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Christian Mediation Dr. Wayne Coussens, AACC Certified Christian Mediator, is making his services available to Churches, Christian Businesses, individual Christians involved in conflict or others that would prefer to resolve their problems through Christian Mediation rather than through legal services. Biblical principals should be paramount in the Mediation Process for Christians. The Bible instructs us to resolve our disputes among ourselves with wise leaders. Christian Mediation also has a number of other advantages over the legal process. The cost of Christian Mediation is typically much less than that of legal fees for both parties involved. Legal process usually involves multiple written documents sent back and forth with 30 day response periods between each party long before the case reaches court. Thus, not only are legal fees built up for the papers the lawyer must draw, but the time to resolve the case is stretched out due to the response periods. Assuming the case can get on the court docket in a reasonable amount of time, it still often takes 6 months or more to resolve a simple case through the courts. Most mediation can be resolved in one or a few sessions, thus saving time and money. In addition, Christian Mediations are almost always a private process, unlike legal actions which are public, leave public records and are open to public scrutiny and publicity. It is becoming more and more common for the courts to refer suits back to mediation prior to the case being finalized in court. Thus, it seems appropriate to start with that process and save time and money.
A Christian couple has had a tough time with personal issues for a long time and one of them is strongly considering filing for divorce. A church staff member is contemplating a law suit after he is fired for a reason that he believes is inappropriate and unfair The budgetary committee, due to financial needs of the church, decides to cut the pay of the janitor, but the employee believes that his salary is guaranteed by his contract. A dispute arises between church members who believe that modern worship music has no place in the church, and others members who feel it is absolutely essential. Part of a family believes grandma needs to be in a nursing home, the other part thinks they should share taking care of her at home. A Christian couple has been separated for some time but they continue to have a problem in dividing up their belongings in an agreeable way. The Pastor believes he should be paid for mileage accumulated for visiting the sick and homebound, but the finance committee says this money is not guaranteed in his salary contract. A church and the contractor building their new worship center disagree over the penalties for the late completion of the building. In the Bible there is clear evidence that many kinds of disputes occurred between Christians, or between Christians and non-believers. Today, as reflected in the scenarios above, Christians continue to find themselves embattled in major disputes of all kinds. Sometimes these disputes become severe and end up in our legal system where they are resolved often by non-Christian judges or by judges bound by secular laws. This results in unwanted embarrassment, publicity, and notoriety, and possibly legal actions that do permanent damage to one or both parties leaving them at odds with each other for many, many years. Such outcomes are not Biblical. The preferred Christian outcome would be one in which forgiveness and reconciliation are achieved and where both parties can walk away feeling good about the process and the outcome. Each of the cases above are ones that might be resolved through the Christian Mediation process; a process that seeks solutions using Christian values. The Bible says that we are to resolve our disputes among ourselves without bringing the secular legal system or non-Christians into our problems. Resolving problems using the Christian Mediation process involves the application of a Biblical worldview including prayer and scripture to attempt to help conflicting parties reach solutions that are fair for both parties allowing them to walk away from the situation with an equitable outcome. This is not to say the Christian Mediation always leads to a positive outcome for both parties, but it seems that more often than not it leads to a solution which is more acceptable to Christians than does the secular or legal process. If you or your church or other Christians you are aware of are involved in disputes, including marital or family disputes, you might consider the alternative dispute resolution process of Christian Mediation. You may contact Dr Wayne for more information, to make referrals or to schedule mediations, at 1-478-719-3054 or email him at drwayne@counselingthelordsway.com . He will be happy to review the merits of your potential mediation at no cost to you. Certain church mediations are available pro bono. Let us help you resolve your conflict God's way! Dr. Wayne also provides pre-Mediation consultations/counseling to help those who are planning to undergo the mediation process to learn about the process and to prepare adequately to participate fully in the process. This educational program is provided for a minor fee.
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Contact Information
Send mail to
DrWayne@counselingthelordsway.com with questions or comments about this
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