We have an agenda.
It’s love.
We’ve all experienced moments where a disagreement happens and you feel the urge to fight, flee, or shut down. On a hike with a friend, in your small group, around the Thanksgiving table, or during a church council meeting, these are moments when our differences become impossible to ignore. We may wonder how to love the other person, or whether we even should.
You don’t have to abandon your convictions to love well. The Christian tradition offers deep wisdom for navigating disagreement with courage, humility, and grace.
We draw from that wisdom to help people follow Jesus in the midst of conflict. Together, we discover that even our deepest differences can become opportunities for growth, connection, and transformation.
A little hope in your inbox.
Our newsletter is created with you in mind. Every newsletter delivers a simple prayer, a hopeful practice, and an encouragement. We’ll also keep you in the loop on new programs, events, and resources.
Have a question or a suggestion for the newsletter or about The Colossian Forum? Email us at info@colossianforum.org.Conflict isn’t going anywhere, and it can feel hopeless.
In our broken world, we have learned to fear difference. We treat disagreement as a threat and respond by fighting, withdrawing, or avoiding one another altogether.
But what if conflict isn’t something to escape?
The Christian tradition offers hope and a different way forward. When we meet differences with courage and love, conflict can become a catalyst for growth, stronger relationships, and deeper faithfulness.
Hope for a divided world.
Our Mission:
We give Christians hope and a plan to navigate conflict with courage and love.
Our Vision:
Christians become a reconciling, visible witness in a divided world.
Our Promise:
We promote mindsets and habits where courage and love can grow.
Our work is multifaceted,
just like our logo.
When it comes to lasting change, having a visual anchor keeps us grounded.
Reflection
We slow ourselves down first.
When we slow down and pay attention to God, ourselves, and our neighbors, we begin to see one another more clearly. Through spiritual practices, honest conversations, and shared experiences, we are able to show up with more spiritual and emotional maturity.
Possibility
We keep the door to possibility open, grounded in our hope in Christ.
Rooted in the command to love God and love our neighbors, we approach differences with curiosity instead of fear. By listening well and remaining open to one another, we discover new perspectives, fresh possibilities, and unexpected opportunities for growth.
Growth
We make space for growth by choosing hope.
Growth happens when people feel safe enough to be known and courageous enough to stay engaged. As trust grows, fear and misunderstanding begin to give way to hope. We don't need to agree on everything to grow together. We simply need a commitment to remain connected to God and one another.
What’s the story behind “The Colossian Forum” name?
We get asked this a lot, and we love that our name sparks curiosity.
The “Colossian” part of our name comes from Colossians 1:17: “In Christ, all things hold together.” Conflict can feel overwhelming because we often act as though it is our job to hold everything together ourselves. But the good news is that Christ is already doing that work.
Because Christ holds all things together, we can engage disagreement with courage and hope. We can take risks, stay connected across differences, and trust that even when we get it wrong, God is still at work.
The “Forum” part of our name reflects our commitment to bringing people together. Our work involves creating environments where people can encounter God, one another, and possibilities for love and understanding.
Together, our name points to the heart of our work: helping people discover that Christ holds us together, even in the midst of our deepest differences.
Our work continues to evolve and is rooted in listening to our community and their needs.
Modeling a better way.
We got our start by hosting forums for tens of Christians — that turned into thousands of Christians. The forums help audiences consider how our modern tendencies of addressing (or ignoring) conflict are not in line with the ways of Jesus. Despite these events being well-attended, we realized something was missing: practical applications for the audience.
Practicing together.
The model for conflict engagement used in our forums became the basis for our small group curriculum: The Colossian Way. Our first topic focused on a then hotbutton issue — creation and evolution — and soon after new topics were created to engage human sexuality, political tension, and gender roles. Groups of 8-14 Christians navigate these difficult conversations — and we witness the incredible results.
Equipping leaders.
As we continued to impact small groups, we heard from faith leaders that they were ill-equipped to engage interpersonal and organizational conflict across their communities. We looked to the teachings, resources, and practices housed inside of the small group curriculum and recontextualized them for leadership teams, leading to the development of our foundational training program, WayFinder.
Find your next step.
Whether you’re looking for hope in the midst of conflict, practical tools for difficult conversations, or ways to help your community grow stronger, we’re here to help.
Listen to the podcast on your commute. Explore free resources. Join a small group experience. Bring a speaker to your event. Or equip your team, church, or organization with training and workshops.
Wherever you’re starting, you’ll find resources designed to help you navigate conflict with courage and love.
