Bishop Ken Carter introduced the Annual Conference session on the Way Forward on Friday afternoon by summarizing important points in the book The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute. A key learning is about the difference between a heart at war and a heart at peace.

With “a heart at war, the other person is an object, an obstacle, an irrelevance.” With “a heart at peace, we see the other not as an issue, but as a person,” Bishop Carter said.

“Convicted humility is an attitude that combines honesty about differences with humility about the ways each of our views stand in need of correction,” he said. “We hold deep convictions about who God is, and who we are in God’s grace.

“We hold differing convictions about human sexuality in the same churches, in the same families. We believe that our fundamental theological commitments unite us across real differences.”

Following the introduction, the Point of View method for having empathy, understanding and generative dialogue in hard conversations was explained by Jason DeMeo of the consulting firm We Are Curio. The members were then invited to have conversations in triads around subjects related to the Way Forward.

Below are some photos of the innovative session.