Articles for tag: Healthy Conflict

May 21, 2015

By Shan Caldwell It is time for the church to begin taking part in MORE conflict””to the glory of God. Growing up, I used to listen to a song by Kenny Rogers called “The Coward of the County.” In it, a young man”s courage is called into question because of a promise he”d made as a 10-year-old to his dying father that he would always “walk away from trouble.” However, when the girl he loves is attacked, the “coward” doesn”t walk away””he stands his ground for her sake. Now, I don”t generally live my life according to the ethical codes

January 28, 2015

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

An Inconvenient Truth?

By Jim Tune I”ve heard the axiom “Love everyone, but move with the movers!” shared by speakers at leadership conferences. There”s truth in this counsel. I”ve had to encourage people to find another church when they became obtusely stuck on some element of vision or direction. At some point, I”ve had to weigh the value of giving disproportionate amounts of energy to people who refuse to change or compromise. So yeah, there”s some wisdom in moving with the movers. That said, I”m not entirely comfortable with this approach. Sometimes in order to truly love someone like Jesus did, you just

December 28, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

The Power of No

By Kent E. Fillinger No is a word more church leaders need to learn. No signifies a necessary ending more churches need to choose. No is a message that needs to be embraced, but understood. But sometimesÂ No means only that “less is less.” Here”s how and when to say the word that transcends everyÂ language. “No.” The crisp, bold black letters that jumped off of the stark, white cover of the 3-by-5-inch booklet in the magazine piqued my curiosity. I opened the booklet and read these simple, but significant, sentences: Two letters. A word that transcends every language. A word that