From an article recently posted on the United Church of Canada website:
Joe Ramsay and Allan Reeve are big fans of talking. Not just casual dialogue, but focused dialogue that explores specific issues. For the last year, these two United Church ministers have been leading “Sacred Conversations” in Ottawa and in the Bay of Quinte Conference. These “conversations that matter” involve both lay and clergy members, allowing participants to get to know each other better and explore complex issues in a structured, respectful environment. … Joe says he and Allan are using a three-step process to involve more people in these practices. The first step is to host regional training events where people learn to use specific practices that allow meaningful conversations to happen, such as the circle way or the world café. The second phase emerges when those who have been trained choose to apply the practices in their own context. Joe and Allan help host conversations at the local level, often with several congregations, or between a congregation and the surrounding neighbourhood.
