Co-Responsibility & Conflict Management: Some Resources for Ministers

Unaddressed disagreements or conflict between people in ministry is often cited as a source of lower morale and alienation in the life of the church. Such unresolved tensions can be especially fraught in times of additional tension and polarized positions. The pandemic and social traumas which our world, our nation and our church have endured especially over the past year, but reaching back longer, have often exacerbated interpersonal conflict in ministry, especially as both human and financial means of support become more limited. It is thus vital that when we speak about co-responsibility in the life of the church we encourage the development of skills for understanding both the causes of conflict and how to manage them, even when a resolution seems elusive.

Conflict must also not be resolved by sacrificing integrity or the demands of justice. Conflict literacy and management are skills which all people, including those who minister in the name of the Church and in the Spirit of Christ, should develop. Drawing upon insights from theologian Dr. Ann Garrido in her book Redeeming Conflict: 12 Habits for Christian Leaders, this presentation focuses on some of the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions of these skills, and encouraged small and large group conversation about how they might apply in your ministry context.