Church Conflict, Conflict Education

Part of the LifeandLeadership.com ministry resources on Church Conflict

The following resources describe church conflict in all its dimensions. Although they present strategies for peacemaking and conflict management, their purpose is more educational, and not all are geared toward Christian ministry. Remember to see the list at the bottom for ministry resources in related areas, especially Strategies for Peacemaking in Church Conflict.

Biblical Visions of Peacemaking and Reconciliation
Conflict Education, Standard Textbooks
Understanding the Dynamics of Church Conflict
Case Studies in Peacemaking and Church Conflict
Related Ministry Resources

While these volumes offer insight into overall strategy for resolution, their strength is articulating a biblical vision for peacemaking and reconciliation.

Tara Klena Barthel and David W. Edling, Redeeming Church Conflicts: Turning Crisis into Compassion and Care. – Two experienced church consultants from Peacemaker Ministries offer a biblical vision of conflict redemption and four universal principles from Acts 15 that apply to most church conflicts, no matter how complex.
Brian Cox, Faith-Based Reconciliation: A Moral Vision That Transforms People and Societies. Xlibris, 2007 – Cox articulates a vision of faith-based reconciliation in eight core values.
Luke Timothy Johnson, Scripture and Discernment: Decision Making in the Church — Operates on the thesis that since the church claims to be a community of faith, it should not reach decisions simply on the basis of good management policy, or the analysis of market trends, or efficiency, or even ideological consistency, but in response to God’s activity in the world that urges us to decision through Scripture and discernment.
Peacemaker Ministry Resources — The materials from this fine organization convey a strong passion for the biblical ministry of reconciliation, and package it in very understandable terms.

Conflict Education, Standard Textbooks

These volumes, some academic and others practical, are comprehensive integrations of conflict theory and practice. Not biblically-based.

Helena Cornelius and Shoshana Faire, Everyone Can Win: How to Resolve Conflict — This workbook has been reprinted over thirteen times since it was originally published in 1989, and enjoys international recognition as one of the most practical tool-kits for achieving win/win resolutions.
Joseph P. Folger, Marshall Scott Poole and Randall K. Stutman, Working Through Conflict: Strategies for Relationships, Groups, and Organizations, 5th Edition — A highly praised volume that covers the whole range of conflict settings – interpersonal, group, and organizational – and the way each plays off the other.
Dean Pruitt, Jeffrey R. Rubin and Sung Hee Kim, Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate, and Settlement, 3rd Edition — This has been a standard for brief, sophisticated coverage of all the key research on social conflict and its resolution from a psychological perspective.
William H. Wilmot and Joyce Hocker, Interpersonal Conflict – A proven academic standard on interpersonal conflict.
Susan Beekman and Jeanne Holmes, Battles, Hassles, Tantrums and Tears — This is a very practical text full of examples and practice sessions. Geared toward families, but applicable to any context. Good with conflict styles and presents an innovative system to handle problems.

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Dynamics of Church Conflict – These volumes also offer good conflict strategies, but their strength is describing the contours of congregational conflict

First Reads:

David R. Brubaker, Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Change and Conflict in Congregations — Not a step-by-step strategy, but the best resource for understanding the interrelationship between change and conflict in contemporary churches. Solid research reveals the kinds of changes that are most likely to generate conflict, and the best ways to approach those changes.
David B. Lott, Editor, Conflict Management in Congregations — A good collection of articles from Alban Institute consultants. Divided into three sections on conflict dynamics, conflict responses, and conflict situations (cases). Contains a few excellent one-of-a-kind articles.
Jim VanYperen, Making Peace: A Guide to Overcoming Church Conflict – Among the many contributions of this volume is Van Yperen’s distinction between peace-making and peace-keeping, and his bold call for church leaders to engage conflict, not run and hide. Perhaps the best overall for first-level conflict education. Good biblical grounding.
David R. Sawyer, Hope in Conflict: Discovering Wisdom in Congregational Turmoil – Shows how church conflicts and crises can and often are redeemed into new life for congregations.
Ron Susek, Firestorm: Preventing and Overcoming Church Conflicts – 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 generally pass and provides practical suggestions for dealing with each phase. Very helpful for churches dealing with major fallout from ill-conceived change or highly dysfunctional ministers.

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Other Helfpul Resources:

Mennonite Central Committee, Office on Justice and Peacebuilding, Mediation and Facilitation Skills Training Manual: Foundations and Skills for Constructive Conflict Transformation, Fourth Edition – Perhaps the most extensive collection available of helpful outlines, inventories, guides, and processes to conflict management. Not church-focused, and not a step-by-step manual. Some reflection on larger theological motifs.
Norma Cook Everist, Church Conflict: From Contention to Collaboration – Section 2 contains an excellent discussion of seven conflict styles, along with the negative and positive uses of each. Also gives exercises for readers to reflect on their own history with each style.
Carolyn Schrock-Shenk and Lawrence Ressler, Editors, Making Peace With Conflict: Practical Skills for Conflict Transformation – Draws a distinction between conflict resolution, management, and transformation, and suggests the most helpful relationship patterns, cultural dynamics, communication skills (listening, speaking, dialogue), and problem-solving approaches.
Marshall Shelly, Editor, Leading Your Church Through Conflict and Reconciliation: 30 Strategies to Transform Your Ministry — A collection of thirty articles from seasoned church leaders on conflict principles. Survey the table of contents for help with specific issues.

Case Studies in Peacemaking and Church Conflict

Penny Edgell Becker, Congregations in Conflict: Cultural Models of Local Religious Life – Not a book on conflict skills or intervention strategies, but offers perspective on how conflict is experienced by congregations based on their size and identity.
Robert S. Kreider and Rachel Waltner Goossen, When Good People Quarrel: Studies in Conflict Resolution — A collection of case studies to help readers learn to deal with conflict by experiencing the various roles: the peacemaker, the confronting antagonist, the weaker party, the victim.

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Related Ministry Resources

See Other Ministry Resources on Peacemaking in Church Conflict:

See Resources on Over 100 Areas of Christian Ministry:

Ministry Resources for Church Leaders – Index

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