In this instructive book, Hugh Halverstadt advocates a Christian vision of shalom for an ethical process of conflict management. He shows how respectfulness, assertiveness, accountability, and a focus on the larger common good should all serve as Christian behavioral standards. The book is ideal for addressing ministries, church systems, and other nonprofit organizations in conflict.

A music minister resigns from his church because several board members threaten to have him removed if he doesn’t return to a traditional worship style. Several people stop tithing in protest when their church decides to spend money on a new gym rather than a new fellowship hall. As a church starts a second service to accommodate their growing congregation, thirty members leave because they want to start a new building project instead.The consequences of unresolved conflict in the church are disastrous. A small argument can grow into a tug-of-war that rips the church apart. From personality conflicts to power politics, the causes of discord in the church are as diverse as the people involved in them. But you can handle the variety of conflicts that you encounter daily if you have a fundamental understanding of the nature of conflict. Managing Conflict in the Church will help you recognize the roots of conflict, develop communication skills to manage conflict, and even learn to transform conflict from an affliction to an asset.

Churches thrive on communication; they are stifled by conflict. Renowned Christian educator Kenneth O. Gangel joins his colleague Samuel L. Canine to bring good news to the church - communication skills can be learned and conflict can be managed. The church need no longer hide conflict nor excuse itself for poor communication, but can instead acknowledge where it has problems and seek transformation. The authors offer scriptural strategies for overcoming conflict and for building trust in relationships - even relationships among deacons or between deacons and pastors. Drawing from recent studies in the social sciences, Gangel and Canine show the church how to manage strife and foster dialogue so that the church can flourish. Chapter titles include Learning To Listen, Power in Conflict Management, Negotiation and Bargaining in Conflict Management, Organizational Causes of Conflict, Coalitions in Conflict Management, Managing Conflict Destructively or Constructively, Stress: Cause And Cure, and The Workaholic Syndrome. This book is a valuable resource for training church leaders. It is also an important resource for those who are already pastors, for whom the issues are daily realities and not just academic theory. Through its use in churches and seminaries, the book is designed to lead God's church through its conflicts to renewed vigor in ministry and growth.

What does the Bible say about conflict resolution? Nobody likes conflict, especially when both parties are “part of the same team.” Unresolved conflict can lead to missionary attrition, but healthy conflict-resolution can be a wonderful growth opportunity, leading to problem-solving and team-building. In Managing Conflict Creatively, Dr. Palmer first introduces the dynamics of conflict and the common styles of conflict management. After providing a Biblical background, he then identifies types of conflict and how to develop conflict management skills, specifically in cross-cultural situations. Lose your fear of conflict as you walk through case studies, engage in discussion questions, and learn to: Identify the stages of conflict and steps of healthy problem solving Encourage healthy conflict resolution in its early stages Identify your personal conflict style and the characteristics of an effective moderator Overreact less amid conflict Consciously choose a conflict-resolution style tailored to each situation Disagree well and resolve conflicts and misunderstandings without harming your witness Manage conflict in positive ways that foster growth and collaboration This manual is intended to serve as a teaching tool and a study guide for cross-cultural conflict management courses in Bible colleges, mission organizations, and churches. Thirty years after its original publication, this practical, Bible-centered approach to the dynamics of conflict and conflict management in cross-cultural situations remains relevant, both abroad and in today’s hybrid cities.

This instructive, useful book, which can be used as a model for addressing ministries, church systems, and other non-profit organizations in conflict, offers ways of constraining those who act as antagonists and ways of collaborating with opponents.

This important resource provides a set of practical tools--based on Christian principles, psychological theory, and research on African-American religious culture--that will help churches move beyond disputes and disagreements to harmony and heartfelt amens.