On the Church Administration Network colleague Sheri Laninga has posted a blog with this fine article from the Alban Institute about understanding and managing conflict in churches. Thanks, Sheri! Is conflict bad? Good? Wrong questions. Conflict will happen. The right question that this article develops is how to manage conflict constructively, help keep it to acceptable levels for possibly good things to happen in your congregation.
After you read that article and chew on it a bit, let me suggest that you go to this remarkably closely-related YouTube video
about understanding leadership and being a "differentiated leader" and what happens when less differentiated leaders or members of virtually any organization (family, company, church--you name it) aren't careful about communication styles or content.Have you experienced any of the scenarios mentioned in either of those two sources? How have you dealt with them?