October 27, 2025
A CHANGE IN COMMUNION
As we examine ourselves, we must be honest. Where we find sin, where we find disobedience to our Lord, where we find selfishness, we must change.
Articles for tag: Conflict
March 2, 2025
From Conflict to Connection: Handing Over the Anger in Our Marriages
How anger is handled can either damage or strengthen intimacy in marriage. Thoughtfully and prayerfully approaching anger leads us to deeper understanding, trust, and connection.
September 1, 2024
Rules of Engagement
Faced with the inevitability of conflict, how should Christians conduct themselves? What are our rules of engagement? With Scripture as our frame of reference, here are some, but certainly not all, of the rules.
October 2, 2023
October 8 | Discovery
These Discovery Questions are for use with this week’s Lookout Bible Lesson, “Sharing and Pretending” (Acts 4:32—5:16), by Mark Scott.
January 24, 2022
Jan. 30 | Application
How can we honor the Lord when conflicts arise? Is it possible to hold firm convictions without destroying relationships? Several principles found in Romans 14 can help us put this slogan into practice.
August 24, 2020
They Forgot
By Stuart Powell The book of Judges begins with the hope that Israel will complete the unfinished work Joshua left them by transforming the land into the dwelling of God’s people. Yet the generations after Joshua learned that living as holy people is not easy. It created conflict between Israel and the people around them. As the Israelites settled into their inherited houses and began gathering the harvests from the adopted gardens, something terrible happened. Judges 3:7 summarizes the tragedy: “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals
March 8, 2018
Our Heavenly Father’s Favorite Thing
The True Story of a Defeated Pastor, a Dying Church, and God’s Redemption of Both By Ken Idleman Both the Old and New Testaments reveal something about God that we tend to either quietly doubt or glibly take for granted. We can find it buried in the historical narrative of the book of Jeremiah, who speaks for God, revealing both his heart for and goodwill toward his people: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says . . . “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and
March 7, 2018
When the Church Splits: Hope After the Loss
By Jessie Clemence The church gymnasium, once filled with the sound of squealing children and bouncing balls, fell silent. The church bank account, once bolstered with tithes from generous givers, dropped to a frightening low. The elder board had vacancies. The pulpit lacked a minister and the worship team was missing vocalists and musicians. Children were missing from Sunday school classes, but that was OK because there weren’t enough adults to teach them anyway. The church had split, and those of us who stayed walked through an endless succession of losses. I grew tired of trying to explain to
March 2, 2018
Standing Firm in the Spotlight
By Emily Drayne A missionary gets to live in a new place, explore new locales, try new foods, have cross-cultural experiences, and more. What’s not to love? They live the same life, just in a different location—right? No! A million times no. The amount of planning, prayerful consideration, financial preparation, and training that goes into becoming a full-time missionary is staggering. Missionaries undergo months of training to prepare for something that one must experience to truly understand. They need a lot of self-discipline, hard work, and faith to make that leap. The Need for Spiritual Disciplines Some people
March 1, 2018
Should Christian Leaders Take a Stand on Political Issues?
By Bob Russell A popular Christian blogger recently suggested ministers should avoid preaching “anything political” because that’s an automatic turnoff to most seekers. He pointed out that when preachers take a position on contentious cultural issues they minimize opportunities for evangelism—especially with millennials. He applauded one of the leading ministers in America who recently announced he would no longer preach about homosexuality because it was such a polarizing subject. WHY CONFRONT CONTROVERSIAL POLITICAL ISSUES? That may sound like good counsel because, after all, our ultimate hope isn’t in politics but in Jesus Christ. But think about the many hot-button
February 28, 2018
Leading Through Conflict
By Jim Estep Elders are no strangers to church fires, and by that I mean the conflicts that occur far too often in our congregations. Whether the conflicts involve leaders, staff, individuals, or groups, we often find ourselves ill-prepared to understand them and ill-equipped to respond to them. As elders, we need to understand the fires of conflict so we can ease confusion and help extinguish them when they flare up. Understanding Conflict in the Church Here are some facts about church conflict. Fires are inevitable. No church is immune to conflict, so be aware of it and alert
February 25, 2018
Civil Liberty: How Christ Frees Us to Be Civil in Less-than-Civil Times
By Shawn McMullen You’re driving down the highway and notice a silver Honda in the passing lane traveling a few miles per hour below the speed limit, impeding the progress of the gray Toyota behind it. When the Toyota gets a break in the line of traffic, its driver veers quickly into the other lane, moves in front of the Honda, and taps his brakes, causing the driver of the Honda to brake and swerve into the berm. The party of four at their lunch table simply can’t be pleased. They complain loudly to one another throughout the meal: the
