John Pattison is co-author, most recently, of Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus (IVP, 2014). He lives with his wife and two daughters in Silverton, Oregon. John blogs at johnepattison.com. You can also find him on Twitter at @johnepattison.
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How to Have Hard Conversations
Image via wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock
Without a commitment to having hard conversations, and without healthy outlets for them, disagreements can be terrifying. They can seem like the end of the world, especially in the rarified atmosphere of our churches.
Unfortunately, Christians often deal with disagreements in their congregations in one of a handful of ways. We might disagree only in public, or only in denominational forums; we might talk only to our pastor, or only to the people who agree with us; we might let our money do the talking for us; we might not say anything at all; or we might split — leave, get kicked out, break fellowship.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can create a culture of rich dialogue, even around our disagreements. We can cultivate community conversations marked by gracious space and spacious grace. This unity is possible because we are bound by a covenant