The Essence of Relational Peace: A Journey in Faith, Education and Community

In this episode of God on the Move, Gary Sweeten shares how his small-town, collaborative schooling and cross-denominational Christian upbringing shaped his lifelong focus on relationships, education, and gentle, grace-filled ministry. He describes a pivotal call to serve Christ that led him into higher education leadership and counseling, including opening a house church for troubled university students in 1970. Sweeten explains that change happens through person-centered listening rather than confrontation, and he highlights the importance of addressing shame as well as guilt across cultures, drawing on his ministry in Scandinavia and beyond. He outlines “Relational Peace” as blessing others with shalom, teaching practical skills such as GREW (genuine concern, respect, empathic understanding, warmth) and renewing the mind (Romans 12:2), urging churches to move beyond a medical model, equip laypeople (Ephesians 4), and become healing communities.

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Relational Peace

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Guests in This Episode

Gary Sweeten

Shortly after completing his doctorate in 1975, Dr. Gary Sweeten was compelled to live out the biblical exhortation to equip people for ministry. To that end, he launched the “Teleios” ministry within Cincinnati’s College Hill Presbyterian Church. It was there that he trained and equipped everyday lay people to provide care and compassion to the body of believers. The emotional and spiritual health of the community rose.

He was convinced the same skills could be used in other settings and he held national and international conferences multiple times per year, and thousands attended. Soon, he was invited to travel to other countries to teach these same skills. People were being equipped and the reports of emotionally healthier individuals, families and communities poured in.

Now with the advent of online learning and the reach/access the Internet provides, Gary and team have launched RelationalPeace.org to make his equipping materials accessible worldwide. The online courses are video-based with accompanying workbooks, and can be consumed individually, in families or in a group format.