Civility as a Ministry: Forging Habits for a Resilient World
Church of the Palms, Sarasota, FL, 2027
Workshop Leader: Tom Kapostasy
Timing: 12 sessions of 60-75 minutes.
Workshop Summary
We live in a world where the stability of our shared civic infrastructure faces real and visible challenges, both at home and abroad. This 12-week workshop moves beyond superficial politeness and good wishes to examine civility as a practical, behavioral discipline. Our focus is on evaluating the ongoing tension between differing individual desires and community needs. By combining insights and tools from the social sciences with a Reformed theological perspective, we explore how disciplined habits and religious community can help us navigate a world of inherent human brokenness.
The first half of the course explores how our moral, mental, emotional, and tribal defaults sometimes work against the sophisticated Reason and Discernment required of us today. By identifying where our biological wiring falls short of our current social and spiritual calling, we will learn how to overcome these primitive instincts, bridge our deepest divides, and pursue human flourishing in a fractured world. In the second half, we employ practical skill-building exercises focused on self-governance, constructive dialogue, and managing conflict. We finish by applying these tools in our direct “spheres of influence”—digital, public, and family spaces—as each participant develops a civility blueprint to help us collectively build a more resilient community.
Purpose of Civility
The final purpose of civility is to establish the habits and norms that allow fractured human beings to sustain a flourishing civilization and build a resilient civic infrastructure. We live in a world of inherent human brokenness, so civility serves as a critical tool of the Church—the body of Christ—to collectively address our cognitive and moral imperfections. Practicing these disciplined behaviors, we are actively prompted to honor one another as image-bearers of God, moving beyond our imperfect instincts to fulfill our shared responsibility for the common good.
Modern Civility and Civilization (Foundations)
Session 1: Civility: Modern Behaviors for Public Life
Session 2: Civility: High Impact, Bite-Sized Habits
Session 3: Ministering to a Fragile World: The Church and the Civic Fabric
Vaulting Moral, Mental, Emotional and Tribal Hurdles (Obstacles)
Session 4: The Righteous Mind: Navigating Our Moral Foundations
Session 5: In the Same Boat: Cognitive Shortcomings and Christian Humility
Session 6: In the Arena: Forging Emotional Habits
Session 7: The Limits of Tolerance: Wrestling with Tribalism and Conviction
Weaving the Civic Mesh: Crafting Civility (Habits and Connections)
Session 8: The Art of Self-Governance: Managing Defensiveness and Boundaries
Session 9: Constructive Dialogue: Trust, Perspective, and Crucial Conversations
Session 10: Conflict Management: De-escalation and Responding to Incivility
Session 11: Sample Spheres of Influence: Digital, Public, and Family Spaces
“Head Out on the Highway” (Deployment & Action)
Session 12: The Personal Blueprint: Commissioning the “Civiliteers”
Pre-reading Assignments by Week
- Syllabus
https://tomkapostasy.com/2026/04/10/civility-defined-1-1/
- https://tomkapostasy.com/2025/12/09/civility-is-really-about-7-behaviors/
- Part 4A Biblical Collapses and 4C Factors, Spiral and Conclusion https://tomkapostasy.com/2026/04/10/civility-values-3-1/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6ZDKko43p0 The Righteous Mind (4:28)
- None
- None
- Appendices 1, 2, and 3.
- Henri Tajfel and the “Minimal Group Paradigm” with Matt Williams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciSx1EG4V0s&t=112s
- Part 3, The 3-part repair script and 10 examples of disrespect.
- https://tomkapostasy.com/2026/04/10/crucial-conversations-5-10/
- Part 1, The Art of the Pivot Guide and Toolkit
- Part 1, 3 scenarios. Part 2, 8 scenarios. Appendix 1.
- https://tomkapostasy.com/2026/04/10/motivation-for-civility-3-3/
https://tomkapostasy.com/2026/04/10/inspiration-for-civility-3-4/
Appendix 3.
Materials:
https://tomkapostasy.com/2026/03/09/civility-resources-0-navigating-civility/
https://tomkapostasy.com/2026/04/10/civility-references-0-3/
Books for Future Study:
Choosing Civility: Forni, P. M.: 9780312302504: Amazon.com: Books
About the Workshop Leader:
Tom Kapostasy is an educator, writer, and former corporate executive who invested four decades in mastering evolving global “best practices” and managing the tensions between the hard and soft professions, static and dynamic approaches, and central and local dimensions of large global organizations—primarily in high-technology industries. He served as CFO, COO, and global supply chain director for organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the National FFA Organization, serving a million students and 15,000 teachers.
An experienced instructor, Tom has taught economics, finance, and accounting at multiple universities and led a wide array of professional content and management development workshops. He holds a BA in Economics from New College of Florida, an MBA in Finance from Case Western Reserve University, and is a graduate of Indiana University’s “Hoosier Fellows” executive leadership program.
Deeply rooted in the Reformed tradition, Tom brings a lifelong commitment to church leadership, having served as a Presbyterian elder, deacons president, treasurer, and adult education leader. He is an active member of the Sarasota community as a hunger-relief volunteer and an affiliate member of Church of the Palms. Since 2024, he has authored 100 articles on civility and supported Project Civility. Tom and his wife, Sue Maki—an elected official from the “other political party”—split their time between the vibrant communities of Carmel, Indiana, and Sarasota, Florida. Tom is an avid hiker, a frequent writer on his Good News website, and is an active community garden volunteer.
