Workshops

The Matthew 5:9 Fellowship team is eager to equip your group for faithful peacemaking. Let’s take the next step together—contact us here.

» PEACEMAKING & POLARIZATION | » HOW TO TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBOR | » TRANSCENDING POLITICAL POLARIZATION| » SCROLLING TOWARD DISCONNECTION | » NAVIGATING THE DIVIDE | » HOW CHANGE HAPPENS | » BEING STEADFAST | » THE THEOLOGY OF BELONGING | »WHEN WE GET EACH OTHER WRONG

PEACEMAKING & POLARIZATION

Jesus prayed that His followers would be one, just as He and the Father are one (John 17:21). Yet today, the body of Christ is often fractured along the same ideological and cultural fault lines that divide the broader society. Instead of bearing with one another in love—we too often mirror the world’s hostility, suspicion, and contempt. How did we arrive at such a place of toxic polarization, and how might the Church embody Jesus’ call to be peacemakers amidst the toxic polarization we encounter?

TRANSCENDING POLITICAL POLARIZATION

Our God is the Creator of everything on the face of the earth, including politics. Yet, as with all created things, politics can be distorted. Some are tempted to elevate it, allowing the latest headlines to dominate our hearts and shape our hopes. Others are tempted to dismiss it entirely, seeing only corruption and conflict. As followers of Christ, how are we to think rightly about our political identity—holding together our calling as ambassadors in this world with our ultimate citizenship in the kingdom of heaven (Phil. 3:20)?

HOW TO TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBOR

When Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment, He paired love for God with love for neighbor. Yet amid today’s toxic polarization, even ordinary conversations can become sources of conflict and distrust. As followers of Christ, we are called not only to speak truth but to do so in love—seeking understanding rather than victory. This workshop will consider how faithful dialogue can serve as an antidote to toxic polarization, offering practical ways to engage difficult topics with truth, humility, empathy, and grace toward those around us.

SCROLLING TOWARD DISCONNECTION: FAITH, FORMATION, AND THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

The rise of social media has reshaped how we connect, communicate, and find meaning, often in ways that pull us away from presence, purpose, and community. This interactive workshop explores the intersection of digital culture, psychology, and faith to examine how social media is shaping our values, relationships, and spiritual lives. You’ll gain practical peacemaking strategies for cultivating healthier digital habits for yourself and your congregation and explore how our Christian faith can offer a counter-narrative to distraction and division.

NAVIGATING THE DIVIDE

In an age marked by deep societal division—political hostility, cultural fragmentation, and relational breakdown—the Church is not immune. These rifts often seep into the body of Christ, challenging our unity, distorting our discipleship, and weakening our public witness. Yet, our call to be peacemakers (Matt. 5:9) remains. Navigating the Divide is a one-day theological conference designed to help Evangelical pastors, leaders, and laypeople understand the spiritual dynamics behind today’s polarization and respond faithfully as disciples of Christ.

HOW CHANGE HAPPENS ( NORMS )

Throughout Scripture, we see that meaningful change often begins with faithful imitation. The Apostle Paul writes, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), pointing to the power of embodied example in shaping communities. Our actions are never isolated—they have a ripple effect, influencing the norms around us. This workshop explores how Evangelical leaders and laypeople can follow Christ’s example to establish redemptive norms in their churches and communities. By modeling peacemaking and Gospel-shaped behavior, we participate in the Spirit’s work of renewing culture from the inside out.

BEING STEADFAST : PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP FROM WITHIN

Scripture calls leaders to be both courageous and compassionate, even when it means challenging those closest to us. As polarization grows, Evangelical leaders often find themselves as in-group moderates—seeking to stand for truth and unity within their own communities. In this workshop, we explore how to embody principled, Christ-centered leadership, grounded in a theological vision and providing the practical tools needed to remain steadfast in divided spaces.

WHEN WE GET EACH OTHER WRONG (MOTIVE MISATTRIBUTION)

This workshop explores the psychological tendency to wrongly assume malevolent intent behind others’ actions and provides practical strategies to bridge the gap between perception and reality.

THE THEOLOGY OF BELONGING

Coming soon! This upcoming Theology of Belonging workshop will explore the innate human desire for belonging through a biblical lens.

The Matthew 5:9 Fellowship is a network of Christian leaders shepherding their communities to live out the Gospel and to place their identity in Christ above partisanship and societal divisions. In the midst of today’s contentious culture, we identify, encourage, and equip leaders in the American Evangelical Church to be peacemakers, not merely peacekeepers.