October 9, 2025

Can’t we all just get along?

Good communication skills are critical for marriage and other personal relationships. Good communication skills also help us to stay in relationship with those of different political persuasions, they help us to work well with others at our jobs or in school, and they’re necessary for effective parenting. 

For the next three weeks, beginning this Sunday October 12, our formation time will be taking a break from deep theological questions to explore how we maintain our relationships. We’ll refine our skills at communicating our own ideas and feelings and understanding what others are trying to tell us. We’ll look at what to do when things have broken down and conflict arises. Finally, we’ll talk about how to use effective communication not just to get along but to accomplish something productive.

The framework that we’ll be using comes from couples counseling, and while the principles of effective communication, conflict resolution, and shared goal setting are useful in almost every part of our relational lives, couples will certainly benefit most from our discussions and I encourage anyone in a relationship to attend together. Couples that are interested can also sign up to complete a thorough couples relationship inventory for a more individual relationship checkup. (There is a $35 cost for the inventory. Scholarships are available.)