Consulting & Training

America’s neighborhoods are getting more diverse. Your church may be in a community that includes Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and more.

How can you best prepare to not only share your faith, but also love your neighbors as disciples of Christ without compromise? Multifaith Matters offers consulting services to assist you. We have expertise with different religious groups, and can help you navigate the challenges.

Examples of what we are offer are listed below. Contact with questions and to set up a consulting and training opportunity.

Details on opportunities for engagement with Carrie Graham of The Church Lab

a) Dialogue participation:

The Church Lab holds biweekly dialogues that are hybrid in person and digital. Residents in the Austin, TX, area dialogue in a living room with neighbors in places like Virginia, New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania. If you'd like to participate, email carrie@thechurchlab.org for more info. To view upcoming dialogue topics, you can visit https://thechurchlab.org/new-events/.

b) Facilitators' training:

The Church Lab offers periodic trainings for leaders wishing to become dialogue facilitators. Those interested might be able to join a training, or we can create and schedule a contextualized training if a group from the same organization want to do a training together. For more info, email carrie@thechurchlab.org

c) Possible Support Cohort:

The Church Lab is exploring the possibility of creating a training+support building cohort for religious leaders interested in engaging with dialogue and other faithful expressions that meet spiritual needs of emerging generations. If you are interested in being a part of a supportive group that can provide both training and support as you lead toward dialogue and through change, please contact carrie@thechurchlab.org.

Understanding and Engagement with Mormons, Pagans, New Spirituality, and the Nones, Skills and Facilitator Training with John Morehead

John has lived in Utah and developed relationships and engaged in conversations with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for many years. He has also developed the Transitions educational and discipleship materials for those exiting the Church and moving into mainstream Christian churches. He can help your church understand and relate to Mormons in helpful ways, and can also draw upon his experience with members of other new religious movements, as well as Pagans, adherents of the New Spirituality (“New Age”), and Muslims.

He also has an understanding of “the Nones,” that large group of people who prefer to be unaffiliated with institutional religion, but who many times maintain an interest in a personal, non-traditional spirituality.

He is also available to help you arrange Heart & Mind Conversations, and Skills Training and Facilitator Training for Heart & Mind Conversations that equip you with important theological and emotional tools for multi-faith engagement. Contact John at johnwmorehead@msn.com.

Service and Spiritual Engagement of Refugees and Other Immigrants with Mark Shetler

Cities and communities across the United States are being impacted by the resettlement of peoples escaping war, violence, poverty, prejudice, oppression in a variety of forms. Christ-followers are commanded to love their neighbor and must discern how to genuinely befriend those moving in the down the street. However, the obstacles of different languages, cultures, religions, worldviews and experiences can make this a complicated process.

Churches and other faith-based organizations who would like to explore how to address the needs in their own community can seek a consultation which would explore these critical components: biblical mandate, survey of needs, inventory of resources and potential partners in ministry, cultural awareness and sensitivity, overcoming fear, prayer, initiating friendships, development of a reasonable plan and invitation to spiritual conversations. Contact Mark at mshetler@rivercitychristian.org.

Invite Phil Wyman to Teach and/or Consult Your Church on These Topics:

Understanding American and British Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft, Understanding and Relating to New Atheism, Developing a Redemptive Engagement with Halloween, Reaching the World from Home: Developing Meaningful Outreach in Festivals and Tourist Destinations, Learning to Communicate Peacefully Across Impossible Differences, Dialogue as a New Model of Gospel Proclamation. 

For opportunities to be involved with Phil in Outreach and Ministry in Festivals and Bucket List locations visit our Events page.

Additional resources from Phil:

Witches are Real People Too: Understanding American Neo-Paganism from a Christian Perspective

The Reformation of Halloween: Rethinking Christianity's Response to Halloween

For additional information email Pastor Phil at salempastorphil@gmail.com.