There are several different approaches to conflict; which one you choose depends on the situation.
Boyd Pelley
I was talking with one of our small group leaders the other day. He told me that he was really concerned that there was an elitist attitude in his group coming from the parents who had chosen to home school or private school their children. His kids were in public school. It was clearly beginning to create a rift in the group. Upon further discussion, I discovered that each family was handling childcare ...
Two of your members have a long-standing conflict; what do you do?
Pat J. Sikora
"'In your anger do not sin:' Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:26, 27).
Connie Conflict and Annie Anger are neighbors. They hate one another. No one is quite sure when the animosity began, although there are lots of stories. Each of them joined the group without knowing that the other was also joining. Now you have open warfare ...
The bad news is that conflict is an inevitable part of any successful small group. The good news is that group conflict can be managed effectively by any group leader, and can even strengthen relationships within a group. With practical advice from experts like Joel Comiskey, Mark Bonham, and Teena M. Stewart, "Handling ...
Practical guidelines for leading in a difficult situation
Betty Veldman-Wieland
Conflict is a normal part of small-group life. In fact, if we don't have conflict, someone is not being honest. People are just too different from one another to avoid it completely.
Personally, I do not like conflict. It makes me feel, well, conflicted! At the same time, I believe that understanding the nature of conflict and being prepared to deal with it as a small-group leader, coach, or staff ...
How can you deal with someone who steps over the line from discussion to argument?
Pat J. Sikora
Arthur Argumentative loves a good "discussion." He doesn't see what he's doing as being argumentative. He just enjoys a lively exchange. The problem is that his aggressive nature offends or scares the other members. Sometimes he even gets a little personal, calling the responses of others "dumb" or "crazy." Note that we're not talking here about a lively, spirited discussion. That's our goal! People ...
Here are some quick-hitting tips for small-group leaders on maintaining the peace in your small group—at least, as much as is reasonable.
Observe Reactions vs. Responses
It is a good thing when a person responds to another with words of empathy and appropriate counsel. It is a different matter when they react to what the other person is saying because it does not harmonize with their own understanding ...
This collection of training resources can help keep your group meetings running smoothly—and at a discount, too!
Are you confident in your ability to handle difficult situations that pop up during a small-group meeting? For example, would you know what to do if a group member become very emotional, or if two members got into a heated argument? What if someone shared something that was deeply personal and potentially embarrassing?
If you don't feel prepared for these kinds of situations, you're probably in the ...
Because ignoring a problem is the worst thing you can do.
John Atkinson
If you lead a small group, sooner or later you will have to deal with conflict in it. Unfortunately, conflict is a surefire consequence of people really sharing life together. Why? Because you cannot bring together a room full of people from different cultural, social, economic, religious, and family backgrounds and expect them to always agree on every issue.
Printer view of these results
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