Program Overview

This program is intended for...

  • Christians with a hunger to deepen their ministry in peacemaking, justice, and reconciliation
  • Grass-roots ministers and Christian activists serving people who suffer and are marginalized
  • Pastors with a calling to shape their church to embody reconciliation
  • College, university, and seminary faculty and administrators training young Christians to live in the way of the Kingdom
  • Denominational and organizational leaders seeking to guide their organizations into deeper reconciliation
  • Every follower of Jesus Christ seeking to become an ambassador of reconciliation

    • Daily Design

    Morning & Evening Prayer

    Participants begin and end each day with vibrant Christian worship, held in Duke Divinity School’s beautiful Goodson Chapel.

    Morning Common Journey

    All participants gather to learn from and dialogue with plenary speakers about a theological vision and practice of reconciliation.   Plenary sessions address:

    • Reconciliation as God’s mission
    • The practice of lament
    • Hope in the midst of brokenness
    • Transformative leadership
    • Spirituality for the long haul

    Afternoon In-Depth Seminars

    Participants select one afternoon seminar for the entire week, going in-depth with one or two faculty members and 10-15 peers in a format of rich teaching and interaction.

    Summer Institute Schedule (PDF)

    Other Activities

    Shared meals, one-on-one conversations with faculty, some free evenings, some evenings with community-building events, and access to the many gifts of Duke University’s campus.

    Faculty and Focus

    The focus on reconciliation is grounded in a distinctively Christian and embodied “word made flesh” vision and framework that is richly practical, contextual and theological. Birthed out of the Duke Center for Reconciliation's mission to form and strengthen Christian leaders in the ministry of reconciliation, the Summer Institute reflects the theological, contextual, and practical strengths of a faculty of world-class scholars and practitioners.

    “For a long time I’ve been looking for a place for Christians doing reconciliation and peace which embodies the whole gospel. Coming to this Institute has really given me everything that I have hoped for.” — Priscilla Adoyo, Director, Center for Peace-Building and Conflict Transformation, Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology