Restoring Relations:
Quaker Listening Space: overview - what a listening space is, why it's needed and why it works.
Quaker Listening Space: foundations & practices - describes the two core foundations of a listening space and other practices.
Listening basics - the fundamentals of effective listening.
HUE listening cycle - a helpful way to remind us of effective listening.
The landscape metaphor - a simple idea that helps us explore the wider truth.
Quaker:
Quaker Faith and Practice offers much valuable advice, specifically;
- 10.21-24 Conflict within the meeting
- 20.67-75 Conflict - 20.71 is particularly helpful
With a Tender Hand, a resources book for eldership and oversight by Zélie Gross (2015)
An essential guide for Elders and Pastoral Care Friends, drawing on experience in many different Quaker meetings in Britain, this book offers support to Friends as they nurture the life of their worshipping community. It aims to support new and existing elders and overseers in this vital role.
Under the fourth topic of “Caring” Chapter 14 covers “Conflict and difficulty in the meeting”. It considers ‘supporting helpful processes, strategies and behaviour’, ‘responding to conflict’ ‘serious difficulty in the meeting’ and ‘mutual support’
At the end of the chapter there are ‘queries for reflection, discussion and learning’
Conflict in Meetings: Volume 4 of the Eldership and Oversight Handbooks 2nd edition (2005)
A little dated but with some excellent advice on responding to conflict and considering the skills that help.
Woodbrooke:
Woodbrooke run occasional courses which relate to conflict and dealing with our differences in a loving way. Search under Our Courses - Woodbrooke. For example:
- A Quaker Approach to Listening - Woodbrooke Tuesday 12 May 2026 with James McCarthy. Listening is the foundation of trust and co-operation. A good society cannot exist without it. This session will offer practical skills and new perspectives on how we can listen well and will explore how this relates to Quaker values and approaches.
- Making Peace With Conflict: Skills for Difficult Conversations - Woodbrooke Wednesday evenings 13 May to 17 June with Lottie Child and Jenny Tipping. Is there conflict within your Quaker meeting? Would you love to initiate dialogue about controversial topics but don’t know where to start? This course can help you to develop the skills and confidence to embrace the opportunity of conflict. Founded in Nonviolent Communication, this course will give you the tools you need to initiate and hold dialogues on difficult subjects while staying in connection.
- Creating a Nonviolent World - Woodbrooke Wednesday evenings 23 Sept to 28 October with Özge Altinkaya & Jenny Tipping. Many of us feel despair about the world but struggle to see how we can make a difference. Using the consciousness and skills of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) we will get clarity on our vision and work together to make that vision a reality. This course is for anyone motivated to play their part in a shift to a nonviolent paradigm. We will explore the interplay between nonviolence in the inner world and how that plays out in outer world.
Place for Hope:
Place for Hope accompanies and equips people and faith communities so that all might reach their potential to be peacemakers who navigate conflict well. They also work with the Methodist Church and have a Reconciliation and Mediation Team. They offer training and their website has rich resources:
Some excellent definitions: words-we-use
Read, watch & digest
Restoring Relations Friends have compiled resource lists of our own favourite books, articles and videos:
'Simpler Everyday' Resources: https://files.quaker.app/992hkv
'A Deeper Dive Resources': https://files.quaker.app/qbwda4
There are many more organisations both within and external to faith-based organisations, which offer advice and training. For example UK Mediation
We would be interested to hear of resources, organisations and initiatives that your Quaker communities have found helpful.