"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend ... By its very nature, hate destroys and tears down; by its very nature, love creates and builds up."

Martin Luther King, Jr. from “Loving Your Enemies”
The Center for Reconciliation is inviting applications to its Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation Program (CTRP). 
 
Participants in this program will learn how to:
  • Communicate through authentic and transparent conversation on difficult issues  
  • Host and reimagine covenants and liturgies that foster transformation and reconciliation in the church and the community 
  • Apply the restorative approach to conflict transformation as distinct from conflict resolution
  • Navigate liminal spaces
  • Grow in deep listening
  • Engage in coaching others and facilitate restorative circles for conflict transformation
The CTRP offers two certificates. The first one is the Foundations in Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation (FCTR), which provides a 13-month introduction to the CFR conflict transformation model, its theological foundations, and contextual practices (105 content hrs.). Participants explore the potential for conflict transformation and reconciliation in their own contexts as they journey together in deeper spiritual growth and authentic group engagement. Christian leaders who successfully complete this first phase of training may be invited to apply to the 8-month advanced certificate for Practitioners of Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation (PCTR, 86 content hrs.). Each certificate level offers up to 10 hours of continuing education credit. 
 
The seminars and online sessions are facilitated by leading scholars and practitioners in the field of conflict transformation from Duke University and other institutions. This program provides a timely learning opportunity for pastors and congregational leaders seeking theological and practical skills and spiritual disciplines to foster transformation and reconciliation in their congregations and surrounding communities.
 
The FCTR and PCTR are offered in hybrid format, including in-person seminars and online synchronous sessions, to accommodate personal, pastoral, and professional obligations. The fourth cohort of the FCTR program will launch in May 2025. Applications are open for Cohort 5.

Learn more and apply.

People talking around a table

Fostering Transformation and Reconciliation

FCTR Hybrid Program Combines In-Person Retreats and Online Learning

Through this 13-month non-degree certificate program, Christian leaders will engage in expanding their moral imagination to foster conflict transformation and reconciliation amid division. Participants learn to use practical tools such as deep listening, conflict coaching, and restorative circles. They will gain knowledge to increase their self-awareness and discover implicit biases and other dispositions that create barriers between individuals and communities.

Learn More and Apply to the program