Restorative practice workshop: Insights and learnings
Justice & Advocacy
Three Anglican Church Southern Queensland community members share their insights and learnings from the recent “Setting Relations Right” restorative practice workshop, which was recently held at St Francis College
Three Anglican Church Southern Queensland community members share their insights and learnings from the recent “Setting Relations Right” restorative practice workshop, which was recently held at St Francis College.
“Restorative practice is important because it is a natural space for the Church to lead in…We need to serve, rather than dictate — this reflects Jesus’ qualities,” says Bishop Daniel Abot (30 May 2025)
The Right Rev’d Daniel Abot — Ethnic Congregations Specialist
I was especially struck by the effectiveness of the role plays in the talking circles. In one role play, a boyfriend and a girlfriend, who were both drunk, smashed into a vehicle for fun in a caryard. They weren’t thinking about the disastrous consequences on the caryard owner and on the owner of the pub where they consumed too much alcohol. The technique of bringing parties together was demonstrated in the role play. The parties included the two young adults — we learnt that one grew up in foster care and the other was raised by a grandparent — and the owners of the caryard and pub.
The role plays modelled helpful questions that were non-judgemental, including “Tell us a bit more about what you were thinking and feeling when you did that.”
Wherever there are people there are problems and how you approach a problem is important, otherwise you can end up with a problem within a problem. The non-judgemental questions in the role plays showed that when questions are asked and when they are framed the right way — rather than solutions dictated by a mediator — the people involved tend to find their own way of solving the problem.
I already have skills and experience in the restorative justice space. For example, I worked with the United Nations for about eight years as an honorary bishop to help negotiate peace in South Sudan. So, after participating in the conference what I will do differently is incorporate role plays as a training technique when skilling and coaching clergy and lay leaders in restorative justice practices.
Restorative practice is important because it is a natural space for the Church to lead in. First, the Church needs to demonstrate to the community that we can approach problems safely. We need to serve, rather than dictate — this reflects Jesus’ qualities.
“Just as Jesus restored the broken and welcomed the outsider, restorative approaches prioritise relationships over punishment, affirming the dignity of every person,” says The Rev’d Jane Markotsis (30 May 2025)
The Rev’d Jane Markotsis — Chaplain, West Moreton Anglican College
A key insight I took away from the restorative practice conference is that “harm is best healed through dialogue that gives equal voice to the person harmed and the person responsible.”
This simple, yet profound, truth challenges quick-fix approaches to conflict and invites a more intentional, relational response. Rather than rushing to solutions or defaulting to disciplinary measures, restorative practice encourages me to slow down and to create space for people to share their stories, to listen, and to be heard.
This shift is changing how I approach my work. I find myself less in the role of a “fixer” and more in the role of a facilitator of healing and understanding. In this space, students and staff don’t just feel acknowledged — they participate in the process of repair. This deepens empathy, builds resilience and nurtures a sense of shared responsibility within our community.
Restorative practice also resonates deeply with the mission and integrity of the Anglican Church. It reflects the heart of the Gospel and is a call to reconciliation, healing, and grace. Just as Jesus restored the broken and welcomed the outsider, restorative approaches prioritise relationships over punishment, affirming the dignity of every person. Rooted in justice, mercy and compassion, this practice builds safe and inclusive communities where people belong and grow.
In both faith and formation, restorative practice is not just a method, but a powerful witness to God’s transforming love at work among us.
“The practices demonstrated in this conference take seriously the work of a community and not a single heroic individual. The consistent implementation of these practices benefits the whole community and shares the burden of responsibility more widely,” The Rev’d Michael Stalley (30 May 2025)
The Rev’d Michael Stalley — Rector, The Parish of Mt Gravatt & Director of Discernment, ACSQ
One of the main learnings that I took away from the conference is that we need to reconsider the ways we select and train leaders for the Church now and into the future. We cannot continue to do it the same way we have been.
Since becoming the Director of Discernment for the Anglican Church of Southern Queensland, I’ve become keenly aware of the challenges of selecting and training faithful leaders. These challenges include preparing people who are being called into communities of complexity and uncertainty. People look to a leader as someone “who knows”. During such complexity, we understandably yearn for those who might hold more knowledge than we do and, in doing so, provide hope where we can’t see it for ourselves.
By the very definition of complexity and uncertainty, this kind of knowledge is hard to come by. When knowledge is hard to come by, I’m convinced that it will be our faithful practices that we acquire and keep that will be of most value to the church leader.
The practices demonstrated in this conference take seriously the work of a community and not a single heroic individual. The consistent implementation of these practices benefits the whole community and shares the burden of responsibility more widely.
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