You will face conflict in your immediate future

In a fallen world, conflict is never far away.  As individuals and churches, we need ministries like Peacemakers.  I agree with Justin Taylor that every church should at least be familiar with their work.

Consider this quote from C.J. Mahaney:

In fact, it is with great confidence that I can predict: You will face relational conflict in your future. Not only your distant future, but your immediate future. . . For as sinners living in a fallen world, conflict is inevitable and in fact, is heading your way right now. You can count on it.

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In Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds I wrote:

If I could recommend only one resource on working through conflicts, it would probably be Ken Sande’s,  The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict.  It contains a wealth of practical information on how to work through conflict resolution. Sande and the organization he founded, Peacemaker Ministries, have decades of experience in working through conflict resolution, and this book is a gold mine of practical advice.

Since writing Unpacking, my respect for Peacemakers has only grown.  Last Spring, I spoke for their staff retreat in Montana and grew in my appreciation for their organization.  Along with Josh Harris, Thabite, Anyawbile, and others, I am scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the National Peacemaker Conference this Fall in the Washington, D.C. area.

I was delighted to see today that Justin Taylor has taken the time to put together a web page with helpful links.  If you want to learn more about Peacemakers, then be sure and visit Justin’s summary.

I would recommend that every church at least be familiar with Peacemaker Ministries and the resources that they offer. I recently had an opportunity to lead a group through their small-group DVD set and study guide, and the feedback was very encouraging, with tangible fruit produced.

They have a church resource set, which contains posters, sermon outlines, a DVD, leader’s guide, and small-group participants’ guides. This is a great way to introduce a “culture of peacemaking” throughout the church. A newer resource is a DVD-based group study designed specifically church leadership teams, calledThe Leadership Opportunity: Living Out the Gospel Where Conflict and Leadership Intersect.

Here are some free online resources that give you an idea about their approach:

• Getting to the Heart of Conflict – Conflict starts in the heart. Therefore, if we fail to address the heart in a conflict, then any solution will fall short of true reconciliation.

• The Four G’s – The biblical system for resolving conflict is captured by “The Four G’s”: Glorify God, Get the log out of your own eye, Gently Restore, and Go and be reconciled.

• The Slippery Slope – A visual tool for understanding the ways people tend to and ought to respond to conflict.

• The Seven A’s of Confession – A guide to making a sincere and complete confession.

• The PAUSE Principle – A biblical approach to negotiation.

• The Four Promises of Forgiveness – A great way to remember what you are really saying (and committing to) when you say “I forgive you.”

• The Peacemaker’s Pledge – Complete summary of biblical peacemaking, suitable for churches or organizations to commit to together.

• Relational Commitments – A way for a church to make a mutual commitment to work together to pursue unity, maintain friendships, preserve marriages, and build relationships that reflect the love of Christ.

• The Gospel of Peace Mirrored Through Peacemaking – A summary statement of how the gospel of Jesus Christ is at the core of biblical peacemaking.

The rest here.