Grounded in the wisdom of Paul’s letter to the Roman church, R12 is designed to help congregations and individuals respond to cultural and political polarization in ways that mirror the heart and mind of Jesus.
The Church has a powerful alternative to political and cultural division if we avoid the temptations of fight or flight. Loving each other despite our differences requires practices and habits for individuals and congregations. R12 provides tools designed to help congregations understand, assess, and respond to political and cultural polarization.
- God First Mentality
- Humble Self-Image
- Loving Mindset
- Blessing Methodology
- Unity, not Unanimity
- Proactive Structures
How Polarized Are We?
The church should be a place where we work through differences in love and talk about our convictions without demonizing those who may disagree.
How Can R12 Help Our Church?
Assess and Respond
Uncover the risk of harmful political and cultural polarization for yourself and your community.
Create Room for Differences
Learn to relate and treat those we disagree with as neighbors to love rather than enemies to defeat.
Strengthen Leadership
Train your staff and relevant lay leaders on how to respond when polarization is creating conflict in your congregation.
Free Church Polarization Risk Quiz
Take the free quiz designed to help you understand how much polarization there might be in your congregation.
The R12 Quiz is designed for individual completion rather than group involvement, which may affect accuracy compared to if everyone in the congregation participated together.
A Renewed Mindset
Crucial for Christians and congregations, polarization extends to how we view those with differing political or social stances.
Despite disagreements, our culture encourages seeing opponents as adversaries to defeat rather than as fellow neighbors to love.
Political polarization poses a rising concern for American congregations as more individuals adopt extreme convictions at opposite ends of the spectrum.
R12 aims to equip congregations and individuals with tools to address cultural and political polarization, aligning with the teachings of Jesus.
Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love