DESCRIPTION: Conflict in personal, familial, congregational, and communal life are continuing problems and possibilities in Christian ministry. This course offers an experiential, clinical, theological, and pastoral approach to the management, resolution, transformation, and utilization of conflict in both personal and pastoral perspectives. As an interdisciplinary approach it will draw on communication theory, therapeutic process, conflict studies, and mediation skills.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: All class participants will (know) develop a cognitive grasp of conflict theory; (be) integrate affective growth in comfort with and appreciation of conflict dynamics; and (do) develop skill in coping, recreating, and redirecting tensions in constructive conciliation.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The capacity to go beyond survival of conflict to both transform it and utilize it in creative growth is essential in ministry as a pastoral counselor, caregiver, mediator, educator, or administrator.

COURSE FORMAT: An integration of lecture, dialogue, experiential exercise, sociodrama, small groups, simulations, and class discussion of cases, theory, and theology will allow opportunity for personal as well as professional growth experiences to be processed and integrated into pastoral identity. Class meets once each week for three and a half hours.

REQUIRED READING:

A minimum of 1200 pages of cases, theory, theology, and practice including:

Augsburger, David. Conflict Mediation Across Cultures. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1992.

__________. Hate-work: Working through the Pain and Pleasure of Hate. Westminster/John Knox, 2004.

__________. Helping People to Forgive. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1996.

Fisher, Roger, and William Ury. Getting to Yes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981.

__________. Getting Together. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988.

Hocker, Joyce, and William Wilmot. Interpersonal Conflict. Dubuque: William Braun, 1978.

Lester, Andrew. The Angry Christian. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox. 2003

[Note possibility of Course Reader needed.]

Halverstadt, Hugh. Managing Church Conflict. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1991.

Katz, Neil, and John Lawyer. Communication and Conflict Resolution Skills. Dubuque: Kendall, 1985.

Lederach, John Paul. The Moral Imagination. New York: Oxford University. 2005

Mediation and Facilitation Manual. Akron, PA: Mennonite Conciliation Service, 1995.

Mitchell, Kenneth R. Multiple Staff Ministries. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1988.

Tavris, Carol. Anger. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983.