Can We Talk but Still Stay Together: Using Restorative Practice to Address Conflict in Faith Communities
Main Article Content
Keywords
restorative practice, conflict, faith communities, social work, social relations
Abstract
Restorative practice is increasingly being used in numerous Canadian contexts, including social work practice, to resolve conflict in emotionally healthy ways. It aims to facilitate dialogue, repair and nurture relationships, and foster belonging. Its strategies align with the Christian imperative to develop right relationships with our neighbours. Despite its potential value to social work professionals, including Christians, little scholarship describes how it can be implemented. This article offers a case example of restorative practice work implemented in faith communities to address conflict and build stronger, more connected communities. First, the origins of the approach are discussed. Then, an overview of the approach developed for faith communities is offered. This is followed by an overview of how it is implemented in practice. Finally, an example is offered illustrating its implementation across the Christian Reformed Church of North America. The article concludes with considerations for Christian social work professionals interested in understanding or utilizing this approach
References
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Brown, B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection: Let go of who you think you're supposed to be and embrace who you are. Hazelden Publishing.
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Evans, K., & Vaandering, D. (2016). The little book of restorative justice in education: Fostering responsibility, healing and hope in schools. Good Books.
Gavrielides, T. (2012). Clergy child sexual abuse and the restorative justice dialogue. Journal of Church and State, 55(4), 617-639. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcs/css041
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Gregory, A., Soffer, R., Gaines, E., Hurley, A., & Karikehalli, N. (2016). Implementing restorative justice in schools: Lessons learned from restorative justice practitioners in four Brooklyn schools. https://www.brooklyncommunityfoundation.org/sites/default/files/lessons_learned_about_early_implementation_of_restorative_justice_in_schools_for_distribution.pdf
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Hennessy, J., Hinton, M., & Taurima, N. (2014). Restorative practice with family violence. In A. Hayden, L. Gelsthorpe, V. Kingi & A. Morris (Eds.) A restorative approach to family violence (pp. 123-130). Routledge.
Hopkins, B. (Ed.). (2015). Restorative theory in practice: Insights into what works and why. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Hughes, D., & Baylin, J. (2012). Brain-based parenting: The neuroscience of caregiving for healthy attachment. W. W. Norton & Company.
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O’Callaghan, L., & O’Callaghan, V. (2015). Restorative practices: Building, repairing and maintaining healthy relationships in schools. https://www.restorativepractices.org.au/
O’Connell, T. (2018). The best is yet to come: Unlocking the true potential of restorative practice. In T. Gavrielides (Ed.), Routledge international handbook of restorative justice (pp. 422-441). Routledge.
Ontario Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care. (2000). Spiritual roots of restorative justice: A collection of faith community perspectives. Ontario Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care.
Oudshoorn, J., Jackett, M., & Stutzman Amstutz, L. (2015). The little book of restorative justice for sexual abuse: Hope through trauma. Good Books.
Paul, G. D., & Riforgiate, S. E. (2015). “Putting on a happy face,” “getting back to work,” and “letting it go”: Traditional and restorative justice understandings of emotions at work. Electronic Journal of Communication, 25(3 & 4), 1-20. https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/28715/sriforgi_Traditional%20and%20restorative%20justice%20understandings%20of%20emotions%20at%20work_2015.pdf?sequence=1
Ross, R. (2006). Returning to the teachings: Exploring Aboriginal justice. Penguin Canada. (Original work published 1996)
Texas Appleseed. (2010). Texas’ school-to-prison pipeline: School expulsion, the path from lockout to dropout. http://www.njjn.org/uploads/digital-library/Texas-School-Prison-Pipeline-School-Expulsion_Texas-Appleseed_Apr2010.pdf
The Colossian Forum. (2021). The Colossian way: Lead through conflict. https://colossianforum.org/the-colossian-way-experience/
Tomkins, S. (2008). Affect imagery consciousness: The complete edition. Springer Publishing Company.
Vander Vennen, M. (2016). Towards a relational theory of restorative justice. In B. Hopkins (Ed.),Restorative theory in practice: Insights into what works and why (pp. 121-137). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Vander Vennen, M., Smit-Vandezande, M., Van Wyk, K., Ebear, J., VandenAkker, D., & Csiernik, R. (2020). The Shalem congregational assistance plan: A ten year retrospective. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 39(4), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2020.1802393
Wachtel, J. & Wachtel, T. (2019). Restorative circles in schools: A practical guide for educators (2nd ed.). International Institute for Restorative Practices.
Zehr, H. (2002). The little book of restorative justice. Good Books.
Zehr, H. (2005). Changing lenses: A new focus for crime and justice (3rd ed.). Herald Press.
Zumdahl, L. E. (2011). Justice is more than a verdict: Integrating social work and legal aid services in the pursuit of justice. Social Work & Christianity, 38(1), 64–73.
Bailie, J. (2019). A science of human dignity: Belonging, voice and agency as universal human needs. IIRP Presidential Papers Series, 1, 1–16. https://www.iirp.edu/images/conf_downloads/kLElhO_IIRP_Paper_Series_2019-03-27_V07_D.pdf
Barsky, A. (2017). Conflict resolution for the helping professions: Negotiation, mediation, advocacy, facilitation, and restorative justice. (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Bianchi, H. (1994). Justice as sanctuary: Toward a new system of crime control. Indiana University Press.
Bolton, K. (2021). Detroit rising: How the motor city becomes a restorative city. https://kerrabolton.com/category/detroit-rising/
Braithwaite, J. (1989). Crime, shame and reintegration. Cambridge University Press.
Brown, B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection: Let go of who you think you're supposed to be and embrace who you are. Hazelden Publishing.
