Guide your church to proactively make decisions and deal with conflict. Calm: How to End Destructive Conflict in Your Church is a guidebook written for United Methodist churches and church leaders to help them proactively make decisions and deal with conflict. This book equips pastors and other leaders with the skills and tools necessary to engage in critical conversations that lead to healthy communities--churches that remain God-focused in times of conflict and tension. In addition to the four Modules, Calm includes the practical resources pastors, judicatory leaders, and others will need to lead congregations through the Modules. The Modules contain step-by-step instructions for planning and facilitating the Module sessions. They include detailed instructions and helpful tips for leading people through the Calm process of group activities, discussion, reflection, and times of worship. The book is a complete guide for leading this process, including instructions for the pastor and facilitator, helping to ensure success. The authors also provide clear adaptations for groups gathering virtually - an inescapable reality in the life of today's church. These adaptations both underscore and equip groups to take special care while engaging in the sensitive nature of conflict work in a virtual space.
'Calm' is a guidebook written for United Methodist churches and church leaders to help them proactively make decisions and deal with conflict. Working through the book's four modules, leaders and churches find the path forward becomes clear, whether a church is faced with a micro-level decision (should we introduce a new worship service?), or a macro one (where does our congregation fall in the denominational split?). -This book presents the skills and tools necessary to engage in critical conversations that lead to healthy communities--churches that remain God-focused in times of conflict and tension. It comprises a Foreword, the four Modules, a Conclusion, and additional resources for planning, assessing, and managing conflict. It includes stories and examples of conflict and conflict resolution in practice. -The modules contain detailed instructions and helpful tips for leading groups through a process which incorporates group activities, discussion, individual and group reflection, and times of corporate worship. The book is a complete guide for leading this 'Forward' process, including instructions for the pastor or other leader, helping to ensure success. -