Training

Since 2006, we have enjoyed providing training for thousands of Christian individuals across the U.S. in churches, colleges, seminaries, K-12 schools, and ministries. We take the time to learn about the goals and dynamics within each organization and then develop customized training content based on the Bible, research, best practices, and the input of experts. To learn more, please see the Q&A below or contact us to schedule a meeting with our staff.

How long do your trainings typically last?

We typically recommend a minimum of two days (~7 hours each day) for trainings in order to allow sufficient time for presenting content, dialogue, and processing action steps. We find that shorter time frames typically result in participants saying, "We wish we had more time."

What type of content do you cover?

The following are the types of topics we typically cover during a two day training. Our content is very interactive and includes exercises, visuals, book excerpts, videos, and group dialogue. To get an idea of our approach to the topics below, we recommend the book Faithful Antiracism which was co-authored by one of our training facilitators.

Introduction: This section lays the foundation for participants to get the most out of our time together. We cover topics like: speakers' backgrounds, key terms, small group ground rules, our goals, and avoiding common barriers to productive engagement on the topic of racial dynamics.
Understanding social systems and social hierarchies: We do an extended exercise which helps participants to better understand how social systems and social hierarchies are built and sustained. We also cover key concepts like: prejudice, discrimination, racism, disparities, confirmation bias, power dynamics, etc. We find the exercise lays a helpful framework for everything we cover in the sections that follow.
Biblical foundations: This section includes exercises and dialogue focused on principles in the Bible related to justice, unity, and racial dynamics in the U.S. For the types of passages and concepts we cover, we recommend the book Generous Justice.
Learning from the past: We believe understanding the history of racial dynamics in the U.S. is essential to making progress. In this section, we provide a fast, interactive overview of key historical events from the Doctrine of Discovery (1452) up to our present day. We include a variety of examples of how Christians have both perpetuated and opposed racial injustice.
Magical (ineffective) approaches: With our work and research we find that there are several approaches that Christians often rely on in order to make "racial progress," for example: building cross-racial relationships, helping people to become Christians, colorblindness, equal treatment, generational change, welcoming guests, statistical diversity, training programs, etc. We discuss the strengths and limitations of those approaches.
Learning from the early church: In this section, we look at some of the powerful principles we can learn from how the first Christians navigated the cultural barriers and injustices in their society and built communities that displayed the power of the gospel to transform our relationships with one another, our Christian groups, and our society. We cover topics like: the power of prayer, social hierarchies in the Bible, healthy communication, power dynamics, leadership sharing, tokenism, cultural assimilation, code switching, healthy approaches to conflict, etc.
Conclusion: We wrap up our time together with a time of processing and determining personal and organizational action steps.

How many training facilitators do you typically have?

We typically recommend two training facilitators who have a different gender and race--for example, an African American woman and a White man. We find that having co-facilitators representing different cultural perspectives allows for a more productive discussion.

How much do your trainings cost?

The cost depends on a variety of factors including the amount of time we need to spend on customizing the content, number of training facilitators, travel time, etc. Typically, the cost for a two day training led by two staff members is approximately $6000 + travel. That is significant investment, but keep in mind that it is typically much less expensive than paying for a group of 30 individuals in an organization to travel to another location and participate in a conference. And, the content we provide with our training programs is customized to the needs of the organization and allows time for "internal dialogue" that is not possible at a large conference.

How far do we need to schedule in advance?

We typically need a minimum of 3 months advance notice to schedule a training, however a shorter time frame may be possible depending on the location and the amount of preparation and customization you would like for us to do. Please contact us for availability and pricing.