Conflict Management

Is there conflict in your congregation?

Now, if that isn’t the proverbial "loaded question," I don’t know what is. Chances are high that there is a bit of congregational squabbling from time to time. Any church with people (and we could end the sentence here!) with different values and opinions will experience conflict. Bulletin inserts, chancel renovations, and who forgot to clean the kitchen are all fodder for fighting. The list of possibilities for disagreements is actually quite endless. That’s the bad news.

The fact is, when people begin to express their opinions, they will inevitably disagree. How they do it makes all the difference in the world. Name calling and talking about others behind their backs instead of talking respectfully to them is not the behavior you’d expect from people of faith, yet it happens. We need to remember that it requires a bit of work to practice the faith we profess. Thankfully, there are steps that we can take to work through the rough spots of community life.

Our Community: Dealing with Conflict in Our Congregation is part of the Augsburg Fortress Congregational LEADER Series. This resource offers a biblical and theological approach to conflict. It also offers tools to increase healthy communications during times of congregational strife.

• Look at the Table of Contents*.
• Read some brief excerpts:   Excerpt 1 *     •     Excerpt 2*
  (The table of contents and excerpt files listed above are in PDF format - Adobe Acrobat Reader required. (Free download.))
  
• Order "Our Community" directly from Augsburg Fortress Publishers.
• Review the books in the Congregational LEADER Series.
• Read what others have said about Our Community: Dealing with Conflict in Our Congregation.
• Contact Revwriter to speak with your congregational leadership or small group.

  * From OUR COMMUNITY (Congregational Leadership Series), copyright © 2002 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission of the publisher.

Thanks be to God that we can learn and grow through all the experiences of our lives, even the conflicts. We find new hope and new life through Jesus Christ. That’s the Good News.

May the Spirit of God’s Love direct all your days.