I’m dreading the presidential election next year. It’s shaping up to be a rematch of the 2020 election. And by all indications, it promises to be just as acrimonious—or even more so. In 2000, I saw churches—and families—torn apart by conflict over the election. I’m hoping we’ve learned some lessons from that experience. But given the current polarization, I’m not optimistic. We can’t control what will happen next year. But we can work on becoming the kind of people who won’t add to the fallout. As Russell Moore writes: “You don’t know what’s waiting for you in 2024—with the presidential election or a billion other things. But you can know what kind of person you will hope to be, by God’s grace, when you get there.” Read Moore’s thoughts on How to Get Through 2024. For churches, conflict doesn’t just come every four years. It’s a constant challenge to navigate. This assessment will help you understand how well your church staff handles conflict and prepare you to deal with it in healthy ways in the future. |