How Resolve can help | Resolve Christian Mediation

How Resolve can help

Where reconciliation has not been possible through the process described in Matthew 18:15-20, the people involved in a dispute
may want to ask Resolve to help.

Resolving conflict involves two different processes: reconciliation, which looks to restore relationships and heal wounds; and mediation, which focusses on resolving specific issues and negotiating agreements.

Who can refer issues to Resolve?

Any person or organisation who accepts the Christian nature of the service and agrees to the Rules can refer a dispute to Resolve, provided the other party does the same. Resolve always retains a discretion as to whether to accept any mediation request.

What principles do we follow in Christian reconciliation and mediation?

Resolve promotes traditional Judaeo-Christian values and principles, which are for the most part central to English common law. These values and principles promote healthy relationships and the proper functioning of society.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12).

What is Mediation?

Mediation is a voluntary and relatively informal process in which mediators facilitate communication and negotiation to help the parties reach their own agreement. Mediators are as concerned with reconciling the parties by helping them address personal and relational issues as with helping them to settle their substantive differences.

What is the mediation process?

The mediator(s) will offer initial advice and then ask each party for a short, written summary of their position. He or she will then usually bring the parties together at a private and informal meeting, listen to what they have to say, refer them to biblical principles where appropriate, help them to consider their responsibilities as well as their rights, and encourage them to seek a just solution.

Will the mediator give their opinion about the dispute?

If the parties do not reach an agreement on their own, they may ask the mediator(s) to issue an advisory opinion which is not legally binding but is often accepted by both sides.

Is the mediation binding?

Agreements reached through mediation are written down and become legally binding agreements.

What if there is no agreement?

If mediation is unsuccessful, the parties may decide to end the reconciliation process, or they may agree to submit unresolved issues to arbitration. Arbitrators will make a ruling based on their assessment of the rights and wrongs of the case, and the parties agree to abide by the arbitrators’ findings.