Internal warfare has reduced many local congregations to a stagnant, status quo existence. It is crucial to understand the background of our battles in an effort to later describe both results and resolution. A church, much like an individual, tends to take on certain personality and character traits with the passage of time. The mere thought that someone would dare tamper with comfortable customs is deemed heretical. Many worshipers today are feeling increasingly threatened by subtle and sometimes sudden changes that are taking place.
An authority vacuum will inevitably produce misunderstandings and mayhem. If there is no paid staff person, choir director, or clearly designated leader, various factions will form contentious coalitions. Not everyone who wants to have a public music ministry has a good heart and pure motives. Some are doubtless driven by carnal desires to be seen and heard. In church after church, I meet pastors who feel under attack by both Satan and the saints. Much of the persecution in the pulpit today is pitiful, petty, senseless and silly. Conflict can arise over personality characterizations. There is also much persecution in the pulpit concerning the preacher’s wife. Rarely does the pastor’s family measure up to the great expectation of the church. The average church member wants a pastor who can preach like their hero on TV or radio and who will stay in his church of 150 people for 30 years while never expecting a raise!
The role of women in the church or women in ministry, can become a real hornet’s nest of contention. The fury over finances has become one of the most hotly contested issues in today’s church. The church-going population is demanding more strict guidelines for accountability than ever before, and this new emphasis should be welcomed by all. But there is a downside. With more and more people looking into the financial records of the congregation, greater numbers want a say in why, how and where money will be spent. Many churches today have been devastated by doctrinal debates. Some Christians take their positions so seriously that relationships with people are jeopardized. Every discussion, doctrinal or otherwise, deserves the context of genuine love and caring.
Our reactions to the sins of Christian brothers and sisters can sometimes lead to blunders that are worse than the original failure. Christians will fail. It is our reaction to failure that will determine the relative peace or pugnacity in the church. It is more than obvious that many congregations have decided to respond to the believer’s deficiency in an exaggerated, unscriptural manner. For sowing seeds of mishandled discipline, we have reaped congregations in conflict. Passion for power among preachers and laity has created an atmosphere for anarchy. Churches today are driven by dark, hidden, carnal forces into innumerable and unnecessary conflicts. The desire for domination in the congregation is often fueled by the failure to be in control at home or in the work place. Success can also lead to the abuse of power.
Many parishioners are simply at peace with the present. The very notion of change is repulsive to them. Like so many other things, to nurture the flock or to evangelize, is not an either/or proposition. Both emphases are scriptural and indispensable in a healthy church. Our bent toward the “pendulum complex” tends to sway us from one extreme to the other. But we must have indoctrination along with increase. It is most definitely a both/and scenario. We are absolutely, undeniably called to love one another in the midst of our differences. Conflict, of whatever kind, must be conquered by the grace and power of God.
The charismatic movement has probably been the single most divisive element of the 20th century. This is doubtless the most perilous pitfall of the charismaniac. This person often has a tendency to look down upon those who have not experienced God in the exact same manner as he or she has. The charisphobic often lacks a genuine openness to all that God may have for him or her. In the midst of our frequent fights, we have lost our sense of purpose and direction. But no one has time to care because we have learned to keep busy and dizzy in a flurry of activity. This temporarily soothes the soul and covers up the conflict. The congregation in conflict is relegated to obscurity. It has no oneness, no unity, no sense of the enveloping presence of the Lord Jesus.
The combative church risks losing its plausibility among young people. That which is plausible is “something that seems valid or likely reliable.” And young people are carefully looking for evidence to validate the reliability of the Christian faith. Most believers will not put up with petty disputes for any length of time. If they sense that a pattern for pugnacity has been established, they will soon be on their way. The congregation that is continually in conflict implies that they have problems even the Lord Himself cannot solve.
It would seem that some people must either leave the church or die before true peace can be restored and growth can be revived. A settled, serene, secure atmosphere may be the most attractive asset of a group that is poised for enlargement. Visitors, both churched and unchurched, will be drawn into the calm, controlled environment of the parish at peace. As the people of God resolve their disputes, we can then direct our energies toward the twin necessities of discipleship and evangelism. The number one reason for the deterioration in discipleship ministries just might be the intensification of conflict in the church. We have learned to avoid contention by limiting our contact with each other. A sarcastic, skeptical world is waiting for true church to resolve its own battles before it is willing to hear the gospel.
The connection between a clear witness and a clean conscience is more than obvious. We simply cannot reach an individual for Christ if that person is harboring ill feelings toward us for some past offense. And our own bitterness for someone would most likely douse any desire to share the gospel with him. This same principle applies on a larger scale in the church. It is improbable, if not impossible, for the congregation experiencing internal conflict to simultaneously reach out to evangelize its community. The war within the church will leave the parishioners powerless outside the church. Church conflict has serious consequences. But the most sobering reality of all is our loss of power in evangelism.
The church today is plagued with its own evangelical version of a split personality. There is often a distinct dichotomy between our behavior on Sunday and our actions Monday through Saturday. This has contributed enormously to the high level of conflict in congregations. Brokenness before the Lord and one another is so sadly lacking in our relationships with fellow believers. We have too many dead churches full of believers who are alive to the flesh. As the Lord is faithful to point out people who have been offended through your carnal behavior, make the necessary restitution.
Congregations are in conflict today because the church, has have neglected clear teaching in God’s Word. Getting back to the Bible means getting back to harmony, growth and outreach. This we must do if our conflicts are to be resolved. Church discipline is to be carried out in the context of genuine humility with a goal if renewing the fallen brother or sister to correct thinking and behavior. We are to talk to one another about problems in the church, and the sooner the better. If we can deal with dilemmas at their inception, we are much more apt to succeed in our damage control. If we are willing to do what is necessary instead of what is comfortable, we, too, can enjoy the long-term love and respect of those around us. Settling for the pseudo-peace of the present will only pave the way for heartache in the future. Our world is filled with conflict. Families are fighting and torn apart. People are resigning from jobs because of stress and strife at the office. We have an incredible opportunity to display the relevance of Christianity by showing how Christ enables us to resolve our disputes.
An Executive Book Summary prepared by
Thomas L. Law, III, DoM
Tarrant Baptist Association
Fort Worth, TX
Posts
