Monthly Archives: December 2014

What difference does church membership make? I do everything in my church except vote …

Posted on December 29, 2014 by David V. Edling

“I am a regular attender, not a member.” Those were the sad words I heard; another person explaining to me the nature of their relationship with the church that they had been attending for eight years. I asked her: “I … Continue reading →

Posted in Church discipline, Disappointment in the church, Lawsuits and Church Conflict | Leave a comment

Responding with Thanksgiving to Suffering and Persecution in Church Conflict

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Dave Edling & Tara Barthel

In the New Testament epistles to the church in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul answered many questions about Christ’s return. This topic was of particular concern to the Thessalonians because they were facing intense persecution and some of them thought the … Continue reading →

Posted in HOPE in the midst of conflict | Leave a comment

Don’t Let Earthly Concerns Deny the Extravagance of the Gift

Posted on December 18, 2014 by David V. Edling

A missionary friend of mine recently sent to me his quarterly newsletter and in it told a story of Christmas past. It was a childhood event that has been etched into his memory not as a wonderful occasion but a … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical peacemaking in the church | 1 Comment

NEVER Allow Gossip Against Church Leaders

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Tara Barthel

I put a post up at my personal blog today that I thought might have a little cross-appeal here at RedeemingChurchConflicts.com. It has to do with praying for our church leaders—but really, it has to do with so much more … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical peacemaking in the church, Causes of Church Conflict, Conflicts involving church leaders, Conflicts with our youth pastor, Confrontation | Leave a comment

Do You Always Have to Confess Before Confronting?

Posted on December 15, 2014 by David V. Edling

Q. Do you always have to personally confess before you confront someone in the church with their sin? If I don’t have anything to confess, but I know the other person won’t listen to me if I don’t confess something … Continue reading →

Posted in Authentic Relationships in the Church, Biblical peacemaking in the church, Causes of Church Conflict, Confrontation | Leave a comment

Humility and the Severity of Leader Responsibility in God’s Church

Posted on December 13, 2014 by David V. Edling

A few years ago I was engaged by a church to assist lay elders and church members work through the aftermath of a conflict which had led to the resignation of the church’s pastor. The elders admitted they had not … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical peacemaking in the church, Conflicts involving church leaders, HOPE in the midst of conflict, Spiritual Blindness | Leave a comment

Thank you, TheGoodBookstall.UK!

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Tara Barthel

Dave and I both appreciated this review by Johnny Douglas at TheGoodBookstall.UK: Church & Ministry Theory & Resources: Redeeming Church Conflicts Thank you very much! (But just to be forthright … we both did have to look up the word … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews of "Redeeming Church Conflicts" | Leave a comment

Can a Whole Church Forgive a Church Leader?

Posted on December 6, 2014 by David V. Edling

Q. What does corporate forgiveness look like? Can a whole congregation forgive a church leader? A. Jim Van Yperen in his book Making Peace accurately notes that church conflicts are always about leadership. Not that all church conflicts are initially between leaders … Continue reading →

Posted in Conflicts involving church leaders, Conflicts with our youth pastor | Leave a comment

Redeem Church Conflicts by Listening to LAWYERS? Really?

Posted on December 5, 2014 by David V. Edling

Q. Redeeming church conflicts doesn’t apply to us because our church is being sued by non-Christians. So we have to listen to our lawyers, right? A. If you are being sued by anybody it is always wise to listen to your … Continue reading →

Posted in Authentic Relationships in the Church, Biblical peacemaking in the church, Justice and peacemaking, Lawsuits and Church Conflict | Leave a comment

Church Conflict Need Not be a Confusing Mystery

Posted on December 5, 2014 by David V. Edling

I had recent occasion to spend a long day alone driving across a couple of western states where the bugs hitting the windshield outnumbered the vehicles I saw by at least 10 to 1.  Fortunately, I was in range of … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical peacemaking in the church, Excerpts from "Redeeming Church Conflicts", HOPE in the midst of conflict | Leave a comment