Turning Disagreements into Opportunities for Growth

Can conflict in the church actually lead to stronger relationships and deeper connections? Discover how to transform inevitable disagreements into opportunities for growth on the latest episode of the Healthy Church Staff podcast. Join Todd Rhoades, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing, as he unpacks the essential tools for navigating conflict with grace and empathy. Drawing from biblical examples and modern expert insights, Todd provides a roadmap for fostering open communication, practicing active listening, and seeking reconciliation early. Learn why churches that embrace these principles often emerge more resilient and united.

This episode goes beyond merely acknowledging the presence of conflict, diving into practical strategies that create a safe environment for expression and dialogue. Todd emphasizes the importance of understanding and common ground, urging us to see disagreements not as threats, but as avenues for mutual growth. With actionable advice and real-world examples, you'll learn how to transform potential conflicts into constructive conversations that honor shared values and strengthen community bonds. Tune in to this enlightening discussion and uncover how your church can turn conflict into a catalyst for positive change.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom and your host for this podcast for today. I'm so glad you're here Today. We're stepping into it might be potentially tense, but it's an important topic conflict in the church. But don't worry, we're not just going to acknowledge the problem, because a lot of churches have a lot of conflict. We're going to dive into how to transform sometimes these disagreements, these conflicts, into opportunities for growth and deeper connection. Because, let's face it, conflict is inevitable in any community and the church the church, believe me is no exception to this. I'm not telling you anything you don't know. We're all human, we all have different perspectives, we all have different opinions and experiences and sometimes those differences clash. But here's the good news Conflict doesn't always have to be destructive. In fact, if you handle it well, a lot of times it can actually strengthen relationships and lead to some deeper understandings.

Speaker 1: 1:13

The conflict resolution experts emphasize the importance of healthy communication and empathy and a willingness to find common ground. Studies have shown that churches that embrace healthy conflict resolution practices tend to be more resilient and experience greater unity. And, honestly, the Bible itself is full it's chock full of examples of conflict and reconciliation. From the church's early disagreements over circumcision to Paul's confrontation with Peter over his treatment of Gentile believers, we see that conflict is a natural part of the Christian journey and it's been going on for thousands of years. But we also see the power of forgiveness and grace and the pursuit of unity. So how do we navigate conflict in a healthy way? Here are some thoughts and some ideas, and the first one, I think, really cuts to the core of why so many churches and so many church leaders that we talk to are just neck deep in conflict. And it's because there's not a culture of open communication. If you can somehow create an environment where people feel safe to express their opinions and concerns without immediate fear of judgment or reprisal man, you are well on your way to eliminating I don't know I'm pulling numbers out of the air, but 80-90% of the conflict that you're going to face. If you can actually have open communication and conversations and not hold everything in, not make rash judgments, not think that you're right and other people are wrong all the time, it will make a huge difference.

Speaker 1: 2:54

Secondly is practice active listening Whenever there's a conflict. If you are not actively listening, if you are talking more than you're listening. That's a problem. When someone disagrees with you, truly listen to their perspective and seek to understand their point of view. You don't have to agree with it. You don't have to say you know what? I'm wrong, you're right because we have our own opinions and we're right because we think we're right. But just by actively listening to other people, when someone disagrees with you, truly listen to them and try to understand their point of view. You don't have to agree with it.

Speaker 1: 3:29

Okay, and then, once you've listened, are there areas of agreement? Are there areas of common ground that you can just agree on? Are there shared values there other than you're just both trying to follow Jesus? Find these places of common ground, because they're there. You just have to find them, find those shared foundations and try to find some solutions that will honor both sides.

Speaker 1: 3:54

And then this is also important seek reconciliation. Don't let conflict fester. The longer you let it fester, the worse it's going to be and the less likelihood that reconciliation is going to be possible. So, pursue that reconciliation early. Pursue it often, pursue it with humility and a willingness to forgive. Here's the bottom line for today. Conflict, you can't avoid it. It's going to be a natural part of life and it's going to be a natural part of your church and your church's life, but it doesn't have to tear us apart. If you embrace healthy communication and seek that common ground and pursue reconciliation and make this a priority, we can really turn a lot of these disagreements into opportunities, before they turn into conflicts. Not every disagreement needs to be an ongoing big conflict that drives people away from each other. Disagreements with open communication can really bring together opportunities.

Speaker 1: 4:53

We talk with candidates all day, a lot of days, and a lot of them are just really struggling. Like I said, they're neck deep in conflict. Many churches we talk to church leadership teams that they're like man, our church is a dumpster fire right now and we try to help them and coach them through that. If your church is struggling, if you're struggling personally with conflict and you just don't know what to do, reach out to me. I'd love to talk to you, hear your story, see if there's any way that I can coach or maybe consult you through this or hook you up with a member of our team. We have some really absolutely great people that have tons of experience in the church that would love to hear your story and talk with you about how to work through conflict. Reach out to me you can do that anytime podcast at chemistrystaffingcom and would love to start a conversation with you.

Speaker 1: 5:47

Remember, as we leave today, conflict can be a catalyst for growth. It can be. We don't think of it that way, but it can be. Let's embrace conflict with grace and humility, with open communication and with a commitment to building a stronger, more connected church and community. We don't always have to be right If you can get that, if we can get that through our heads that we don't always have to be right, that there are ways that we can open our communications, talk these things out and eventually, I believe, in every situation, it is God's will for us to be at peace with each other and to reconcile with each other. But that takes humility on our part, takes humility on the other people's part too. I get it. But if there's any way that we can help, feel free to reach out. Hope this has been helpful to you. Think about this today as you go about your day.