Relational wisdom, in essence, is the desire and ability to obey Jesus’ timeless command, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39).

To put it another way, relational wisdom (RW) is a six-part theological system that combines the gospel, the wisdom-principles of God’s Word and our God-given capacity for “emotional intelligence” into a discipleship paradigm for building and preserving Christ-like relationships. Each of the following disciplines fits within this paradigm (dig deeper here).

Biblical peacemaking is a systematic theology for resolving conflict and reconciling people. As described in Ken Sande’s book, The Peacemaker, this system is organized under four key principles (the “4 G’s”): Glorify God, Get the Log Out of Your Own Eye, Gently Restore and Go and Be Reconciled (dig deeper here).

RW skills coaching is a specialized form of “life coaching” that focuses on assisting individuals to accelerate the growth of the six core disciplines of relational wisdom in order to build stronger and more meaningful relationships and to “get upstream of future conflict.”

Christian conciliation is a process for resolving disputes between Christians in a biblically faithful manner. This process may involve conflict coaching (advising individuals how to resolve a dispute personally and privately), mediation (meeting with both parties to improve understanding and facilitate a voluntary agreement) or arbitration (a trusted individual resolves a conflict by rendering a binding decision). These processes are described in detail in Leading Christians Through Conflict and the Handbook for Christian Conciliation.

To learn how you can improve your ability to integrate these skills, see Pre-Conference Integration Training.

One of the most exciting things about this conference is that “we’re putting the band back together.” No, this doesn’t mean we’re making a new version of The Blues Brothers. It means that we’ve invited outstanding trainers and long-time friends from a variety of highly respected ministries to participate in our workshops, plenary sessions and advanced training.

At this point, our roster includes Claude Allen, Bruce Burgess, Paul Cornwell, Patti Damiani, Jeff Forrey, David Kelly, Ted Kober, David Mason, David Mikulsky, Susan Milsapps, Allison Pickering, Dennis Reiter, Corlette and Ken Sande, Rick Stein, Daniel Teater and Chip Zimmer.

We thank God for the outstanding wisdom and experience that these trainers will bring to our conference, and we rejoice in the fact that we are “of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Phil. 2:2) to exalt Christ and strengthen his church through the ministry of gospel-based peacemaking.

For detailed information on our keynote and workshop speakers, click here.

For detailed information on keynote and workshop content, click here.

As you learn how to integrate these four disciplines (see definitions here), you will be able to proactively teach and coach others to develop skills that enable them to build stronger relationships and “get upstream of conflict.” You will also be able to reactively apply peacemaking and conciliation principles to help others resolve conflicts they were unable to prevent.

Our Preconference Integration Training is designed primarily for individuals who are interested in pursuing approval as a Certified RW Conciliator™ and anticipate using these skills on a regular basis in a professional capacity. Even so, since this training provides excellent skill development, it is open to any individual who meets the entrance requirements and would like additional training and practice in Christian conciliation.

Pre-conference training will focus on integrating the principles and skills of relational wisdom, conflict coaching and biblical mediation, so it is necessary that students are already well versed in these concepts and ready to move into practical discussions and role plays involving these disciplines.

Students are required to have read The Peacemaker, completed Discovering Relational Wisdom 3.0 and completed formal courses in conflict coaching and biblical mediation that have been developed by RW360 or one of our eight sister ministries, which include Alliance Peacemaking, Ambassadors of Reconciliation, Crossroads Resolution Group LLC, ICC Peace, Live at Peace Ministries, Peacemaker Ministries, PeacePoint and PeaceWise. Students are not required to have completed any additional courses, practicums or certification processes in order to participate in our Pre-Conference Integration Training.

RW360 is currently developing a new generation of courses and practicums that integrate relational wisdom, biblical peacemaking, life coaching and Christian conciliation. Lord willing, these new courses will be released sequentially in the spring and summer of 2021.

RW360’s new conciliator training and certification program will provide a unique combination of training and application features.

First, this program will use the “4 G’s” paradigm (as set forth in Ken Sande’s book, The Peacemaker) as the primary organizing structure for the conciliation process.

Second, this program will incorporate the relational wisdom (RW) paradigm, which is a God-centered, biblically-based and gospel-driven form of “emotional intelligence.” In addition to enhancing conflict coaching and mediation skills, RW principles may be taught and applied through “RW skills coaching” (similar to life coaching) before conflict arises or after a conciliation process to help individuals accelerate the development of key relational skills and reduce the frequency of conflict in the future.

