Difference Difference

The course

In a divided and fractured world, it can be hard to know where to begin with the issues that surround us.

Difference is a five-session course – available for free – that equips you to see transformation through everyday encounters.

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The sessions

The Difference course is designed for both large and small groups, meeting online or in-person. Each session is designed to last 90 minutes and explore the following themes:
  • God is at work to renew and reconcile all things and he calls us to be caught up in what he is doing. We are invited to find hope and to bring hope in a messy and complex world. This session introduces you to the three formational habits central to Difference - Be Curious, Be Present and Reimagine.
    This session includes
    • God's call in a divided and complex world: Matthew 5:5–9
    • Setting parameters for group culture: encouraging honesty, sensitivity and ways of relating well to one another
    • Interactive exercise to explore the 3 habits and the stories we bring
  • It is easy to distrust and feel wary of those who are different from us. We often find ourselves in echo chambers, drawn to voices that reinforce our own perspective or experience. It is increasingly easy to avoid or shut out those who make us uncomfortable or fearful, creating a dividing wall between us. This session is about responding to God’s invitation to know ourselves better by seeing our walls and the people on the other side.
    This session includes
    • The story of Sami from Bethlehem about overcoming walls between Israelis and Palestinians
    • The account of Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman: John 4:1–30
    • Interactive exercise about building and dismantling walls of prejudice
  • We all encounter conflict and it rarely feels comfortable, but we don’t need to be overwhelmed by it. Jesus’ example shows us that we can respond to disagreement with curiosity and generosity without compromising our convictions. In fact, sometimes conflict can be an opportunity to deepen and strengthen relationships in ways we have never imagined.
    This session includes
    • The story of Mariam from London about handling a family disagreement
    • The account of the woman who washes Jesus’ feet: Luke 7:36–50
    • Interactive exercise about disagreement and empathy
  • Jesus teaches again and again about forgiveness in the Gospels. This suggests two things: firstly, that it is a crucial part of finding life in all its fullness; secondly, that forgiveness is pretty hard to get our heads around and even harder to live out every day. This session is about allowing ourselves to be open to the possibilities of forgiveness in our relationships, while being honest about the places we get stuck.
    This session includes
    • The story of Craig from Cape Town about taking steps to ask for forgiveness from colleagues and friends
    • The account of Jesus and Peter on the beach from John 21:1–19
    • Guided reflection ‘stepping into’ the Bible passage
  • Pursuing healed, restored relationships can be risky, costly and complex. It’s easy to be overwhelmed when we struggle with forgiveness, feel powerless, or meet resistance in ourselves and others. But these aren’t signs that we should give up. We can expect to encounter difficulties when we are living out a new way which interrupts the values and power structures that surround us. This session is about finding ways to keep going as we try to live this out day by day.
    This session includes
    • The stories of Guvna B from London and Tom from Gloucester about communities that enable them to see change where there was brokenness
    • The account of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet from John 13:1–17
    • Interactive exercise about how the habits enable us to embody hope

The sessions include

Films
Bible
Prayer
Discussion
Interactive exercises
Download the course overview
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Video: What is it like running the course? Find out from some of our course hosts.

Habits

A transformed world starts with transformed relationships. In each session, we apply three habits that help us encounter others well, cross divides and see society transformed.

Be Curious

Listen to others’ stories and see how the world looks through their eyes.

Every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27)

Be Present

Encounter others with authenticity and confidence.

Our encounters with others are inseparable from our relationship with Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46)

Reimagine

Find hope and opportunity in the places where we long to see change.

God is making all things new (Revelation 21:5) and we are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5: 16-21)

Equipping you to run the course

To access the course resources and find out everything you need to know to run the Difference course, create an account on our training and resources hub.

This training is completely free, includes films and articles and takes no longer than 30 minutes to complete. You can pause and resume training at any time and you can access information and materials for every course you run via your own unique dashboard.

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Course resources

There are five sessions in the course and all of the course resources are free to download once you’ve been trained. Click below to preview one of the five sessions.

Preview resources
I saw a greater awareness of the brokenness and a realisation that there are pathways back with hope.
Course Host, Grenada
It has been phenomenal, literally transformative in men’s hearts and lives.
Prison Chaplain, UK
Difference ticks so many boxes of what we’re looking for in this time.
Church Leader, Hong Kong

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