How to get started
To request a service, please fill out our Addressing Conflict Intake Form
Resolving issues in the church family
Congregations, like all organizations have conflict. Sometimes this conflict can limit a church community from growing and discovering new mission and ministry. With awareness and training, congregations can learn to navigate conflict in healthy and productive ways.
Most Frequently Requested Services.
- Family systems peer groups. For professionals in the ministry and other believers seeking to function in healthy ways. Participants learn to apply family systems theory to daily life through with the support of peers. Family system peer groups generally meet October through April in various locations across Michigan or online. Groups are designed for both new and continuing learners.
- Healthy Congregations workshops. Focusing on the least anxious person in the relationship is often the best approach to improving relationships. These workshops focus on creating a mutual valuing of oneself and others for long-term healthy relationships.
- The Rule of Christ: Applying Matthew 18. A communication workshop on how to use Christ’s directive of first going directly to the person who has caused harm. For any mix of congregants, leaders and guests. The content is intended for everyone in a faith community. The design is adapted to the intended audience.
- Organizational Structure or Re-Structure for fruitful Ministries. Vision, Mission, Values, Objectives, Goals and Action Plans with deadlines are more likely to faithful and fruitful when aligned with one another. Representative governance (such as the typical Administrative Council) is among the least effective ways to organize for effectiveness. A better option of governance is separating policy making from procedure monitoring; the practice of assessing effectiveness from the tasks of accomplishing specific ministries.
- Behavioral Covenants for Congregations and Ministry Teams. Intended for new and long-time teams or groups to learn how to define ideal ways participants intend to relate to one another. Primary resources: BEHAVIOR COVENANTS FOR CONGREGATIONS (Gil Rendle) and WATCHING ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE: A WESLEYAN MODEL FOR MINISTRY ASSESSMENT (Gwendolynn Purushotham, 2011)
- Mediation for individuals, ministry teams or the entire congregation. A process of creating protected space for everyone to be heard regardless of whether or not conflict is present. Once people feel heard, they are more likely to be ready to engage in creative conversation and strategic planning.
- Restorative Conferencing. Designed for highly conflicted environments, restorative conferencing focuses on each participant responding to specific questions without interruption: What has or is happening? Who was hurt or harmed? What could be done to repair the hurt or harm?
Last Updated on October 12, 2023