Over the past forty years, congregations, businesses, other organizations, and communities across the United States have become increasingly divided along political and ideological lines.
In When the Center Does Not Hold, David R. Brubaker, with contributions by colleagues Everett Brubaker, Carolyn Yoder, and Teresa J. Haase, offers relevant, practical mentorship on navigating polarized environments. Through easily accessible stories, they provide tools and processes that will equip leaders to both manage themselves and effectively lead others in highly polarized and anxious systems.
Coaching includes guidance on key characteristics of effective leadership in times of polarization: refusing contempt, honoring dignity, broadening binaries, seeking first to understand, inviting disagreement, and staying connected.
With years of combined experience in the fields of conflict transformation and organizational and leadership studies, Brubaker and his colleagues offer hope. Here, readers learn from leaders and communities that continue to renew the covenants that bind them, courageously address deeper needs that drive conflict, and hold on to a moral center while navigating the storms of polarization.
David R. Brubaker has more than thirty years of organizational consulting and workplace mediation experience and has consulted with more than one hundred organizations and congregations since 1987. He holds an MBA degree and a PhD in sociology from the University of Arizona, with concentrations in organizations and religion. He writes a regular blog post for the Congregational Consulting Group.
Everett Brubaker has been active in bridge building efforts related to environmental issues for nearly a decade. He holds a B.A. in Environmental Sustainability from Eastern Mennonite University and an M.A. in Communication & Advocacy from James Madison University. Everett was the recipient of the 2019 Civic Engagement Award from the Graduate School at JMU and works as the Resident Services & Communications Coordinator for Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
Carolyn Yoder has twenty-five years' experience as a psychotherapist and trauma trainer in the US and abroad. She is founding director of STAR (Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience), a justice and conflict-informed training program of Eastern Mennonite University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. STAR has supported thousands of civil society leaders on five continents in building resilient communities amidst crisis, division, and violence. She holds an MA in linguistics from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA in counseling psychology from Alliant International University, San Diego.
Teresa J. Haase earned a BA in English and secondary education and an MA and EdS in counseling psychology from James Madison University. She holds a PhD in counseling from The George Washington University. Haase is licensed as a professional counselor in Virginia and an Approved Clinical Supervisor through the National Board for Certified Counselors. She has been working in the field of mental health for twenty years as a clinician, scholar, and counselor educator. Haase has a particular interest in advocating for heart-centered leadership.
