James P. Osterhaus, Joseph M. Jurkowski, Todd A. Hahn, Thriving through Ministry Conflict: By Understanding Your Red and Blue Zones. Zondervan, 2005.
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LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This reads like a helpful coaching session for church leaders in conflict to navigate their personal feelings, assess and adjust their behaviors, understand congregatioanl dynamics, and to move beyond mere conflict management to more robust change leadership (thus the idea of “thriving” in the experience). A key is to move conflict from the “Red Zone,” where one takes things personally and charges the conflict with escalating negative emotions, into the “Blue Zone” that looks at it more professionally and enables a posture of emotional calm that focuses on results. The zone in which leaders reside touches everyone around them, often signaling a similar reaction/response in them.
This book also guides leaders who are in the throes of conflict to deal effectively with their own “stuff” and become a resource to their congregations. Some literature of this genre is strong on diagnosis, insisting that ministers understand the emotional selves they bring to conflicts (which is indeed important), but failing to offer real strategies for the present. This volume balances the dimension of dealing long term with one’s “stuff” alongside the more immediate need to act productively to help the congregation through. I highly recommend this book.
From the Publisher
Church conflict doesn’t have to be an enemy that tears a congregation apart. By learning how to handle it wisely, pastors and church leaders can make resistance one of their most valuable allies. Far from fearing conflict, leaders can turn it into a catalyst for positive change and a stronger, more united church.
Through the fictional story of a typical pastor embroiled in conflict, Thriving through Ministry Conflict shows how to handle and resolve conflict in a healthy way. By working through a series of response activities and discussion questions, the reader will gain powerful insights into the emotional dynamics of conflict. Here are the knowledge and tools that can help pastors and church leaders trade self-defeating responses to conflict for an empowering, constructive approach; gain a working command of key conflict survival principles; and cultivate the skills needed to effectively navigate the conflicts every ministry leader faces.organizations.
About the Authors
Jim Osterhaus, (PhD, American University) a partner and consultant for The Armstrong Group, has been quoted in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, and many other leading publications. He is a psychologist, dynamic executive coach, and public speaker with extensive experience in helping individuals move through change, conflict, and reorganization. He has authored seven books and written dozens of articles for magazines and trade journals around the country. His latest book, co-authored with Kevin Ford, is The Thing in the Bushes – Turning Organizational Blind Spots into Competitive Advantage (Pinon Press).
Joseph M. Jurkowski (M.A. University of Maryland) is the president, chief mobilization officer and one of the founding partners for The Armstrong Group and founder of the Counseling Center of Fairfax, Va. He has worked with Fortune 500 executives as a strategic thinker in conflict resolution, a leader in applying systems theory in organizational settings, an entrepreneur, and a well-respected leader in his work with the federal government. He has appeared in such diverse publications as Entrepreneur, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Washington Post, and CU Times.
Todd Hahn (M.Div Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary) is a nationally recognized expert on helping churches understand and reach Generation X, adding and programming alternative worship services, and coaching churches through church planting and satellite campus development. He is widely known for his speaking at workshops and conferences at the denominational level and also in the local church context, as well as planting one of the nation’s fastest growing and innovative churches, in North Carolina. Todd is the coauthor of Genxers After God: Helping a Generation Pursue Jesus and Reckless Hope: Understanding and Reaching Baby Busters, and author of Song of the 2nd Fiddle.
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