When gun violence spiked to 48,204 deaths in 2022, churches and other institutions raced to find ways to reduce it. With the violence declining to 38,842 deaths in 2025, is this still a priority? Yes, says the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, host for the gun violence prevention training event for congregations known as the Atwood Institute for Congregational Courage, to be held on Sept. 15-18 at the Heartland Retreat Center near Kansas City, Missouri.
“Now is the ideal time to gain training in effective strategies to save lives, from gun suicide to youth gun violence to mass shootings,” says the Rev. Margery Rossi, PPF’s Minister for Gun Violence. “We are learning what actually works and the September event will help congregations to focus their energy on steps such as support for Community Violence Interruption programs, strategies to protect children and youth, and participation in state-level advocacy coalitions.”
“The church of Jesus Christ cannot stand idly by while over 38,000 human beings die from gun violence,” Rossi said.
This week PPF announced that the Aug. 25 registration deadline will be extended through Aug. 30. The deadline to apply for scholarships is Aug. 26. See event FAQs here and register by Aug. 30 here.
The Institute is ecumenical, welcoming many denominations from Presbyterian to Catholic to Episcopal to evangelical and more. See the faculty here and the event schedule here.
Opening evening activities beginning at 7 p.m. Central Time on Sept. 15 will celebrate the progress that has been made in saving lives. The keynote speaker, the Rev. Dr. Jer Swigart, co-founder of Global Immersion, will share his story of coming from a rural Midwestern evangelical background into a leadership role in training for de-escalation and intervention in the epidemic of gun violence. Entitled “Blessed are the Disrupters,” his reflection will reframe the biblical peacemaker as someone who creatively disrupts the system of death before it crushes individuals and communities. The keynote evening is free and open to area congregations, with registration required here. A reception will follow, hosted by Heartland Presbytery.
Named in honor of the late Presbyterian prophet of gun violence prevention, the Rev. James Atwood, the annual training Institute brings together congregational and clergy leaders, often in teams from a congregation or a regional community. It develops practical skills in teaching, preaching and speaking about the difficult topic of gun violence. It models the best pastoral approaches for families and communities that have been traumatized by gun violence and showcases the best strategies working effectively across the nation to save lives now.
This year that means training in how congregations can build or join Community Violence Interruptions programs such as Omaha 360 and Kansas City 360, two innovative city-wide efforts that have driven down high levels of gun violence in these cities. At one time, Omaha was the single most dangerous city for Black Americans to die from gun violence, per capita, in the entire nation. Today, a weekly Wednesday meeting brings together public health leaders, schools, churches, social services, law enforcement, employment, housing and youth programs, all working together to intervene in gun violence before it occurs. Dr. Marvia Jones and Dr. Rex Archer are Kansas City public health leaders who will show participants how congregations can support this approach in their communities.
Church members in the state of Colorado will share the story of how they banded together to form Colorado Faith Communities United to successfully advocate for gun-sense legislation and a Colorado State Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Dr. Andrew Peterson of the PC(USA)’s Office of Public Witness will preview new training on how clergy can support Extreme Risk Protection Orders, also known as Red Flag orders, in situations of likely gun violence in states that have ERPOs.
Training in steps to protect children and teens from gun violence will include the Be SMART for Kids campaign and Guns to Gardens, helping congregations to decrease the number of unwanted guns and to increase the number of safely secured guns. These two key steps can help to keep guns away from children and teens at a time when gun violence is the number one killer of American children and teens.
Learn more about the Atwood Institute and register here.
Scholarship applications are available here with an Aug. 26 deadline.
About the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Founded in 1944, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship is an independent national organization that works to encourage, equip and connect people of faith to engage in nonviolence, justice and peacebuilding in their communities and throughout the world.
