Help me with this poll!!

[Michael B. Ross]

My primary purpose is to try the poll feature, but I am also interested in your responses.

Many churches commonly have signifcant conflict resulting in congregational stagnancy and ineffectiveness. It seems that conflict does occur more at certain times. Which do you think is the most predictable time for congregational tension?

[Joel Merrill]

I've seen people leave a church because of a disagreement over the ceiling fans. In fact most of the fusses I've seen in a church have been over petty things. Of course, I'm not a pastor or a board member so I only see part of the picture.

Joel

[Michael R. Gentry]

Having followed a pastor who went through fire and resigned shortly after completing a building program ... and having grew up in a church that had four different colors in their windows ... this is hard to describe without a picture ... 1 foot wide, 4 feet tall; each little window was 1 foot square ... one pane yellow, one pane green, one pane red, one pane blue ... all because a church board of about 16 people could not come to agreement on what color windows to put in the sanctuary.

[Michael R. Gentry]

Opps, forgot to put the punch line in the above post LOL

That's why I voted for construction as the greatest means of dissention in the church!

[Brad Mercer]

I think the most predictable time for congregational tension is when people in the church are finding their value in something that is being threatened. The usually unsuccessful way of addressing that is by trying not to threaten anyone's source of value. That's usually unsuccessful because if the person thinks his worth as a person is indicated by whether others accept his idea, then conficting ideas ensure that one person or another is going to be left feeling devalued and unhappy.

The trick is to help people learn to find their identity in Christ instead of in their title, job or idea. ;)

Brad