Recommended Resources

Our book (“Redeeming Church Conflicts”) is organized into four main sections, each containing four chapters:

SECTION 1: ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE (Acts 15:2-4)
1. When Sharp Disputes Begin intheChurch
2. Seeking the Wisdom of Others … Is That Wise?
3. Eternity Makes a Difference
4. Actions, Desires, and Beliefs

 SECTION 2: DISCERNMENT (Acts 15:5-7a)
5. Much Discussion and Debate
6. Asking Best (Not Just “Right”) Questions
7. Group Dynamics
8. Blindness—A Condition Worth Looking For

SECTION 3: SHEPHERD LEADERSHIP (Acts 15:7-35)
9. Christian Duty within the Church
10. Shepherd Leadership
11. Biblical Followership
12. Accountability We Should Cherish

SECTION 4: BIBLICAL RESPONSE (Acts 15:11, 16-18)
13. How Can I Glorify God in This Mess?
14. First Things First: Owning My Contribution
15. Speaking the Truth in Love
16. Forgiving Just as in Christ I Have Been Forgiven

At the end of each chapter, we recommend the following resources:

SECTION 1: ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE (Acts 15:2-4)

1. When Sharp Disputes Begin in the Church

    • Dennis Johnson, The Message of Acts in the History of Redemption (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1997).
    • David Powlison, Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995).

2. Seeking the Wisdom of Others … Is That Wise?

    • Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp, How People Change (Greensboro,NC: New Growth Press, 2008).
    • David Powlison, Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture (Phillipsburg,NJ: P & R Publishing, 2003).
    • Jim Van Yperen, Making Peace: A Guide to Overcoming Church Conflict (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2002).

3. Eternity Makes a Difference

    • Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1988).
    • J. Ligon Duncan III, Does Grace Grow Best in Winter? (Phillipsburg,NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009).
    • R. C. Sproul, The Holiness of God (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1988).

4. Actions, Desires, and Beliefs

    • Carolyn Custis James, When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference (Grand Rapids,MI: Zondervan, 2001).
    • John Piper, Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God (Wheaton,IL: Crossway, 2010).
    • Paul David Tripp, A Quest For More: Living for Something Bigger Than You (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2007).

SECTION 2: DISCERNMENT (Acts 15:5-7a)

5. Much Discussion and Debate

    • Mike Emlet, CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet (Greensboro,NC: New Growth Press, 2009).
    • John Piper and Justin Taylor, The Power of Words and the Wonder of God (Wheaton,IL: Crossway, 2008).
    • Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2000).

6. Asking Best (Not Just “Right”) Questions

    • Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1988).
    • Edmund P. Clowney, Called to the Ministry (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1976).
    • Charles Dunahoo, Making Kingdom Disciples (Phillipsburg,NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006).
    • Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2002).

7. Group Dynamics

    • Steven B. Cowan, Ed., Who Runs The Church? Four Views on Church Government (Grand Rapids,MI: Zondervan, 2004).
    • Wayne A. Mack and David Swavely, Life in the Father’s House (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1996).
    • Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift That Changes Everything (Matthias Media: 2009).
    • John Stott, Basic Christian Leadership: Biblical Models of Church, Gospel and Ministry (Downers Grove, IL: IntervarsityPress, 2006).

8. Blindness—A Condition Worth Looking For

    • Elyse Fitzpatrick, Idols of the Heart (Phillipsburg,NJ: P&R Publishing, 2001).
    • Kris Lundgaard, The Enemy Within; Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1998).
    • Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin (Eerdmans Publishing, 1995).

SECTION 3: SHEPHERD LEADERSHIP (Acts 15:7-35)

9. Christian Duty within the Church

    • Edmond P. Clowney, The Church (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995).
    • Mark Dever and Paul Alexander, The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2005).
    • Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines within the Church: Participating Fully in the Body of Christ (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1996).

10. Shepherd Leadership

    • Ajith Fernando, Jesus-Driven Ministry (Wheaton,IL: Crossway Books, 2002).
    • Timothy S. Laniak, While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks: Reflections on Biblical Leadership (Matthews, NC: ShepherdLeader Publications, 2007).
    • Barbara Miller Juliani, ed., The Heart of a Servant Leader: Letters from Jack Miller (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2004).
    • Timothy Z. Witmer, The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2010).

11. Biblical Followership

    • Thabiti Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member? (Wheaton,IL: Crossway, 2008).
    • Edmund P. Clowney, Living In Christ’s Church (Suwanee, GA: Great Commissions Publications, 1986).
    • Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson, Counsel from the Cross—Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ (Wheaton,IL: Crossway, 2009).
    • Joshua Harris, Stop Dating the Church—Fall in Love with the Family of God (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2004).

12. Accountability We Should Cherish

    • Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, Why We Love the Church–In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion (Chicago,IL: Moody Publishers, 2009).
    • Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Wheaton,IL: Crossway Books, 2000).
    • Jonathan Leeman, The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love: Reintroducing the Doctrines of Church Membership and Discipline (Wheaton,IL: Crossway Books, 2010).

SECTION 4: BIBLICAL RESPONSE (Acts 15:11, 16-18)

13. How Can I Glorify God in This Mess?

    • Tara Barthel and Judy Dabler, Peacemaking Women: Biblical Hope for Resolving Conflict (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005).
    • Alfred Poirier, The Peacemaking Pastor (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2006).
    • Ken Sande, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide To Resolving Personal Conflict, third edition (Grand Rapids,MI: Baker Books, 2004).
    • Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson, The Peacemaker Student Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008).

14. First Things First: Owning My Contribution

    • Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate (Colorado Springs,CO: NavPress, 2007).
    • Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace: Delighting in the Joy That Is Our Strength (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2003).
    • Ted Kober, Confession & Forgiveness: Professing Faith as Ambassadors of Reconciliation (St. Louis,MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2002).

15. Speaking the Truth in Love

    • Alfred Poirier, The Peacemaking Pastor (Grand Rapids,MI: Baker Books, 2006).
    • Ken Sande and Ted Kober, Guiding People through Conflict (Billings, MT: Peacemaker Ministries, 1998).
    • Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp, Relationships: A Mess Worth Making (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2008).

16. Forgiving Just as in Christ I Have Been Forgiven

  • Chris Brauns, Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds (Wheaton,IL: Crossway, 2008).d
  • Nancy Leigh de Moss, Choosing Forgiveness: Your Journey to Freedom (Chicago,IL: Moody Publishers, 2006).
  • Patrick H. Morison, Forgive! As the Lord Forgave You (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 1987).

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