DEALING WITH TENSIONS AND CONFLICTS IN CHURCHES AND CHURCH ORGANISATIONS – PRACTICAL EXAMINATION AND SUGGESTIONS – PART 4
Problems and tensions in the church often begin small and escalate. They can be difficult to remedy and this series of articles looks at some areas that cause tensions and some possible suggestions for dealing with them. We continue looking at possible difficult situations.
[G.1]. THE PASTOR IN THE MIDDLE
One person in the church comes to the Pastor/Minister/Rector, whatever, and complains about another person in the church. Before we go any further, straight away, the alarm has gone off for tension in the church. What has been lurking underneath? There are so many things that may be festering below the surface that the Pastor knows not about. That is true for nearly all unless you are involved yourself. If you are involved in disharmony or ill feeling towards another person in the church, it is disgraceful and you must do what is right to fix that.
Anyway, that person who complains comes to the Pastor wanting him to do something about the other person. Now the Pastor is placed in the middle of a person dispute, or worse still, in the middle of gossip. How is this to be handled? If the pastor does the wrong thing a storm is created. I know this is a word I have used many times but – DISCERNMENT on his part. One thing I will say and I mean this. Don’t act hastily and don’t act before prayer. I have slipped up a number of times because I neglected that. Here are a few pointers:-
(a). Don’t take action in haste because it may be a misunderstanding that sorts itself out in time. Even worse it might be malicious and spiteful so be very careful.
(b). Above all, do not start talking to other people in the church about it to get ideas, etc. Loose tongues and all that. Wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Maybe you have a gem of a Christian there with whom you can act like David and Jonathon.
(c). Ask the complainant for witnesses and confirmation because – {{Matthew 18:16 “but if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed,”}} The biblical principle is two or three witnesses.
(d). If anything is of a sexual or abuse nature, be extremely careful, VERY careful. I know in Australia that wants to set world firsts all the time, often in stupidity, certain complaints must go to specified Government bodies and the person hearing the complaint can say or do nothing. Sometimes he can’t talk to the person. This rides all over the rights of Christians in the matter of transgressions. Even if the complaint received is wrong or vexatious the Pastor in that case has no legal option. He has to report it. In a way it is wrong because it is like betraying a member of his church without his knowing any of the true facts, and the Pastor can not tell the accused member. The world hates decency.
I know sin is bad but who has not sinned? Sadly the middle man is out of the picture and can’t even give counselling in some cases. Everything is weighted against the alleged person accused. Many of these Government officials, and wicked people themselves, will quake at the great white throne one day. There are very severe penalties in place if anyone hears of something especially involving children or teens and does not report it, even if the information is tenuous at best. That is the evil of our society.
You people in churches who have Ministers/pastors, keep them in prayer and support them. We live in the last days of the Church age and the coming of the Lord is very close.
Other nations might have a more sensible approach to allegations but government restrictions are getting worse. To some degree the Roman Catholic church can hide behind the confessional and evade some of the demands, but I don’t know. Things are changing so rapidly now.
(e). If the complaint is about misconduct of some nature, or adultery (that is not to be reported to governments) then the Pastor needs to follow the steps above and if something is substantiated, then before God he must act somehow. It is not for me to say how. Just one thing though, WE ALL must remember WE ALL are sinners, so you do not set out to crucify a person who is guilty. Have you tried to approach the one you are accusing? {{John 8:6-7 “They were saying this, testing Him, in order that they might have grounds for accusing Him, but Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. When they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU, LET HIM BE THE FIRST TO THROW A STONE AT HER.”}}
I will end this section with some very wise and challenging words that apply to our dealings with each other – {{Galatians 5:26 – 6:1-2 “Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, ENVYING ONE ANOTHER. Brethren, EVEN IF A MAN IS CAUGHT IN ANY TRESPASS, YOU WHO ARE SPIRITUAL, RESTORE SUCH A ONE IN A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS, each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”}}
[G.2]. CHURCHES WITH PASTORS/MINISTERS – ABOUT THAT CULT FOLLOWING! SOME NEED TO STEP DOWN/RESIGN/ HAVE THE WISDOM TO PRACTISE DISCERNMENT
Now I wish to touch on something more personal and closer to home. Sometimes churches I have heard of have some discontent in their midst because of the Pastor. Is this the Pastor’s fault? No, not always.
