Spring 1992

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Many church conflicts are so complex it's hard to discern the main issue. Speed Leas, however, has figured out how to unravel some of the complexity. This article is excerpted from Mastering Conflict and Controversy, co-authored by Leas, Edward Dobson, and Marshall Shelley. It is the latest volume of the Mastering Ministry series, co-published by Multnomah Press and LEADERSHIP.

One California pastor found himself at odds with two men in his congregation. The problem was, well, that was the problem- this pastor couldn't figure out what exactly the problem was.

Certainly, a host of issues divided the pastor and the two men: They thought he preached too much on sin; he thought they lived by cheap grace. He thought clapping for the choir inappropriate in worship; they, as choir members, thought clapping a contemporary way of affirming the choir.

But some personal issues were involved as well: The pastor preached a sermon about homosexuality only to discover later that one of these men, who had a homosexual son, was hurt by the pastor's "insensitive" comments.

And then there was politics: These men had wielded a great deal of power in the church's short history. For some twenty years they had set the tone for the church: it would be an urbane, liberal, theologically diverse church. The pastor, however, was calling people to a more personal and Bible-centered faith.

The differences erupted one evening in a personnel committee meeting, of which these two men were a part. They lambasted the pastor, and the pastor tried to defend himself. Neither side budged an inch.

For weeks afterwards, the pastor tried to repair these relationships, but he couldn't figure out where the main problem lay, in theology, personalities, or politics.

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