TRANSFORMING DIVISIVE CONVERSATION: A WORKSHOP FOR CLERGY AND LAY LEADERS
October 5, 2010
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Workshop participants from Hebrew College engaging in a small group dialogue.
Transforming Divisive Conversation: A Workshop for
Clergy and Lay Leaders (1-day)
Most communities of faith value diversity; yet conflict often arises around differences in theology, worship, identity and transition, among other concerns. Dealing with such divisive issues can be challenging. This workshop will explore ways that congregational leaders can prepare for conflict, prevent corrosive interactions and help their members engage each other constructively. It draws on the experience of the Public Conversations Project and Rev. Michael Duda in helping communities of faith and other organizations to transform destructive conflict into constructive conversation.
Reverend Michael Duda currently serves as the Senior Minister of First Church in Wenham, MA. Formerly the Chaplain and Director of Community Services at Endicott College, Duda holds a Master of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and has helped numerous organizations use transformative dialogue to overcome conflict. His nonprofit work includes founding the Youth at Risk Initiative of the Essex County Community Foundation, more than two decades as the Executive Director of the Anchorage, Inc., (a residential program for at-risk adolescents in Beverly, MA) and serving on numerous nonprofit boards. He also has taught college level service-learning courses in philanthropy, participated in alternative spring breaks for college students, organized multi-generational church service trips, completed a medical mission to Venezuela, and leads workshops on meditation and contemplative prayer. Rev. Duda and his wife have two grown children and love spending time with their grandchildren.
Robert R. Stains, Jr. is Senior Vice President and a Senior Associate of the Public Conversations Project in Watertown, MA. During his 15 years at PCP, he has worked to transform conflict locally within UCC, Presbyterian and Episcopal congregations, nationally within the Episcopal Church House of Bishops and internationally with the Anglican Communion. Prior to PCP he consulted to and trained clergy and lay leaders for 15 years, served as the Administrative Supervisor of a Clinical Pastoral Education program and was, for seven years, the clinical consultant to its Advanced Pastoral Counseling Practicum. He consults to the Interpersonal Skills Component of the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School, sits on the Board of Directors of The Democracy Imperative and serves as a Guest Scholar Practitioner for the Dialogue, Deliberation and Public Engagement Program at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA.
The Public Conversations Project's workshops have limited enrollments, sliding-scale fees, and offer CE credits through NBCC and MAMFT. Workshop costs range from $125 to $250 per day, depending on location.
Clergy and Lay Leaders (1-day)
Most communities of faith value diversity; yet conflict often arises around differences in theology, worship, identity and transition, among other concerns. Dealing with such divisive issues can be challenging. This workshop will explore ways that congregational leaders can prepare for conflict, prevent corrosive interactions and help their members engage each other constructively. It draws on the experience of the Public Conversations Project and Rev. Michael Duda in helping communities of faith and other organizations to transform destructive conflict into constructive conversation.
Reverend Michael Duda currently serves as the Senior Minister of First Church in Wenham, MA. Formerly the Chaplain and Director of Community Services at Endicott College, Duda holds a Master of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and has helped numerous organizations use transformative dialogue to overcome conflict. His nonprofit work includes founding the Youth at Risk Initiative of the Essex County Community Foundation, more than two decades as the Executive Director of the Anchorage, Inc., (a residential program for at-risk adolescents in Beverly, MA) and serving on numerous nonprofit boards. He also has taught college level service-learning courses in philanthropy, participated in alternative spring breaks for college students, organized multi-generational church service trips, completed a medical mission to Venezuela, and leads workshops on meditation and contemplative prayer. Rev. Duda and his wife have two grown children and love spending time with their grandchildren.
Robert R. Stains, Jr. is Senior Vice President and a Senior Associate of the Public Conversations Project in Watertown, MA. During his 15 years at PCP, he has worked to transform conflict locally within UCC, Presbyterian and Episcopal congregations, nationally within the Episcopal Church House of Bishops and internationally with the Anglican Communion. Prior to PCP he consulted to and trained clergy and lay leaders for 15 years, served as the Administrative Supervisor of a Clinical Pastoral Education program and was, for seven years, the clinical consultant to its Advanced Pastoral Counseling Practicum. He consults to the Interpersonal Skills Component of the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School, sits on the Board of Directors of The Democracy Imperative and serves as a Guest Scholar Practitioner for the Dialogue, Deliberation and Public Engagement Program at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA.
The Public Conversations Project's workshops have limited enrollments, sliding-scale fees, and offer CE credits through NBCC and MAMFT. Workshop costs range from $125 to $250 per day, depending on location.