RW skills coaching has the additional benefit of giving conciliators the opportunity to stay proficient in applying relational principles even if they do not have frequent conflict coaching or mediation cases.

Finally, since our relational wisdom resources are available in both faith-based and values-based (secular) paradigms that have been approved for continuing education credit in a variety of professions, Certified RW Conciliators will have opportunities to use their skills not only in churches and ministries but also in secular businesses, schools and other non-Christian settings, which can raise their community visibility and create more opportunities for teaching and conciliating.

In the light of these benefits, RW360 believes it can make a valuable contribution to the field of biblical peacemaking and Christian conciliation by developing a new generation of training resources that fully integrate the principles of relational wisdom, “4 G’s” peacemaking, RW skills coaching, conflict coaching and mediation.

RW360 sees great value in each of our sister ministries’ training programs, which is why we affirm their ministries and have invited many of their senior trainers to teach at this conference.

Furthermore, because RW360’s new integrated conciliator training program is based on the same 4 G’s paradigm that served as the foundation for the conciliator training and certification program developed by Peacemaker Ministries during Ken Sande’s tenure as president, RW360 will grant full credit for the courses and experience completed through Peacemaker Ministries’ conciliator training and certification program.

If you have completed Peacemaker Ministries’ entire conciliator training and certification program and were approved as a Certified Christian Conciliator, you will be exempt from completing RW360’s standard coaching and mediation courses and practicums (saving approximately $1,500). To be approved as a Certified RW Conciliator™, however, you will be required to:

• Complete RW360’s Discovering Relational Wisdom 3.0 online course ($49, 8-10 hours) and Relational Peacemaking online course ($49, 8-10 hours, scheduled for release in July, 2021).
• Complete 6 hours of practical integration training that focuses on integrating relational wisdom, biblical peacemaking and Christian conciliation (to be offered online for $200 or live at our 2021 Annual Conference for $150).
• Acquire 14 hours of practical conciliation experience in which you integrate and apply the principles of relational wisdom, peacemaking and Christian conciliation (to be reviewed by an RW360 Conciliation Mentor for $100).
• Maintain your conciliation skills by acquiring 10 hours of approved continuing education (available online or at RW360’s annual conference) and 24 hours of practical conciliation experience (including at least one mediation case) annually.
• Commit to following RW360’s Conciliator Grievance Policy to resolve complaints based on possible deviations from the Standard of Conduct for Christian Conciliators.

If you have completed some but not all of the conciliator training provided by Peacemaker Ministries’ or any similar training provided by one of our other sister ministries, you may apply for exemption from corresponding segments of RW360’s Conciliator Training and Certification Program. These requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis depending on the extent of your previous training and experience.

If you do not expect to meet the annual experience requirements needed to maintain certification as a Certified RW Conciliator, we encourage you to use your teaching, coaching and conciliation gifts as a volunteer on a Peace Sower Team™ in your church or organization, or as a  Certified RW Instructor™ or Certified RW Coach™ (more details here).

For further information on any of RW360’s training and certification programs, or on our 2021 Annual Conference in general, please email our Chief Operating Officer, David Kelly, at david@rw360.org.

The registration fee for the main conference is $324 for an individual and $599 for a married couple.

The registration fee for the pre-conference training is $175  for an individual and $300 for a married couple.

Yes, you may cancel your conference registration for any reason and receive a 100% refund at any time prior to check-in.

Yes, hotel reservations may be cancelled without penalty if done so at least 48 hours before scheduled check-in.

Current trends in Montana’s COVID guidelines for large gatherings indicate that we should be able to host a gathering of up to 400 people in September. If local authorities reinstate capacity limits and require us to reduce attendance prior to the event, however, we will begin notifying those who registered most recently and work backwards to earlier registrants. Impacted registrants may receive audio tapes of all conference presentations, request a full refund or convert their registration payment into a donation. With these possible limitations in mind, we encourage you to register early to secure your place at the conference, being reassured by the fact that conference registrations and hotel reservations may be cancelled for any reason up to two days before the conference.

The conference will be held the DoubleTree by Hilton, Billings’ premier hotel. Attendees can contact the DoubleTree and reference the conference to get a special room rate of $109/night.

A room with a single or double queen beds is available to conference attendees for just $109 a night. Prices to upgrade to deluxe rooms and a registration link will be posted soon.

The hotel was upgraded in 2016 and provides a wide range of modern accommodations and amenities, including a fitness center, business center and shuttle service, as well as a City Brew coffee shop, the Montana Sky rooftop restaurant and the Montana’s Lounge. The hotel also provides multiple lounging areas where guests can pull away and enjoy personal conversation with special friends.