February 22, 2018
Extinguishing the Flames of Conflict
What Leaders Can Learn from the Fire Tetrahedron for the Good of the Church By Walt Wilcoxson Heat, fuel, oxygen, and a chemical chain reaction. These four factors comprise the fire tetrahedron, which is basic knowledge to every firefighter and the basis for the plan of attack for fighting every fire. Even rookie firefighters know that if you can eliminate any single part of the tetrahedron, the fire will go out. Or, if any of these four elements is missing, there will be no fire. In church conflict, leaders have a tetrahedron to consider as well. They need to
February 21, 2018
A Road Map for Healthy Conflict Resolution
Use these 5 tips to create a church culture that handles conflict in a God-honoring way. By David Dummitt Churches are made up of broken, messy people. That statement won’t shock anyone reading this. Problems in churches are inevitable. Conflict can lead to division. Planning ahead for how to navigate through conflict is important to protecting the unity of our churches. Whether you’re planting a church or have been leading one for years, it is never too early (or late) to create a road map for dealing with conflict within your church in a way that honors God. Here
February 15, 2018
In Search of a Happy Ending
By Michael C. Mack and Jim Nieman It was intended as a feel-good story for the October 2017 issue. Managing editor Jim Nieman reported on a son turning his life around, through God’s grace, and returning to his hometown to minister to those who are “down on their luck.” It was a story with a stern warning and a storybook ending. And then everything utterly collapsed. The preacher’s son who had battled years of addiction to opiates during and immediately after high school, and then managed to turn his life around and graduate from Christian college and return to his
February 7, 2018
Denzil Holness Spreads a Message of Racial Reconciliation
By Jacqueline J. Holness Had Denzil D. Holness been hired as a pastor in Coward, South Carolina, or Peculiar, Missouri, or any other out-of-the-way American town or city, he may not have been led to take on racial reconciliation in the Christian church. However, since Holness was hired as the first black pastor at Central Christian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, “The City Too Busy to Hate,” it would seem tackling racial reconciliation was God’s plan for him all along. Committed to Christian Church Principles Holness became CCC’s pastor in September 1979 and in December 2017, he retired from ministry
June 9, 2017
Written in Blood
By Rick Chromey January 26, 2005, was to be a typical day for 44-year-old John Phipps and millions of other Los Angeles workers. When the father of three boarded his morning train he couldn”t possibly have known a suicidal Juan Manual Alvarez had parked his car on the train tracks several miles away. It was only minutes to mayhem. Details about what happened are sketchy, but Alvarez evidently changed his mind and escaped his car just prior to collision with Phipps”s speeding train. Unfortunately, Alvarez”s selfish act killed 11 people and injured more than 200, including John Phipps, who lay
August 23, 2016
All We Need Is . . . Love?
By Mark A. Taylor Wisconsin state Sen. Lena Taylor offered a thoughtful evaluation of why riots erupted in Milwaukee August 13, after a policeman shot an armed black man running from a traffic stop. There”s much to consider in her perspective, but today I”m posting about a problem even bigger than America”s racial divide. At the end of Taylor”s interview, the host asked her this: “So as a leader in this community, what is your message now to the people living in Milwaukee who are experiencing this unrest, this anger, this expression of frustration that is in many cases taking
August 8, 2016
Rushing to Blame
By Joe Boyd Not long ago in Cincinnati, where I live, a very unfortunate accident occurred at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. As you probably remember, a young boy somehow made his way into the gorilla habitat. Ultimately it resulted in the hard decision to kill Harambe, a powerful and beautiful western lowland gorilla, for the sake of the child”s life. Soon after that, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history happened in Orlando, Florida. A gunman entered a gay nightclub and killed 49 people, injuring 53 others. (And some of the injured are still clinging to life as
July 22, 2016
Jesus Found Me!
By Ruth T. Reyes She was a child prodigy leaving her homeland to follow a dream of being a concert pianist. She had lived a charmed life, performing on television and concert halls for government dignitaries and a first lady. Now she was armed with a scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School. It was a kind of fairy-tale story, one thousands of aspiring musicians would wish for””and it actually happened to me. On my way to America, my thoughts turned to Little Jimmy Taylor”s gospel chorus “Dear Jesus Abide with Me,” which my mom would sing with me when I
