Ron Susek, Firestorm: Preventing and Overcoming Church Conflicts. Baker, 1999. Herald Press, 1999.
Referenced in: Understanding the Dynamics of Church Conflict
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
The title evokes a powerful image of the destructive forces at work when churches are overcome by conflict. Susek, who has first-hand experience of the lasting effects of church controversy and has ministered to churches in turmoil, traces the stages through which conflicts typically progress and provides practical suggestions for dealing with each phase. He also includes a detailed plan of action. Susek incorporates a dimension that is missing from many materials on church conflict, that of the spiritual forces of evil that are often at work.
The book begins by explaining the six phases of a firestorm and how to recognize the symptoms. Next it presents four pillars of strength that are crucial for healthy churches to have spiritual power, and helps church leaders evaluate themselves in light of those strengths. Special attention is given to how church leaders’ family and psycho-social needs may be affecting them too deeply, either causing them to create conflicts or hindering effective resolution. Susek also helps leaders assess the presence of a number of other factors that contribute to conflict such as cultural resistance to authority, rapid church growth, etc. It contains helpful sections on church discipline, bold spiritual leadership, the use of consultants, care for badly burned church leaders and their families, and the role of interim ministers.
From the Publisher
According to one survey, as many as one third of all congregations have suffered conflicts severe enough to result in the firing or forced resignation of one or more of their pastors. Ron Susek, who has firsthand experience of the lasting effects of church controversy and has ministered to churches in turmoil, offers a detailed portrait of how events can often spiral out of controlnot unlike the flames of a wildfire.
Firestorm describes the six successive phases through which conflicts generally pass. In each phase, Susek identifies the tensions that tend to develop, explains how they are compounded if left unresolved, and offers practical, spiritual guidance for pastors and congregational leaders.
The book also explains the spiritual, social, and psychological causes of conflict; the most appropriate means for dealing with controversy in its various stages; and what can be done in the firestorms aftermath to restore faith and hope.
A detailed plan of action is included.
About the Author
Ron Susek is an ordained minister with the North American Baptist Conference. He has pastored three churches and is now director of the Susek Evangelistic Association in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Susek speaks extensively around the world and is the author of Seeing Is Not Believing and You Can Handle Stress.
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