Andover Boys Crew Team courtesy photographer Rouge, Wikimedia Commons
The leaders of a church set its vision and path forward. Imagine an organization as being like a rowing team. If the members are functioning well as a team, the crew will be rowing in unison, pulling for a common goal, each cognizant of what the others are doing and supporting one another. If the team is not functioning well, it might be like each person putting the oar in the water at his or her own pace, at different times, and even in different directions, perhaps even seeking to row the boat toward different goals and working against one another to pull the boat in competing directions. Both boats have people. In both boats, the people are working hard. In both boats, the people have good intentions. But only one boat will be rowed effectively and meet the determined target. By helping your organization become unified and function well as a team, we aim to help the boat of your organization look more like the Olympic class team and less like a boat needing rescue.
Perhaps your team just needs a bit of coaching, or perhaps your team needs a lot of help. Regardless, the resources of Just Mediation are here to help you. Services offered range from one hour, lunch time meetings to weekend retreats, to keynote speeches, meeting facilitation, or full scale congregational mediation. Your needs are what determines what services will be offered. Our mediators are trained as Healthy Congregations facilitators and as mediators for church conflict using Biblical principles of conflict transformation, forgiveness, and reconciliation. We know this is counterintuitive. The radical nature of Biblical conflict transformation is a matter of acting in faith and in trusting the Holy Spirit. We can walk that path with you.
Although conflict in organizations can be complex due to the many different competing interests and agendas, general principles of conflict still apply. Increases in conflict occur in identifiable stages. Remedies and approaches vary according to stage.
- At its lowest and healthy level, conflict is experienced as an enriching and lively interaction among friendly folk that helps them all see and more clearly focus on common, agreed goals. When an organization is at this level, our trainers are happy to lead classes, such as half day or weekend officer training events, designed to help the organization be more aware of and competent in key strategies for building and maintaining health in your organization. We also lead meetings or teach techniques for leading meetings which help ensure that meetings are productive and all voices are heard, reducing the frustrations in an organization which can lead to unresolved conflict.
- At higher slightly higher levels of conflict, there may be more anxiety and some outside assistance might be needed. In cases involving moderate conflict, we are available as meeting facilitators to ensure that all views are heard in a neutral, safe environment. We design decision processes with mechanisms to ensure that key needs and interests of all parties are heard and considered.
- At higher levels of conflict, we may recommend full scale, organizational mediation. Mediation is the appropriate remedy when an organization is so divided that it is facing a split of membership, or if ouster of key leaders is imminent.
Because no organization is exactly alike, our specific proposal on how to approach a conflict-prone situation in an organization will depend heavily on the specific assessment of needs in your particular case. Whether it is coaching, training, meeting facilitation, or mediation, we have many tools in the tool chest. Each of the mediators of Just Mediation, LLD, are committed and mature Christians who are also trained conflict professionals, equipped to analyse and respond sensitively, confidentially, and responsibly in ways that will help your church or organization stay or return to a healthy way of relating as individuals and as a team. (For our credentials, click HERE.)
To arrange for a personal consultation in your situation, call 803-414-0185, or fill out the contact form below.
