Summer Institute for Reconciliation

Come expand your theological imagination, grapple with practical problems, and continue a journey of reconciliation within a wider community at Duke Divinity School’s Summer Institute for Reconciliation. At this annual event, the focus on reconciliation is grounded in a distinctively Christian vision and a framework that is richly practical, contextual, and theological. Rooted in Duke Divinity School’s conviction that reconciliation is at the heart of the gospel, the institute draws on the strengths of a faculty of world-class scholars and practitioners. Since God’s ministry of reconciliation is entrusted to all Christians, the institute is designed to cultivate leaders who “carry the marks of Jesus” on their body (Galatians 6:17). These cross-shaped or cruciform reconcilers will have a robust vision and practice of Christian reconciliation that is faithful to the scriptural witness, discerning of the times, and sensitive to the life of the church. The institute centers on content with a biblical vision of reconciliation that inspires a movement of transformed communities and relationships. This formation of communities is nurtured by each other’s witness that Christ is strengthening us to the end and affirming us so that we do not “lack any spiritual gift” in our life together (1 Corinthians 1:4-9). As an integral part of the Divinity School and rooted in a Christian vision of God’s ministry of reconciliation, the institute aims to serve the academy, the church, and the world. The Summer Institute for Reconciliation in 2023 will take place in person on the Duke Divinity campus. More information and a registration link will be available in early 2023. This year’s institute will consist of three full days of engagement. Each day will include worship, daily plenary sessions (Common Journey), interactive discussion, Q&A portions, and workshops on reconciliation, transformation, and justice. The formation that takes place at the Summer Institute for Reconciliation builds on critical questions that frame our content and design. These questions address the heart of the journey of reconciliation. Our methodology, “Word Made Flesh,” explores the theological, contextual, and practical dimensions of this movement of hope and liberation. The questions being explored in our Common Journey: New Creation — “Reconciliation toward what end?” — This is a question about the goal, so this first day anchors us in our destination. Where does this journey end? This question invites the participant to form a scriptural imagination of the gift of new creation. Lament — “Where are we and how did we get here?” — This is a question of context, which seeks to get to a clearer understanding of the specific challenges through seeing, naming, and standing in the brokenness. How has the past shaped the present? This question invites the participant to develop the gift and discipline of lament. Hope & Liberation — “What does liberation look like?” — This is a question of process, which highlights models, stories, and experiments that sustain a new future. We understand liberation and reconciliation to be concurrent processes. Where can we see signs pointing toward liberation? The question invites the participant into a vision, imagination, and capacity for hope leading toward liberation and reconciliation. The Summer Institute for Reconciliation is intended for: – Pastors with a desire for their congregations to become communities that live out alternatives to the destructive conflicts and social divisions that fragment our world – Christians who are committed to the ongoing training and equipping of others, who inspire and support people to become ambassadors of God’s movement of hope – Grass-roots ministers and Christians living and working among the suffering and marginalized – College, university, and seminary faculty and administrators training young Christians to live in the way of the Kingdom – Denominational and organizational leaders seeking to guide their organizations into new practices that enable the flourishing of communities living out God’s vision of peace and justice – Every follower of Jesus Christ seeking to become an ambassador of God’s healing and wholeness