Category Archives: Causes of Church Conflict

In Church Conflict (as in War), The Malice of the Wicked is Reinforced by the Weakness of the Virtuous

Posted on January 16, 2019 by David V. Edling

Over the holidays, I began reading Winston Churchill’s Memoirs of the Second World War (the abridged version not knowing if I would live long enough to read his entire six volume set!).  In one of the opening paragraphs Churchill writes … Continue reading →

Posted in Abusive churches, Causes of Church Conflict, Conflicts involving church leaders, Confrontation, Excerpts from "Redeeming Church Conflicts", Postmodern Relativism and Church Conflict | Comments Off on In Church Conflict (as in War), The Malice of the Wicked is Reinforced by the Weakness of the Virtuous

Child Abuse in the Church: Justice Can Be Grace

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Tara Barthel

Since I linked over to it in today’s post on my personal blog, I thought I would share this post with you too: Child Abuse in the Church: Justice Can Be Grace Not only is this an extraordinarily important topic … Continue reading →

Posted in Abusive churches, Causes of Church Conflict, Conflicts involving church leaders, Conflicts with our youth pastor, Lawsuits and Church Conflict | Comments Off on Child Abuse in the Church: Justice Can Be Grace

How to Fire Your Pastor (Part 2 of 3)

Posted on February 7, 2018 by David V. Edling

If you’ve read last week’s blog, “How to Fire Your Pastor — Part 1,” then you know that its content only applies when the pastor is best characterized as a “hired-hand” (see John 10:12-13). In contrast, today’s post addresses the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical peacemaking in the church, Causes of Church Conflict, Conflicts involving church leaders, Conflicts with our youth pastor, Confrontation, How to Fire Your Pastor | Comments Off on How to Fire Your Pastor (Part 2 of 3)

How to Fire Your Pastor (Part 1 of 3)

Posted on February 7, 2018 by David V. Edling

Q. Getting rid of a pastor can cause a lot of conflict. What should be happening for both the pastor and other church leaders and members when everyone is figuring out if the pastor should be let go? How should … Continue reading →

Posted in Causes of Church Conflict, Conflicts involving church leaders, Conflicts with our youth pastor, Confrontation, How to Fire Your Pastor | 4 Comments

Inconsistency Reveals Deception–Especially in Church Conflicts

Posted on May 31, 2017 by David V. Edling

Q. Has there been one key similarity or common characteristic you have noticed about how Christians typically respond to conflicts in their churches? A. While always difficult to name just one dynamic given the complexity of church conflict, yes, I … Continue reading →

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“I Already Know That!”

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Dave Edling & Tara Barthel

In my years of serving as a Christian mediator, I have been privileged to assist extraordinarily gifted men and women of great faith and world-class formal educations. In one such situation, I was sitting between two (very angry) co-senior pastors … Continue reading →

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

When (Differently) Gifted Pastors Destroy the Church (Rather Than Build it Up)

Posted on May 4, 2017 by David V. Edling

This was a church conflict that never should have happened. One man was excellent at vision casting, capturing the excitement and motivating people for great things in the name of the Lord. The other was an excellent teacher. Working in … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical peacemaking in the church, Causes of Church Conflict, Conflicts involving church leaders, Conflicts with our youth pastor, Spiritual Blindness | 2 Comments

Res Ipsa Loquitur: Destructive Church Conflict Reveals Worldliness

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Dave Edling & Tara Barthel

A few weeks ago I wrote that the most frequently used search term that brings people to this site is “how to fire your pastor.” I lamented that fact because we desperately need God’s supernaturally gifted and theologically trained leaders … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical peacemaking in the church, Causes of Church Conflict, Disappointment in the church | 1 Comment

Why do many Christians fuel church conflicts rather than turn and pursue peace?

Posted on March 23, 2017 by David V. Edling

Q. Why do many Christians fuel church conflicts rather than turn and pursue peace? A. In the heart of Psalm 85 we find a verse that, in my experience, begins to address an answer to this difficult “why” question. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical peacemaking in the church, Causes of Church Conflict, Secondary matters vs. relationships | Comments Off on Why do many Christians fuel church conflicts rather than turn and pursue peace?

The Acts 15 Model for Redeeming Church Conflict as a Model of Progressive Continuity Consistent with All of Scripture

Posted on February 25, 2017 by David V. Edling

Q. Why did you choose Acts 15 as the model for Redeeming Church Conflicts: Turning Crisis into Compassion and Care? A. Acts 15 records the first major conflict in a New Testament church and provides a fairly detailed account of … Continue reading →

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