Christian leaders from across the country gathered at Duke Divinity School on May 15 for the Center for Reconciliation's celebration luncheon for its Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation Program, honoring 34 participants who completed a certificates designed to equip Christian leaders with theological foundations and practical tools for navigating conflict in churches, organizations, and communities.

The Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation Program (CTRP) offers two certificates through a hybrid learning format that combines in-person seminars with synchronous online sessions. The first certificate, Foundations in Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation, is a 13-month introductory program that celebrated its fourth cohort of graduates. Participants engage theological foundations, spiritual disciplines, and contextual practices while developing skills in conflict coaching, deep listening, and restorative circle processes.

Those who successfully complete the foundational certificate may be invited to continue into the advanced Practitioners of Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation certificate, an eight-month program that celebrated its first graduates.

Together, the programs are designed for pastors, congregational leaders, chaplains, nonprofit practitioners, and other Christian leaders seeking to cultivate healthier relationships and foster reconciliation in settings often marked by division and tension.

“The heart of conflict transformation lies in nurturing deeper self-awareness and learning to recognize the humanity of those with whom we experience tension,” said Nina Balmaceda, Irene and William McCutchen Associate Professor of the Practice of Reconciliation and director of the Center for Reconciliation.

"This journey toward just peace calls us into humility, truth‑telling, and a spirit of genuine encounter. I am deeply grateful for the way The Duke Endowment has enabled us to walk with spiritual leaders as we explore and shape fresh practices that help us embody Christ’s reconciling work—a work that invites us to restore our communion with God, with one another, and with all creation."

That focus on self-awareness and relational formation is central to the program’s appeal. Participants are invited to explore their own moral imagination while building practical competencies that can be immediately applied in ministry contexts. Through peer mentoring, collaborative learning, and engagement with leading scholars and practitioners, participants gain tools to address conflict not simply as a problem to solve but as an opportunity for transformation.