Relational Wisdom for Unplanned Pregnancies

During the 2022 and 2023 Care Net Annual Conferences, Ken Sande taught four custom workshops:

12+ Ways to Strengthen Relationships, Build Unity and Prevent Conflict in a Carenet Center – This breakout session will cover 12 key principles and practices for improving emotional intelligence, empathy, peacemaking, and problem-solving skills of pregnancy center leaders and workers. These skills can also be used to create more peaceful homes and to improve performance in the workplace (Download Handout).

Relational Wisdom: Going Beyond Emotional Intelligence – Relational wisdom (RW) combines the neurological insights of emotional intelligence with the theological insights of Scripture to create a practical theology organized into six key relational skills that can be applied in the life-changing interactions of a pregnancy center, as well as all areas of life (Download Handout).

Seven Steps to Deeper Empathy – This breakout session will show how to develop Christ-like empathy, which will enable you to read other people accurately, show genuine compassion, and minister in life-changing ways. These skills can enrich your interactions within pregnancy decision ministry, as well as your marriage, parenting, ministry, friendships, and witness for Christ (Download Handout).

Peacemaking: Turning Conflict into an Opportunity – Women with unplanned pregnancies often face conflict with boyfriends, parents, and advisors. The peacemaking principles presented in this breakout session can help them reconcile relationships, resist coercion and build unity and agreement with the people who can support them in making life-giving choices (Download Handout).

If you would like to download the handouts and see the video or audio recordings of these workshops, please go to the RW Academy and click on the Relational Wisdom for Unplanned Pregancies course. If you find the principles of relational wisdom and peacemaking to be relevant to you personally or to the pregnancy clinic you serve, there are several ways that you can enhance your relational skills and help others to do likewise. As 1 Timothy 4:15 instructs: “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.” Here are some ways you can live out this call to action:

  1. Deepen your personal relational skills by completing RW360’s two foundational online courses: Discovering Relational Wisdom 3.0 (8-10 hours, download sample study guide here) and Relational Peacemaking (10-12 hours, download sample study guide here).
    • CareNet Scholarships: RW360 offers one 100% scholarship for each course to every CareNet center so that you can “test drive” each course to decide whether it would be useful at your center. To receve this scholarship, just fill out the form at www.rw360.org/semcode. Additional staff, volunteers and clients can receive a 50% scholarship for either or both courses by using the coupon “carenet50” when you register for either course.
  2. Master these concepts by teaching them to others using one of RW360’s Group Study Sets. You could use this material in a variety of ways: (a) get “upstream of conflict” by providing professional development training to your clinic staff, volunteers and board members, (b) provide ongoing classes in relational wisdom and peacemaking to help your clients and their families improve their relational skills as they work together to support life, and (c) help your friends improve their relational skills by using these materials for a group study in your home or a Sunday school class in your church.
  3. If you find that God has given you a heart and gifts for practicing and teaching these types of skills, pursue advanced training or certification as an RW Instructor, Coach or Conciliator.
  4. To weave these concepts deeply into your pregnancy center, establish a Peace Sower Team comprised of trained and experienced individuals who can provide ongoing instruction, coaching and conciliation services to your clinic staff, as well as the women, men and extended families who turn to your ministry for hope, encouragement and guidance. These teams are equally valuable in local churches!
  5. To deepen your relational, peacemaking, coaching or conciliation skills further, attend RW360’s annual Sowing Peace Conference, which will be held in Billings, Montana, on November 2-5.
  6. Encourage the leaders in your home church and the churches that support your center to improve their relational skills by going through RW360’s free two-hour online course, The Relationally Wise Leader.
  7. Help the people in your ministry or church improve their ability to share the gospel with friends, coworkers and neighbors by going through our free online course, Using Relational Wisdom for Witnessing.

If you have any questions about these training options, please email mail@rw360.org.