Critics come in many shapes and sizes. Some are overt, and some are covert. Some hit you in the nose, and others stab you in the back. I have found classifying my critics helps me anticipate what a person may say.
1. People who resent authority per se. These critics have never outgrown their disrespect for any authority but their own. As children they rebelled against their parents, as employees against ...
When I entered the pastorate, I had a good understanding of original sin. Six months later, I had an excellent understanding of original sin.
I had arrived only a few weeks after the departure of the founding pastor. He was well loved and had left on the best of terms to pursue a doctorate and a career in seminary teaching. We were just a small group meeting in a high school cafeteria, but I thought ...
Inside Church Fights by Marshall Shelley and Kevin Miller Marshall Shelley and Kevin Miller
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Speed Leas may be one of the world's foremost authorities on church conflict, but the first question people usually ask him is not, "What causes churches to fight?" Instead, the starter question is, "Is Speed your real name?"
Yes. Speed's grandfather was named for Joshua Speed, a farmer and acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln. Joshua Speed and Lincoln corresponded regularly, and they argued heatedly in ...
Six Rules for a Fair Fight Observing these rules can keep conflict from turning into full-scale warfare. Edward G. Dobson, Speed B. Leas, and Marshall Shelley
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Speed Leas, co-author of Mastering Conflict and Controversy, writes about a church that was mired in "dissension between the newcomers and long-time members." At an all-day meeting, the congregation drew up guidelines for how they would handle their conflict. Some of those guidelines:
1. Conflict can be healthy and useful for our church. It is okay for people to differ with one another.
Six months into our church plant, the two most influential families had a fight. Nasty words were exchanged, battle lines drawn. Both sides began recruiting people to their cause. Something had to be done, but what? I held separate meetings with the two parties, but that just made things worse.
"Lord, help me," I prayed desperately. I set up another meeting with both families.
Anatomy of a Church Fight How would you handle this real-life story of a lightning strike that ignited a firestorm? Leadership Journal
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The following account of a true-life political crisis in a church was prepared by the Harvard Business School for classroom discussion. Leadership sent copies to six pastors in five different states and invited them to kibitz—to look over the shoulder of Walnut Avenue Church and suggest where to go from here.
After reading the six responses, think what your advice would be. While no outsider can ...
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