In addition there are a series of teaching tapes which will inspire and equip you prior to the practicum training.

The training is brought together when you attend a 2 day practicum where you will put peacemaking theory into practice. You will work through a mediation using biblical principles step by step. You will gain experience by participating in mediations based on actual cases. You will build confidence in what God can do through you to help people in conflict. You will be able to offer help and hope to people in conflict.

The training is designed primarily for Christian leaders and gifted lay people who wish to promote peace within their local church or ministry. It is therefore suitable for:

  • Pastors, elders, counsellors, and other church leaders who wish to facilitate biblical conflict resolution within their congregation
  • Leaders in parachurch ministries or Christian- owned businesses
  • Gifted lay people who wish to serve as peacemakers in their churches, communities or places of employment
  • Professionals such as lawyers, counsellors, mediators and arbitrators who wish to develop a biblically faithful approach to conflict resolution.

You will be able to offer help and hope to people in conflict.

Training Dates 2009

September 11-12
RECONCILER TRAINING COURSE - Laidlaw College - Auckland (this will be the last course for 2009 - book ahead of time to make sure you don't miss out) Venue to be advised.

RECONCILER TRAINING COURSE:

For more information, and to register for our next course, please contact us by phoning 09 535 9101 or email to info@resolve.org.nz. We reserve the right to cancel if the required minimum numbers are not met by the RSVP date.

Protocol for Resolve Mediator Accreditation

The following outline details the accreditation process for mediators trained by Resolve. It needs to be understood that there are two levels of accreditation in this process.

  1. (Level 1) A person who has completed a resolve organised and taught course of training. Graduates who successfully complete this program will receive a Certificate of Completion from resolve

  1. (Level 2) A "resolve Accredited Mediator". This person has completed Level 1 above and has elected to go on and complete the supervised practical components, commit to some extra professional development and submit to a level of supervision as described below.

Part 1

  1. The resolve trained mediator will have completed the resolve Biblical Conflict Resolution This course has (as of January 2007) three modules that need to be completed

i. Peacemaker (1 day course)

ii. Coaching and negotiation for conflict resolution, (1 day course)

iii. Mediating Conflict for reconciliation (2 day course)

  1. Successful completion will be acknowledged with a Certificate of Completion. Completion does not guarantee coaching and /or mediation work from resolve. However the graduate is encouraged to take their skills back into their church or community and to begin to grow their experience in these areas of ministry. Graduates are encouraged to take part in Resolve Professional Development sessions (between 0.5 - 1.0 days each) which are offered 2-3 times per year.

Part 2

To become an accredited resolve mediator the following steps need to be taken.

  1. Firstly Part 1 should have been successfully completed

  1. The candidate for accreditation should apply in writing to resolve supplying the following information

i. A written reference from a church leader or other mature well regarded recognised Christian person / leader

ii. The names of two referees

iii. A CV of life experience, courses attended and mediation / ministry experience

  1. The candidate must be a member of resolve

  1. Resolve will ask the candidates to review a case study as a written assignment asking them to identify Biblical principles and relevant texts that have been applied / could have been applied to the various stages of the case. A good understanding of "the Peacemaker" by Ken Sande will be adequate preparation to meet these expectations.

  1. Practicals The candidate will be expected to participate in 3 mediations

i. 1 as observer only

ii. 1 as co mediator (assist)

iii. 1 as co mediator (Lead)

Each to be reviewed as satisfactory with the lead mentoring mediator who will make his or her recommendations to the resolve accreditation panel

The resolve accreditation panel will award the accreditation submitting names to the resolve Board. Only the resolve Board can withdraw accreditation. Accreditation must be maintained in the following manner

    • Mediator will attend professional development training. (2 out of 3 offered trainings per year)
    • Be peer reviewed in a co-mediation setting at least once every three years.
    • Maintaining competency issues such as ability to remain objective, effective listening and analysis skills, maintaining the highest levels of confidentiality maintaining cultural / gender/ denominational sensitivities etc
On going work

Resolve offers coaching and mediation work to its accredited mediators first. Resolve mediators should understand that the selection of mediator is by the parties and Resolve will submit names to the parties based on the parties needs, type of dispute, cost factors, and experience level required. Resolve can only offer work that comes available and cannot guarantee a level of supply of work. We ask mediators to share in the promotion of biblical ideals for peace and promote the strategies for peacemaking they have learned. Mediators are encouraged to become known and influential and available in their own spheres of influence and are encouraged to pick up such work as this may generate as they seek with resolve to build cultures of peace in the Christian community and beyond.