Navigating Church Politics : A Church Leader?s Guide for Managing Conflict and Power Struggles While Leading Organizational Change

Are you tired of dealing with church politics? Do you sometimes feel like giving up on the church because of power struggles and conflict?

In Navigating Church Politics, veteran pastor and church leadership expert, Dr. Randy Wollf, explores one church’s productive, yet painful, direction-setting process. Through an in-depth look at this church’s journey and a study of relevant research, he will help you discover:

• How to recognize and address inappropriate uses of power without sinking the church.
• How to help people focus on their God-given calling so that they don’t have the desire to torpedo others.
• How to make the most of good uses of power to avoid danger and accomplish the church’s mission.
• How to empower people to contribute their ideas to the decision-making process, so that good decisions are made that people own and want to implement together.
• How to manage conflict so that it strengthens the church.

Many church leaders have faced the unwelcome intrusion of church politics into their ministries. It can be very distracting and frustrating. Yet, Randy shows that church politics is a normal and necessary part of church life. Wherever you have a group of people, you will have good and bad exertions of power. Unfortunately, many Christian leaders check out of leadership, not realizing that the church politics that hurt them could have become one of their greatest allies for enacting positive change.

Why do many Christian leaders fall prey to the dark side of church politics? Leaders are often ill-equipped to use and help others use power in ways that are of maximum benefit to their ministries. Both paid and volunteer leaders in the church and in other ministries often find themselves wandering in a daze through minefields of competing interests.

Understanding and navigating power dynamics well is an essential part of leadership. This book provides both veteran and emerging church leaders with knowledge about power dynamics and direction for managing these influential forces while leading organizational change.

Randy Wollf, PhD, has been a pastor, church planter, and missionary for 20 years. He currently serves as an associate professor of leadership and practical theology at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary. Randy is also the Director of MinistryLift, a non-formal training ministry dedicated to equipping people to love God more deeply and serve Him more effectively. Randy and his wife, Lore, live in Langley, British Columbia, with their four children.