If you've ever been through a church split you'll know how thoroughly painful and devestating it can be. At other times there are conflicts, which aren't quite so serious yet still troubling. There are ways to help a local church to become healthier. I found Ronald W. Richardson's thoughts innovative and logical.
Learning how to understand people and what 'ticks' they are coming from whether from the environment they grew up in, or even birth order, are factors which can have bearings on how they respond or react to conflicts within the church setting.
Richardson talks very interestingly about what he calls 'fusion,' as well as 'differentiation'. He begins his book with two great respective examples of how two churchs of similar circumstance handled a crisis; one by fusion, the other by differentiation and the very different resulting results.
Leadership of any church could well benefit from having a read. Furthermore, there are questions for the reader's own individual pondering, as well as for group discussions. It is good to note that this book is also from the series about 'Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling'.
May all who read find themselves part of a church that is continuously moving towards greater health and consciously maintaining it. God bless you all.
~ERC July 2023~
No comments:
Post a Comment