I know of some Pastors that are criticised because they won’t back away from the faithfulness of the word. People want then to accept this thing and that thing and because they won’t, then the murmuring and nastiness begins. I admire pastors and elders who will not compromise on the truth. God bless them.
There was a church I was acquainted with on the fringes and knew a lot of the members. A few began to agitate to make the church more accepting of what they called “spiritual gifts”. When I hear that term I know what they are advocating is for the Pentecostal structure to become the norm for the church. However this church was a Baptist one so there was a group of solid Christians who stood their ground and did not want the church changed into Pentecostal one. In the end it caused such havoc that it split the church with quite a number leaving and soon the minister resigned. He was unable to handle the situation. I was disheartened about all that because I had friends on both sides and worked with those people.
When an examination is made of that situation what can we suggest? Firstly the church was not unified and had the two factions. Nothing would heal the growing breach and the minister could not do it. He had not been there long. There are some situations I am afraid, in human and practical terms, in which we just don’t seem to make any headway. My personal opinion is that those who were Pentecostal inclined should not have been there making trouble. There were a number of flavours of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches around and they should have been there.
Again I recall in my young days where I grew up, close to the place where I was working, there was a Methodist church, and I am speaking about the early 1960s. The church was a good church as far as churches go, but something quite despicable happened there. A young magnetic man got into the church and began to work with young people. He was a Pentecostal and at first his activity seemed harmless enough. However what he did was insidious for he was working to gather these young Methodist teens and young people into a Pentecostal mindset, and then he took those young people away creating chaos in the church. He was the Pied Piper of Pentecostalism.
What could have been done about that? What could the Minister have done to have prevented it? I suggest the answer to both those questions is, “Nothing”. Back then all that was new and there was no awareness of the way these people work. We know more now, and Ministers and Pastors, if you do not want your church becoming a Pentecostal or Charismatic one, or for that matter, any of a different belief from yours, then be on the lookout. Anticipate! I think a Minister must not be asleep while the devil sows the tares. You are there to safeguard the sheep from all sorts of false teachers and wrong doctrines, so be awake! The devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking what churches he may devour.
Of course the other arrow in your bow is teaching. Teach the word of God clearly, establishing each doctrine carefully. Don’t be afraid of preaching on doctrinal matters, and a very thorough coverage on Romans is a very necessary thing, being most important to equip the saints. I have begun to put a study series on Romans on SermonCentral - https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-series/messages-in-the-book-of-romans-sermon-series-from-ron-ferguson-23222?_gl=1*h9pf7t*_ga*MjYwMTc0OTI3LjE2NzE2NDA1ODM.*_ga_TRT0ERDR3P*MTcwNzY0NjM3Ny41NTAuMS4xNzA3NjQ2Mzg0LjUzLjAuMA..
I have digressed a bit from the title of this section. Personally, I find it disturbing when a Minister/Pastor builds up for himself a sort of cult following. He begins to like the acclaim and the notoriety and enjoys the popularity. At that stage alarm bells should be going off because it fosters pride and is dangerous. When the tower has been built high it is more likely to topple. Many remember the collapse of Hillsong in Sydney in 2022. That tower was high and the collapse was great. The man of God ought to be humble, and if there is a cult following, then that is likely to build conflict in the church because the church is being carried along by something not healthy with undue attention. The only one who can stop all that is the Minister himself through a few ways to diffuse it. If there was a godly oversight operating they should step in very early in the matter.
We will let the cult culture end there. It seems to belong to the prosperity teachers with their tens of millions of dollars.
