Returning from a Conference on Conflict Mediation, I was struck by the wider implications of embracing the role of being Peacemakers. If we truly see ourselves called as ministers of reconciliation, then integral to being Christian is the activity of seeking to be bearers of peace into the world around us.
How significant it would be if Christian communities both modelled and sought to serve in this way. It would mean, firstly, that we understood how vital it is that we together embrace peacemaking within our church communities. A church with conflict that is not being positively managed; or where a pathology has developed out of the conflict, where there is no seeking to address the problems caused by the conflict, is a failed witness to Jesus.
But a Christian community that is learning to both face and deal positively with conflict, is one that has a real ministry to wounded and hurt people, who need to know salvation.
What sort of community do you belong to?
