[Editor's Note: Welcome to a new series featuring licensed Church Central consultants. These experts deal with church health and growth in churches around the country. They have been given this forum to share from their work helping struggling congregations regain vigor. We hope your own church may benefit from a glimpse into the work of church consulting.]
Using friendship to diffuse church conflicts before they begin
By Ken Johnson, consultant
One of the most common causes of church conflict I have found is strong-willed pastors and lay leaders. There are a variety of ways to handle these situations, and as a consultant you need to evaluate each circumstance and do what you think is the best.
In one instance I convinced a pastor to talk to me before he went ballistic over anything. That worked very well.
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Consulting a strong-willed leader to step down Among other responsibilities, Doug was the moderator for his church. He had been appointed to this position by the former pastor who had retired after serving the church for more than 20 years. The former pastor appointed key leadership before retiring in order to insure the church's values would remain intact during an interim period. But after more than two years of seeking a new pastor but failing to move forward, the church called for help. Assessment of the current condition of the church revealed conflict at almost every level of organizational structure and within the leadership. The dominance of a few appointed people appeared to be hampering the process of finding and calling a new pastor. Although there was no official church split, many of the members had grown weary of the constant feuding and ineffective leadership. After some private interviews, on site observations, and other assessments, I concluded that Doug was a large part of the problem. He was dictatorial, brash, and uncompromising. However, the remaining members generally accepted him and, although many were frustrated with him, no one was willing to confront him about his ineffective leadership style. During a casual conservation Doug mentioned that if the consultation concluded that he was part of the problem contributing to the inability of the church to move forward, he would be willing to step aside with no bad feelings.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I usually carry a PDA that has the ability to voice record. I asked if he would be willing to repeat that statement so I could record it. He laughingly agreed and repeated the comment. Later I found out he didn't believe the PDA could actually make a voice recording. While making the final report to the leadership team, I recommended that Doug voluntarily step down from his moderator role in order for new elected leadership to assume duties that could move the church ahead. I reminded Doug that I had his comment on my recorder and that he had said there would be no bad feelings about this type of recommendation. In shock he nodded his head and voluntarily stepped down from his leadership role. Within three months the church was able to refocus its efforts and the congregation called a new pastor. Randy McWhorter serves as the leader of the Healthy Church Group with the California Southern Baptist Convention. The Healthy Church Group uses a team approach to consulting and has seen significant turn around. |
I also have found that if you can get the leadership communicating honestly, most problems will be nipped in the bud. I strongly suggest that leadership teams have at least one monthly meeting outside of their regularly scheduled meeting to get to know each other, pray together and just generally have fun together.
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Ken Johnson |
I worked with a church in Aurora, Colo., that had this kind of monthly meeting, and the church accomplished amazing things. However, as time went on, the person who had organized these meetings left the leadership team. No one else was willing to take on his job and the leadership fell apart.
The leadership meetings became battlegrounds and people weren't interested in that kind of church and left. The church quickly went from almost 5,000 members to fewer than 700 lifeless members today.
I require churches I consult with to reserve a friendly meeting for the leadership team. At this meeting they cannot talk or conduct any church business. I've found that the best time for a meeting like this is a Saturday morning brunch. This kind of time together can cure many ills and even diffuse problems before they become major issues.
Ken Johnson is a graduate of Church Central Consultant Training. He heads the Ken Johnson Group, consulting small to medium-sized churches that are struggling to stay alive.
