News From Indiana Ministries

Indiana Ministries Update

November 23, 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 23

Conflict by Doug Talley

The very word can make us cringe. We all know of conflicts that have devastated relationships and even churches. I'm exposed to both all too often. My observation is that in the church we often deal with conflict in very unhealthy ways. I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard people say they won't have anything to do with the church because church people will eat you alive. Unfortunately, that is also said by people who have not only pulled away from the church but also from God.

Recently, Indiana Ministries hosted Al Ells and a workshop on dealing with conflict in the local church. The lead and associate pastors learned a lot about how they individually handle conflict and were given some handles on dealing with it in the church.

Last week my colleague to the south (Dr. Greg Wiens, Florida Ministries of the Church of God) wrote a very helpful article about dealing with conflict that focuses primarily on different ways Jesus handled conflict. I thought it was so good that I asked his permission to duplicate.

If you as a pastor would like to take an online assessment to identify which approaches you tend to use when dealing with conflict, email Mimi at mklotz@indianaministries.org and she will send you a URL address and a code to take the Thomas Kilmann Conflict assessment. You might also want to have your staff and/or leadership complete it. The cost is $25 per person. Be sure to read Dr. Wiens' article below.

The Boxing Ring by Dr. Greg Wiens

What to do as leaders at the times when we have conflict on the radar? An older pastor once told me: "As a leader we can't always choose our battles, but we can choose when and how we will face them." This great advice has held true throughout my ministry.

When dealing with conflict, we first must look at Jesus. As you study Jesus' life, you quickly realize that He had many different strategies for handling conflict. Throughout the gospels, Jesus was often in conflict of one sort or another. Read the whole article...

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