Transformative Conflict Cohort (2026-2027)
Transformative Conflict Cohort:
Restorative Practices Training for Leaders in Unitarian Universalist Congregations
Coming October 2026 - March 2027
This is an in-depth program for congregational lay leaders who want to explore and develop their theological, personal, interpersonal, and communal skills for facilitating and supporting congregational conflict, healing, accountability, and harm-tending.
As part of this learning cohort you will…
Harness conflict as a force of transformation
Develop somatic fluency and self-understanding of your internal conflict map
Gain confidence responding to conflict in your life and in your congregation
Lay leaders may be members of Healthy Congregations Teams, Pastoral Care Teams, Disruptive Behavior Response Teams, or lay leaders in situations where they find they are regularly being asked to tend conflict or harm in their community.
Join a circle of leaders committed to the practice of transformation.
The group will function as a small group ministry, including forming group agreements and confidentiality for our time together. The program will also include time spent in and learning the practice of Circle, one-to-one coaching time with Rev. Dr. Samantha Wilson, the cohort facilitator, as well as direct experience with different conflict facilitation approaches through case studies. Participants will also have an opportunity to bring case studies from their own congregations to the group for peer support and collaboration.
This cohort might be for you if you want to…
Articulate your own personal, theological understanding of conflict as a force for transformation (while rooting out that nagging belief that conflict requires proving innocence and distributing punishment for yourself or otherst)
Understand and work more effectively with your personal story and body responses to conflict and harm, fostering somatic fluency and self-understanding for where you feel ease and face obstacles in navigating conflict in your life or with others
Have a direct experience with the transformative power of healing and accountability practices, as practiced in restorative and transformative justice movements
Practice facilitation and support for responding to conflict in your interpersonal and congregational life as a trustworthy companion, feeling greater confidence and more creativity in the face of the stickiest congregational situations
Experience restorative relationship in circle with other local congregational leaders and collaborators, as witnesses to one another, all while building a network of conflict support across Unitarian Universalist congregations
This experience will deepen the capacities of congregational leaders, while also creating a network of resources and support across congregations for navigating conflict and harm in congregational life together.
Participant Prerequisites
Participants who will benefit most from this course…
Want to understand how their personal experiences and beliefs impact their ability to navigate conflict and harm with others and focus in on abilities they want to grow
Are willing to confront their personal habits, impulses, reactions, biases, and stories and receive the reflections of peers with different experiences within a circle of humility and support
Have enough self-regulation or coping techniques to support themselves through challenging dynamics or conversations, and are hoping to strengthen those abilities
Have enough humor and humility to laugh gently (at themselves, especially) in the face of what is so hard and annoying in congregational life, while simultaneously wanting to practice new ways we can be together without guarantees of success, perfection, or reward for our efforts
Want to bring their lessons back to their local congregations and are interested in the possibilities of cross-congregational support for conflict engagement and restorative practice
This program may not be for you if…
Sharing or exploring personal content in a community space feels off-putting
You are a survivor of abuse who is still actively working through trauma that requires extensive support
You hope to be told or tell others the right way to handle conflict, harm, healing, and accountability (there is no right way – it all depends!)
This program will include resources and references to abuse and harm, including sexual and violent harm, as well as clergy and lay leader misconduct. If these topics are challenging for you, this may not be the right program for you at this time.
Program Schedule:
This program will include two in-person retreats (beginning and ending the program), and two monthly Zoom calls during the months in-between. “Learning Calls” occur on Sunday afternoon monthly. They are two hours and will be gatherings of the full cohort and present new ideas and material for the cohort to explore. “Small Group Calls” are one-and-a-half hours in which the cohort will be split into small groups that will be journeying together in sharing more personal work. The small groups decide the timing of these calls depending on participant schedules. The lead facilitator, Rev. Dr. Samantha, facilitates all Learning and Small Group Calls.
Opening Retreat (In-Person -Fri-Sun) - October 2026
Monthly Zoom Calls - (One Learning Call and one Small Group Call monthly) - November - February (Note: There will be one Learning Call in early December and no Small Group calls.)
Closing Retreat (In-person - Fri-Sun) - March 2027
Program Costs:
The approximate cost per participant is $2,500. Costs include lodging, food, and materials for two in-person retreats, as well as the costs for facilitation of all Learning Calls, Small Group Calls, and individual coaching with participants.
Scholarships and payment plans will be available to support participation of individual participants and congregations with differing access to financial resources for leadership development programming. This might also include the different costs of attendance for individuals, considering travel to and from the program, childcare or family care, etc. Participants and congregations are invited to consider their ability to pay, knowing that your generosity can support wider access to the skills we need to be the faith movement we are called to be in the world.