The next point is also very pertinent and I will begin it this way. It is now the end of February 2024 and I think you all know about President Biden of the USA. He has dementia and is utterly incompetent. I won’t touch on more very serious matters. Do you think he should continue in office?
I think nearly all rational people would say he should not be in office. There comes a time when people must step down from positions for so many reasons. I have done that because of so much to do and after a time, I knew it was right to hand over to another the Lord had prepared.
There are some Ministers who should step down and we could list so many reasons for that. Actually the man himself should know the time is right to do so, so that any problems can be taken out of the way. Some refuse to budge and that causes tension among the church people. When a church has a good oversight/elders, they are able to deal with that. For churches that don’t have a ministerial system, but an eldership, the same things could be said about that, even of the elders.
All of us need discernment in these days with so much conflict in the world. However we need it as well in our churches. A man or woman who does not have a handle on the bible will not have godly discernment. I said “on the bible” not merely the New Testament. The bible is both Testaments, and they are equal in inspiration. Both are necessary.
There are cases, one known to me, where a church has had what could be called “an ascendency tendency”. That is where a Pastor/Minister gets his son to succeed him in the ministry, father handing over to son. Some resentment can easily be caused by that as I know it is said, “He’s not as good as his father.” Resentment leads to tensions. If I was asked here what advice I would give, it would be, “Avoid doing that. It causes problems.”
[G.3]. PREACHING AND TEACHING MUST BE OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. NO EXCUSE FOR A MAN TO BE INFERIOR IN THE SCRIPTURES. MEN OF MATURITY MUST BE FEATURED NOT YOUNG AND CHARISMATIC (captivating)
If something gets under my skin, this one does. Poor stewardship is lamentable and unacceptable before God. When you throw old weathered hay at sheep because you are too busy with other things or you don’t see the priority, or you are poorly equipped, then it is an utter disgrace.
There are men in ministry who do not know the word of God. You may have some degree from some institution or College and know all about religious things, but you don’t know the bible. As far as I am concerned a man should not be in ministry, preaching and teaching the sheep unless he is fully established. A man should have learnt to be a shepherd before he takes on a ministerial position. Sheep are dissatisfied when they are starving. The tension in the sheepfold rises.
Those who run around late Saturday night or Sunday morning trying to scratch something to say as a sermon should not be in ministry. Get out! Some can’t be bothered to find their own grassy pastures for the sheep or have not spent time in planting those pastures, and as a last resort, just grab a sermon from the internet and use that. Is that honouring to God?
I don’t mind if people use my messages. In fact I would be humbled. However they are no substitute because you can’t be bothered to study the word yourself. I have a funny feeling those who are reading this are not of that type who abuse their position. I think those ones anyway would not bother reading this.
One main reason I am putting my material on SermonCentral is I know it is helping some in Africa and India, maybe China and persecuted places in the world, and more isolated areas with few resources. The other reason is I am 80 and I don’t know what years the Lord will give me, but I know the Rapture is close. I see it very important to get my material out because the Lord gave it to me in stewardship.
Writing to Timothy Paul said, {{2Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, HANDLING ACCURATELY THE WORD OF TRUTH,”}}. The authorised version say, “Study to show yourself . . .”
So, again, you in ministry, really get to know your bibles and spend much time studying the word. Also, most important, help train others to share the ministry and teaching/preaching. That is the correct biblical method.
I may have spoken on this earlier but one of the flaws we have is young men leaving school or working for a short time, and then entering seminary or a bible/theological college and moving into a denomination as the pastor etc. The fact that Israel and the church had elders should be a warning to us. Those in ministry should be mature in life experience, and certainly mature in the bible and Christian ministry. Young men in ministry I will not knock, but I think it not correct as sole responsibility. As an assistant is fine. When conflicts come, an immature man is not able to handle some of those, especially those of a relationship matter in which case a mature man and his wife should attend to that.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
