Bridgebuilding
Making peace with conflict in the Church
Published on 7. May 2013
180 pages
978-1-78622-143-8 (ISBN)
Description
There is a prevailing culture of 'niceness' within churches which can lead to conflict avoidance, suppression and denial. Consequently, ministers and church leaders often struggle to handle tensions, difference and competing demands within their congregations.
Drawing on practical theology, conflict theory, family systems theory and experience, Bridgebuilding will help church ministers and church members find more fruitful ways of engaging with tensions and conflicts in the life of the Church. It offers numerous practical tools for transforming conflict into opportunities for personal and corporate growth.
It complements the 'Growing Bridgebuilders' training course developed by Bridge Builders with CPAS.
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Book
06/2019
Canterbury Press Norwich
€32.10
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Content
- Intro
- BRIDGEBUILDING
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- About CPAS
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Bridge-building: a defining metaphor
- Who this book is intended for
- How the chapters are structured
- A note on the stories shared
- 1 What is Conflict Doing in God's World?
- New thinking
- Deeper thinking
- A conversation with Rachel Treweek
- A Theological Reflection:
- 2 Know Thyself - and Value Others
- A tool for promoting understanding
- Managing oneself
- Team building
- Interaction between style and role
- Knowing oneself, valuing others
- A conversation with Colin Patterson
- A Theological Reflection:
- 3 Grow in Emotional Maturity
- A conversation with Liz Holdsworth
- A Theological Reflection:
- 4 Be Real about Power
- A bitter lesson about power
- A story of the Church and power
- Getting the subject out in the open
- Using power well
- Systemic power
- Responding personally
- A conversation with Rosemarie Davidson-Gotobed
- A Theological Reflection:
- 5 Use Good Theory
- A model of social conflict
- The nested theory of conflict
- Seeing beyond the immediate
- A conversation with Lia Shimada
- A Theological Reflection:
- 6 Shepherd the Process
- A case of three couples
- Preliminary work
- The mediation process
- Looking back
- Lessons for ministry
- A conversation with Joanna Williams
- A Theological Reflection:
- 7 Make Space for Feelings, Silence and Touch
- A family story
- A falling-out between ministers
- Helping to articulate feelings
- A place for silence and touch
- At ease with silence
- Appropriate touch
- A matter of the heart
- A conversation with Frank White
- A Theological Reflection:
- 8 Recognize the Limits
- A complicated case
- Speed Leas' model of escalation
- Applying Leas' model
- Condition of a key player
- Difficult between-frame conflicts
- Recognizing conciliation's limits
- A conversation with Sandra Cobbin
- A Theological Reflection:
- 9 Love Your Enemy
- Nelson Mandela and the Afrikaners
- Jo Berry and Patrick Magee
- Fiona and her husband, Giles
- Mark and his step-father, Charles
- The journey of loving an enemy
- A conversation with Sarah Hills
- A Theological Reflection:
- 10 Build a Culture Together
- Mennonite witness
- A culture that nurtures peace
- An illustration: Jonathan's story
- Sowing seeds
- A conversation with Ernie Whalley
- A Theological Reflection:
- 11 Observe the Peacemakers
- Insights from John Paul Lederach
- Learning from Carolyn Schrock-Shenk
- Reflections from Carolyn Schrock-Shenk
- Conflict engager, or conflict avoider?
- Sustaining peacemakers
- A conversation with Joe Campbell
- A Theological Reflection:
- 12 Build Bridges to Heaven
- Unexpected encounter
- Holy ground
- Hope-bringers
- Work in progress
- Glimpsing heaven on earth
- A conversation with and theological reflection by Sam Wells
- Further Resources