Brown, B. (2012). Daring greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead. Penguin Books.
Brown, B. (2015, February 3). Brené Brown on blame [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZWf2_2L2v8
Brubaker, D. R. (2009). Promise and peril: Understanding and managing change and conflict in congregations. Alban Institute.
Canadian Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). Code of ethics: Core social work values and principles. https://www.casw-acts.ca/files/attachements/code_of_ethics_values_principles_0.pdf
Childhood Development Initiative. (2014) A community-wide restorative practices programme: Implementation guide. https://www.cdi.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/RP_Implementation_Guide_.pdf
Christian Reformed Church in North America. (2021). Biblical theology of human sexuality. https://www.crcna.org/sites/default/files/human_sexuality_report_2021.pdf
Daly, K. (2002). Restorative justice: The real story. Punishment & Society, 4, 55-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/14624740222228464
Evans, K., & Vaandering, D. (2016). The little book of restorative justice in education: Fostering responsibility, healing and hope in schools. Good Books.
Gavrielides, T. (2012). Clergy child sexual abuse and the restorative justice dialogue. Journal of Church and State, 55(4), 617-639. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcs/css041
Gavrielides, T (Ed.). (2018). Routledge international handbook of restorative justice. Routledge.
Gregory, A., Soffer, R., Gaines, E., Hurley, A., & Karikehalli, N. (2016). Implementing restorative justice in schools: Lessons learned from restorative justice practitioners in four Brooklyn schools. https://www.brooklyncommunityfoundation.org/sites/default/files/lessons_learned_about_early_implementation_of_restorative_justice_in_schools_for_distribution.pdf
Hadley, M. L. (Ed.) (2001). The spiritual roots of restorative justice. State University of New York Press.
Hennessy, J., Hinton, M., & Taurima, N. (2014). Restorative practice with family violence. In A. Hayden, L. Gelsthorpe, V. Kingi & A. Morris (Eds.) A restorative approach to family violence (pp. 123-130). Routledge.
Hopkins, B. (Ed.). (2015). Restorative theory in practice: Insights into what works and why. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Hughes, D., & Baylin, J. (2012). Brain-based parenting: The neuroscience of caregiving for healthy attachment. W. W. Norton & Company.
Hughes, B., Wintz, S., Hall, E., Carbonell, E. L., Hodge, D. R., Mulvaney, E., Nelson-Becker, H., Shim, S., Sormanti, S., & Stepney, L. M. C. (2018). Spiritual care and social work: Integration into practice. https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/21978/1/FullText.pdf
Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2003). Fair Process: Managing in the knowledge economy. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2003/01/fair-process-managing-in-the-knowledge-economy
Lindsey, B. C., & White, M. (2018). For school social workers: PBIS and at-risk students.
Lustick, H., Norton, C., Lopez, S. R., & Greene-Rooks, J. H. (2020). Restorative practices for empowerment: A social work lens. Children & Schools, 42(2), 89-97. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdaa006
Nathanson, D. L. (1992). Shame and pride: Affect, sex, and the birth of the self. W.W. Norton and Company.
New International Version. (2021). BibleGateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/
O’Callaghan, L., & O’Callaghan, V. (2015). Restorative practices: Building, repairing and maintaining healthy relationships in schools. https://www.restorativepractices.org.au/
O’Connell, T. (2018). The best is yet to come: Unlocking the true potential of restorative practice. In T. Gavrielides (Ed.), Routledge international handbook of restorative justice (pp. 422-441). Routledge.
Ontario Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care. (2000). Spiritual roots of restorative justice: A collection of faith community perspectives. Ontario Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care.
Oudshoorn, J., Jackett, M., & Stutzman Amstutz, L. (2015). The little book of restorative justice for sexual abuse: Hope through trauma. Good Books.
Paul, G. D., & Riforgiate, S. E. (2015). “Putting on a happy face,” “getting back to work,” and “letting it go”: Traditional and restorative justice understandings of emotions at work. Electronic Journal of Communication, 25(3 & 4), 1-20. https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/28715/sriforgi_Traditional%20and%20restorative%20justice%20understandings%20of%20emotions%20at%20work_2015.pdf?sequence=1
Ross, R. (2006). Returning to the teachings: Exploring Aboriginal justice. Penguin Canada. (Original work published 1996)
Texas Appleseed. (2010). Texas’ school-to-prison pipeline: School expulsion, the path from lockout to dropout. http://www.njjn.org/uploads/digital-library/Texas-School-Prison-Pipeline-School-Expulsion_Texas-Appleseed_Apr2010.pdf
The Colossian Forum. (2021). The Colossian way: Lead through conflict. https://colossianforum.org/the-colossian-way-experience/
Tomkins, S. (2008). Affect imagery consciousness: The complete edition. Springer Publishing Company.
Vander Vennen, M. (2016). Towards a relational theory of restorative justice. In B. Hopkins (Ed.),Restorative theory in practice: Insights into what works and why (pp. 121-137). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Vander Vennen, M., Smit-Vandezande, M., Van Wyk, K., Ebear, J., VandenAkker, D., & Csiernik, R. (2020). The Shalem congregational assistance plan: A ten year retrospective. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 39(4), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2020.1802393
Wachtel, J. & Wachtel, T. (2019). Restorative circles in schools: A practical guide for educators (2nd ed.). International Institute for Restorative Practices.
Zehr, H. (2002). The little book of restorative justice. Good Books.
Zehr, H. (2005). Changing lenses: A new focus for crime and justice (3rd ed.). Herald Press.
Zumdahl, L. E. (2011). Justice is more than a verdict: Integrating social work and legal aid services in the pursuit of justice. Social Work & Christianity, 38(1), 64–73.