Every pastor no doubt begins the ministry with the best in mind. He will spend his whole life doing what God wants him to do. His days are going to be spent reading his Bible, praying, telling people about Jesus, and ministering to his church and community. He will go off to the office within the morning and spend a peaceful night’s reception together with his family.
Everybody loves him and will look up to him. Then, he’s called to his first church, calls to order his first business meeting, or hears of meetings held within the homes of the facility brokers within the church. And he realizes his dream has become a nightmare.
Like numerous young preacher boys, I started my first church with such naive notions. I used to be so excited about how God was moving. People were being saved, baptized, and started to join the church. We were starting to make a difference in our community. The church had voted to create a new building to organize for the current and coming growth. It’s like a dream coming reality.
Preaching and Crisis Management
What he shared next was leadership gold for pastors who are leading a church during a time of crisis and whom Christian leadership is facing a crisis: “Spend the whole evening praying, get a decent night’s sleep, then get up and preach it’s like a sort of prophet tomorrow morning.”
The Lord gets me through a difficult time, and that I learned a lot more interesting about myself and leading the church during that first church conflict. I’ve learned even more within the churches and years I’ve served since. Some are “borrowed” lessons; lessons that I’ve learned by watching other pastors.
My model of ministry for these sorts of difficult days comes from the instance of Nehemiah. you recognize the story, so I won’t recount it here, but you’ll examine it in Nehemiah chapters two through six. Let me point to some principles that have guided my preaching and pastoral ministry during times of church conflict.
1. Lead by example
Nehemiah worked right alongside the people. He set the pace and direction. He’s always ready to get his hands dirty while doing the work. You’ll gain tons of rapport with your people by saying, “Let’s go!” rather than, “You go!”
2. Don’t pack up to start out fussing
This is often a key and vitally important principle. When you’re busy building and God may be a blessing, those that told you it couldn’t be done will want you to prevent, come down, and “talk.” Don’t. Keep working and building.
3. Focus on the vision, not the division
It had been obvious that there was a group out to sidetrack Nehemiah and hinder the work. Nehemiah didn’t fall for it. He stayed committed to the task and didn’t hear the naysayers.
4. Hear the “One” rather than the “many.”
Nehemiah had a vision from God, but he also had a vocal minority that told him it couldn’t be done which what he had done wouldn’t last. He stayed on the brink of the Lord and didn’t hear the voices that might discourage his heart or derail his work.
5. Remember, but not overwhelmed by, your opposition
- Negative voices are naturally louder than positives voices. you’ll hear that “they” are many, but that’s normally not true. Keep an open line of communication together with your leadership and trust them to stay you aware of the truth of things.
6. Focus on building, not maintaining
Another key principle in church conflict is to easily outgrow the opposition. Once you start focusing on placating the vocal, negative people rather than those who are needy and seeking to bring more people to Jesus and into the church, you’re undermining the mission. Keep building and winning people in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
