Managing Conflicts

Ken Birch Dr.

Description

This book is a practical resource to help leaders manage, resolve cnflicts and reconcile the parties involved. Essential skills to accomplish this goal are embedded in discussion of major concepts and descriptions of real life situations.

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 05 décembre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789966202321
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title Page
MANAGING CONFLICTS
A Practical Resource for Resolution and Reconciliation

by Dr. Ken Birch
with
Rev. David Oginde




Publisher Information
© 2008 Evangel Publishing House
Published in Kenya by:
Evangel Publishing House
Private Bag 28963-00200
NAIROBI. KENYA
[e-mail]
Digital version converted and published in 2012 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.



Endorsements
Every leader faces conflict in his or her area of service. Leaders can no longer hide this fact. And this is true of service in the church just as it is true of service in the secular world. Jesus, the ultimate peacemaker, set an example and in the scriptures calls upon his servants to be ministers of rec- onciliation.
Yet unresolved conflicts have less to do with people being unskilful than with them being sinful. Consequently, conflict resolution needs to focus beyond problem solving. It should address deep personal issues, feelings, relationships; sins such as anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and unrepentant heart, all which fuel conflict. Ultimately, the source of all conflict is the hu- man heart.
Drawing from biblical examples on reconciliation and his experiences both in Africa and North America, Ken Birch has written a book that proves that peacemaking through the gospel is a way of glorifying God.
Rev Simon Peter Emiau
Superintendent PAG, Uganda.
Having worked in Africa as teacher, pastor and missionary in charge of East and West Africa, Dr. Ken has gained a lot of experience that has enabled him to write a practical book that is rich in biblical perspectives. This very balanced book will be a helpful resource for teachers and church leaders in conflict management.
Just as Ken allowed God to use him to impact those with whom he worked like us, his book will also prove useful for many generations to come.
Bishop Jimmy Kimani
Assistant General Secretary
Deliverance Church
As part of my MA in leadership, I studied conflict management under Dr. Birch and the course was invaluable.
Now that Dr. Birch’s knowledge has been published for all to read, I believe this book will be a helpful tool for all who are ministering in our continent today, a transitional Africa that is increasingly absorbing more and more Western influence.
Carole Kiamah



Acknowledgements
I owe a debt of gratitude to several people who contributed to the completion of this project. In addition to my thanks to David Oginde, I’m grateful to the directors of Global University’s East Africa Graduate Study Center and the fine church leaders who took my “Conflict Management” course, which is part of Global’s Masters program. It was truly a case of the teacher learning as much as the students.
Special appreciation also goes to my good friends, Dennis Lindoff and Ron Michalski, who gave their advice and encouragement from the shores of western Canada. And finally I want to recognize the unconditional support of my dear wife, Shirley, who is my most valued partner in every avenue of ministry.



Dedication
To
SIMON PETER EMIAU
BONIFES ADOYO
RAHA MUZIBAO
RON MISIKO,
dear friends in ministry who have taught me so much about the challenges of leadership in African churches and who represent the hope of a bright future for God’s work on the continent.



Foreword
Dr. Ken Birch has once again come up with an invaluable resource to equip the church in Africa. His earlier book, From the ground: perspectives on Christian living in the real world , has been a great resource for pastors and church leaders. But Managing Conflicts is even more timely because it touches on where it itches most - conflicts.
The African continent has been engulfed in endless ethnic tensions and upheavals, something that has slowed down social cohesion and development, formenting humanitarian crisis.
Dr. Birch, a long standing missionary with a wide experience on the African affairs, a pastor, teacher and administrator, does not only provide the diagnosis of the African condition but also the cure. In view of the fact that the problem has a spiritual dimension, the solution offered must, of necessity, be biblical. According to 2 Cor. 5:18, God, through Christ, has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
In his writing, Dr. Birch is concerned about his inability to escape Western cultural perspectives and biases. Nevertheless, the principles he sets forth, being biblical, are applicable, not just to the African continent, but to the entire body of Christ.
Neither is Dr. Birch’s book confined to religious and ethnic issues. It addresses racial discrimination as well, thus providing a biblical antidote to about all causes of conflict.
Dr. Bonifes Adoyo
Bishop of Christ Is the Answer Ministries Chancellor of Pan African Christian University.



Preface
This book is written for pastors and church leaders who are frequently called upon to deal with conflicts among God’s people. It is not presented as an academic textbook for the classroom but rather as practical resource for use by leaders of local churches and national church organizations.
The challenge to put this material into a book came primarily from students in my classes at the East Africa Graduate Study Center of Global University in Nairobi. Most of the material written in the field of conflict management approaches the subject from a Western cultural perspective. My students have helped me to understand and develop an approach to the subject from an African perspective. But going to print with a resource for African church leaders was, I felt, a task for an African writer.
However, my friends and colleagues persevered and eventually convinced me to take on the project. I agreed with one condition: that I could find a strong African partner to work with me. I was honored when Rev. David Oginde, Senior Pastor of Nairobi Pentecostal Church (Central), agreed to be my consultant and advisor. David is one of the most respected Christian leaders in Kenya.
I need to say a word about the approach used in this work. First, there are many good books offering theories and strategies developed by other authors that should be studied by students who wish to go more deeply into the theoretical and academic issues of conflict management. I have taken the liberty to select options for understanding and addressing conflict which are (1) relevant to the African context and (2) practical for church leaders on the ground who face a host of conflict issues on a day to day basis.
Another stylistic decision was to not simply give a list of skills required for managing and resolving conflict. While my goal is to assist leaders in practical ministry settings, dealing with conflict is more complex than simply being able to consult a dictionary of common terms and quick-fix solutions. Therefore, I have embedded the essential skills for this work in discussions of major concepts and descriptions of real-life situations. The chapter on conflict mediation probably has the most concentration on the required skills.
I recognize the likelihood that I have over-simplified some of the content and left out worthy options which others may feel are essential. And then, of course, I have no illusion that I have been able to escape all of my Western cultural perspectives and biases. I am thankful for the excellent advice and input I have received from my colleague, Rev. David Oginde, on many important cultural matters. But, at the end of the day, any failure to contextualize this material is mine.
I have purposefully chosen the term “reconciliation” to describe the work of conflict management and resolution within the context of the church because that, I believe, is what it is. Of course I am writing primarily for those who are called and gifted to lead “the flock of God” (Acts 20:28). As with other fields, such as counseling, people can be trained to become “professionals” in the work of conflict management and make a contribution up to a certain level.
But Christian pastors and leaders recognize the all-important spiritual dimension of people’s lives. For them God has provided a special equipping from the Holy Spirit, which enables them to bring healing and restoration to relationships beyond what is possible for those who work from a purely natural or humanistic framework. That’s why this ministry is so vital for the health of the church today and can serve as a witness to the secular world, that God has provided a better way to resolve disputes and hostilities than what we see everyday in secular societymotor
Dr. Ken Birch



Introduction
It’s a shocking but familiar sound in Africa these days, the crash of two metal machines colliding at an intersection. The explosive roar of a motor vehicle accident immediately dominates the thoughts and actions of people within hundreds of meters of the intersection.
A crowd gathers in an instant, almost as if they had been forewarned and waiting. Everyone looks to see if the occupants are injured, or worse. Some try to give assistance. Others begin to express emotional reactions, even to the point of hurling accusations at the one suspected of being responsible for the collision. Most just stand quietly with their thoughts, hoping that no one is seriously hurt, hoping that someone they know or love is not in one of the vehicles.
A traffic accident is a dramatic and vi