Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Change and Conflict in Congregations

Brubaker, David

ISBN 10: 1566993822 / ISBN 13: 9781566993821

Published by Rowman & Littlefield, 2009

About this Item

Seller Inventory # I-9781566993821

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Change and Conflict in Congregations
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1566993822
• ISBN 13: 9781566993821
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Congregations cannot exist without finances, priorities, leadership, worship, and decision making, yet these five aspects breed the most conflict between church members and clergy. These conflicts unfortunately tend to bring about the most negative consequences: drops in giving, resignation of leaders, and, perhaps most pointedly, loss of members. The importance of congregations and their effect on our lives is clear, yet what is less clear is what makes conflicts in faith communities inevitable. In Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Change and Conflict in Congregations, David Brubaker brings the tools of organizational theory and research to the task of understanding the deeper dynamics of congregational conflict. With a doctorate in sociology and more than twenty years working with congregational conflicts, Brubaker helps to explore the causes and effects of conflicts on a wide range of congregations. This book will help congregations avoid the pitfalls of conflict and instead head toward a healthy relationship between and among church staff and members.

About the Author

David Brubaker is a Professor Emeritus of Organizational Studies at Eastern Mennonite University, an organizational consultant, and author of numerous publications, including When the Center Does Not Hold: Leading in an Age of Polarization (2019).