Making Peace in a Polarized Church: How to courageously lead congregations toward unity and peace in the way of Jesus.
The pandemic has exposed how ill-equipped church leaders feel in navigating division. We must now gain new and more effective skills to lead within the increasing polarity of our times. As Christian leaders, we’re called and equipped by Jesus to join him in working for unity and peace in the cities and communities we love and lead.
“Most church leaders have not been trained in the past to lead the post-COVID church of the future.”
Jesus Collective and Global Leadership Network Canada are partnering to host an interactive, three-part online experience that includes training, case studies, exercises, and Q&A to empower you and your leadership teams to courageously lead your congregation toward deeper discipleship in Jesus’ way of peace.

When’s It Happening?
- Fall 2022 – Watch for dates coming soon!
- Three interactive sessions with over 9 hours of foundational skills training
Who’s This For?
- Church leadership teams, staff teams, church boards, and Christian non-profit leadership teams
- Individual pastoral, ministry, and lay leaders
What Can You Expect?
- Two shared online sessions designed for teams to engage in a LIVE interactive training experience and a final Zoom session to take your training to the next level with live Q&A with Dr. Samuel Sarpiya (*includes access to all the session recordings)
- Breakout workshop times to practice what you’re learning as a team/group (registrants joining without a team will be able to join other individuals in breakout rooms during the experience)
- A return to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount manifesto of peacemaking, highlighting the differences between peacekeeping and active peacemaking.
- Identify and address cultural barriers to peace that are creating polarization for the foreseeable future in this divided cultural moment.
- Real-life case studies of how unity, peace, reconciliation, and transformation are possible
- Breakout workshop times to practice what you’re learning as a team/group (individual registrants will be able to join other individuals in breakout rooms during the experience).
- Tools and inspiration to create a long-term culture of peacemaking in your church or organization to equip your leadership team with essential practices for skillful leadership for the future of the church.
Faculty

SAMUEL SARPIYA
Executive Director, Center for Nonviolence and Conflict Transformation
Samuel is a teacher, author, trainer, activist, and coach for leaders who want to create a better world from the inside out using peace and nonviolence methods. He’s the founding director of the Center for Nonviolence and Conflict Transformation based in Rockford, Illinois. Samuel is a Jesus Collective Partner and lives with his family in Milton, ON.

BETTY PRIES
Change, Conflict, and Leadership Specialist
With over 28 years of experience coaching, mediating, training, facilitating, and consulting, Betty is highly regarded as a conflict, change, and leadership specialist. She specializes in working with complex challenges, supporting leaders and their organizations to be at their best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Participate Individually?
Absolutely! Single registrants will be able to join other individual leaders in breakout rooms during the experience.
What are the topics of each session?
Session topics will be available soon.
I can't make it to one or more of the sessions. Will there be VOD available?
More information on this coming soon!