Yes, hotel reservations may be cancelled without penalty if done so at least 48 hours before scheduled check-in.

Registration fees cover lunch on each full day of the conference, which includes Thursday (for those who attend the advanced pre-conference training), Friday and Saturday. The main conference registration fee also covers the reception on Thursday evening and the Vision Banquet on Saturday night.

Attendees may arrange to enjoy breakfast each morning and dinner on Thursday and Friday evenings in the hotel or at one of the 20+ excellent restaurants that are available within three blocks of the hotel, which provide a wide range of cuisine that can fit every budget. At check-in, you will have the options of purchasing breakfast coupons at the hotel for $9 (continental breakfast) or $16.20 (hot breakfast). A map and detailed list of other dining options and recommendations will be provided at check-in.

Spouses may purchase separate meal plans for lunch on Friday and Saturday and for the banquet on Saturday evening instead of paying a full registration fee. They may enjoy other meals on their own at the hotel or at one of the nearby restaurants.

Montana weather is like a partly trained mustang: exciting and unpredictable! Normally we expect sunshiny days with daytime temperatures around 78 F at this time of year, but evenings often cool down to 45, so bring a jacket if you plan to stroll around in the morning or evening. Warmer clothes and walking shoes or boots will be needed if you plan to visit Yellowstone Park or any of our other nearby outdoor offerings. It’s not unusually to see our first snow flakes in the mountains in September!

Whatever is comfortable for you! Our gatherings are informal, so many people will be dressed in business causal or blue jeans. If you want to dress up a bit, however, please do so. (At least one attendee will be wearing a bow tie every day!) Some folks like to dress up a bit more for our Saturday Vision Banquet (“Montana formal” means wrangler jeans, an open collar shirt, sport coat and cowboy boots), but we love to see people wearing whatever they like.

Billings Logan International Airport is served by six major airlines: Alaska, Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier and United.

IMPORTANT Change in Shuttle Service Information: The DoubleTree Hotel has expanded their shuttle service availability to meet the shuttle requests for our attendees. Considering the current high cost of rentals, and the DoubleTree’s availability to meet your shuttle needs, we have decided to cancel the rental vans for the RW360 shuttle option. We believe this is a good stewardship decision. What that means for your shuttle requests:

• We have given the hotel the arrival/departure information for all the people who have requested the RW360 shuttle service. You now have a confirmed reservation for your arrival and departure on the hotel shuttle.
  • Along with your arrival time, we gave the hotel the time you want to be at the airport.
  • When you check in at the hotel desk, please confirm your hotel departure time on Sunday morning.
• If the DoubleTree Shuttles are not at the airport when you arrive, they will be there shortly. They run every 15 minutes.
• If you want shuttle service, but you have not yet indicated that to us, you can contact the DoubleTree Hotel (406-252-7400) to make a shuttle reservation.

• To request shuttle services, please record your flight arrival and departure information on the auto-submit form.  

Uber and Lyft options are also available in Billings.

If you prefer renting a car, you will also find most rental car services at Billings Logan International Airport. The DoubleTree Hotel provides free parking for conference attendees.

The following checklist will be regularly updated on our Conference FAQ page. From now until early September, items for you to complete will be added to the checklist. Please view it often so that you are prepared when you come to the conference.

• Make hotel reservations. Attendees can contact the DoubleTree and reference the conference to get a special room rate of $109/night.
• Submit meal choices and transportation needs using the auto-submit form.
• Upon check in at the hotel, confirm with the receptionist that the hotel shuttle service will take you to the airport on Sunday 9/12/21.
• If you prefer renting a car, you will also find most rental car services at Billings Logan International Airport.
• Uber and Lyft services are also available.
• The DoubleTree Hotel provides free parking for conference attendees.
• Submit Workshop Survey.
• If you want to come prepared for workshops, download and print the handouts for the workshops you want to attend.
• RW360 will provide workshops short handouts at the conference.
• For Book Table purchases: Use Debit Card or Check.
• Attire: Casual and comfortable. If you want to dress up “a little” for the banquet, feel free.
• Weather: Typically, the average high-temperature at that time of year is 73.2°F (22.9°C), and the average low-temperature is 52.5°F (11.4°C).

 

• Other Communication
  • 202101 Letter Welcome
  • 202103 Letter March Area Attractions
  • 202105 May Conference Prayer Letter
  • 202106 June Letter Weather
  • 202106 June Letter Slideshow Invitation
  • 202107 July Letter Meals and Transportation
  • 202108 August Come to the RW360 Conference Prepared