Respectful Relations

What Is the Role of the Right Relations Team

Right Relations Teams are lay leaders entrusted to help the congregation practice faithful communication and creative conflict based on values of mutuality and consent. Their roles can include:

  • Tending to the covenant by articulating and modeling its practice
  • Provide training and other learning opportunities around the tensions needed for creativity in congregations
  • Model and coach communication processes that promote mutuality and consent (i.e. small group ministry, discernment circles)
  • Model and coach creative conflict
  • In low level conflict, create brave spaces where people can move from defensiveness toward resolution
  • When conflict does become more heated, they also can offer opportunities for deep listening and restorative processes.
  • Create low-anxiety/high-learning experiences for the congregation around conflict and covenant

 

What a Right Relationship Team Can Offer

A RRT can help change a congregation’s overall understanding of conflict, covenant and their own personal and collective narrative. A RRT provides healthy communication and conflict engagement training to the congregation using UUA and tailored resources. A RRT offers conflict engagement services to individual members. Sometimes a member needs a sounding board and coaching as to how to bring their better self to a situation. Sometimes, when a smaller group of the congregation is feeling stuck in a situation, the RRT can hold the container in the form of listening circles to help them hear each other more effectively. By providing these opportunities, a RRT can set expectations of communicating openly and honestly and help the congregation to do just that.

Members

Sharon Walker, Chairperson

Ginny Vaughn

Steve Wixson

Liz Parke

Meetings

As needed.

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to radically transform the world in which we live.
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695 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
716-885-2136
Sunday Services are at 10:30