When Conflict Becomes a Group Problem (Part Six)

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”Psalm 133:1

We are now six parts into the intra-group conflict topic, which should be a clear indicator that when conflict arises within a group things can get complicated and a thoughtful approach is needed! Take heart, these biblically-grounded skills are tried and tested, so if you need a refresher, start from the beginning of the series, then let’s focus on effective collaboration skills to help identify key issues and gain agreement.

Unnatural Collaboration

Collaboration is a biblical principle (Amos 3:3) and a skill vital to all forms of conflict resolution, team building, and constructive group work. Like most biblical skills, collaboration doesn’t come naturally. Often, we are tempted to use coercion, intimidation, and bullying (even in the church) to bring people to superficial agreement in order to get our way. Healthy discussion and finding best solutions require effective collaboration. To overcome our sinful reactions to disagreement and to help people work well together with others in spite of differing opinions, we must understanding something foundational...

The Gifts

When practicing the skill of careful listening, try focusing on the truth that each of us, as Christians, have been endowed with differing spiritual gifts. Seek to better understand the spiritual gifts and perspectives of others. Unity in diversity is God’s design for the church (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12). In order to consistently find best solutions, especially to complex issues, body-life requires utilizing the gifts of the many, not simply problem-solving by the few. The God-given variety of gifted perspectives is the only way to see and understand all of the dimensions and dynamics of complex problems and to find God’s preferred solutions.