About The Shalom Collaboratory at Eastern Mennonite Seminary
Learning for Restoring Relationships, Faith-Based Peacebuilding, and Conflict Transformation
The Shalom Collaboratory at Eastern Mennonite Seminary opens spaces for pastors, lay leaders, nonprofit and community partners, parents and caregivers to learn and experiment with practices to build peace for restored relationships. From webinars and short courses to workshops and clinics, our work integrates spiritual formation and biblical-theological reflection with the skills for restoring relationships and building peace with justice.
Eastern Mennonite Seminary is rooted in the historic Anabaptist witness to the peacemaking way of Jesus and deeply committed to work for justice in pursuing the shalom of God. In this spirit, EMS offers a variety of training programs for theologically informed peacebuilding and conflict transformation skills.
Doing this work well means co-laboring across disciplines, drawing on theories and practical wisdom developed in a variety of settings. This includes collaborating with EMU’s world-renowned Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) and Graduate Counseling Program and cultivating a spirit of experiential learning and action research. These qualities are key to the work of a “collaboratory.”
In our programs, participants learn frameworks and skills for practical approaches to the challenges congregations routinely encounter. The Shalom Collaboratory helps leaders develop adaptive approaches to transform conflicts in the creative spirit of Godly imagination and incorporate strategies for trauma awareness and resilience into their congregational practices. Its Conectere initiative trains caregivers to deepen practices of secure attachment for growing children in faith..
Invite Shalom to Your Community
The Shalom Collaboratory at EMS engages local churches, regional and national ecclesial bodies, and nonprofit organizations in many ways, from keynotes and workshops at leadership retreats to customized training and conference planning. If you or your organization is interested in custom-designed online or on-location training, use this form to start a conversation:
Request Custom Training Information
Unsure of what type of training you might need? We’re ready to listen and help assess your needs based on what we have to offer with no obligation.
Study with Us
For those interested in further study and experiential learning opportunities in academic programs, Eastern Mennonite Seminary offers several pathways that integrate the skills of conflict transformation, trauma awareness, and restorative justice with reflection on the theological commitments that are embodied in these practices.
Our graduate certificates and degrees can be tailored for current and future faith leaders who want to respond more effectively to social conflicts as they arise in their community and those who seek faith-informed social engagement in the complex justice issues of their communities. At EMS, students can engage on a schedule, at a pace, and in a format that works for each student—including the opportunity to complete all Seminary coursework online.
The Seminary’s commitment to training faith leaders who seek peace and justice in all spheres of life and teach others to do the same is reflected also in the themes for regular conferences and learning events. The Shalom Academy (formerly the School for Leadership Training) and other regular events invite a wider community to come and see the living connections between faith and justice, righteousness and liberation—so that all may live an abundant life.
