Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked significant reflection and questions about the merits of nonviolent civil resistance in the face of massive violence, injustice, and war. Is nonviolent action a viable response when tanks are rolling in or authoritarian rulers threaten people with prison for speaking out? Is it possible to combine nonviolent action with armed resistance? Questions like these are playing out before our eyes as Ukrainians heroically defend their land against Russian aggression using both armed and nonviolent resistance strategies. For those who follow Jesus, many are asking themselves, what is a faithful response?

This article is the fourth in a four-part series articulating our Mission and Vision change and addressing some of the most frequently asked questions about this process.

We equip and mobilize Christians for peacebuilding so that we can learn to collaborate with our neighbors toward God’s shalom. Peace Catalyst staff live as embodied peacebuilders in their own communities, engaging in an iterative, reflective process of Understanding, Connecting, and Collaborating across divisions - our Peacebuilding Learning Journey.

As the Ukrainian crisis unfolds, many are asking how they can support the Ukrainian people right now. Here are some of our suggestions.

As an organization, we are committed to equipping Christians as peacebuilders in their everyday relational and social contexts, inviting them to connect across lines of difference. As these relationships grow, we can identify common goals and mobilize collaborative work to meet fundamental needs, heal wounds, build trust, and work together to create and sustain safe, just, and vibrant societies.

We have updated our Mission & Vision in an effort to: 1) Acknowledge the complex and interrelated issues that drive cycles of conflict so we can better address root issues in peacebuilding efforts across social divisions; and 2) Clarify the primary audience and intended beneficiaries of our work. As we step into a new chapter, we are reframing our Mission and Vision to affirm what we’ve learned and to elevate “equipping and mobilizing Christians for collaborative peacebuilding across lines of difference” as our new mission.

Our Peace Catalyst team in Seattle recently hosted its first live peacemaking event in over two years. Two local churches combined their efforts to host the local Uyghur American community in a community-wide Listening Event on the last day of the Winter Olympics. The timing was in solidarity to the worldwide Uyghur community whose concerns about holding an Olympic games in a nation where genocide is happening in real time were ignored by the IOC.

There are two competing streams of thought about CVE. The first is a more holistic version that says we need to address grievances and generate goodwill in a way that reduces violence. The second is security-driven and relies more on police powers to reduce violence. Though we subscribe to the first approach, the term “CVE” has become synonymous with the second, more coercive approach to preventing violence, and Peace Catalyst’s affiliation with the broader CVE paradigm had significant unintended consequences. Read our full statement.

This weekend we hosted an in-person discussion with Dr. Salim Munayer of Musalaha, a nonprofit working toward (and actually seeing) reconciliation in Israel-Palestine. Dr. Munayer shared with us not only about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but very wise and hard-learned insights about conflict itself and the process of reconciliation.