Presbytery of the Inland Northwest’s Process for Congregations in Conflict[1]

(Presbytery 9-13-2012)

“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel…”

Psalm 73:23-24a

This document is one of several tools to aid the church as it navigates through conflictswithin a particular congregation or arising from situations outside of the congregation. It is not intended to be exhaustive or legalistic but rather to serve as a guideline to deal with turmoil within our congregations and presbytery.

We pray for congregationsto come together as one group of Christians seeking the mind and heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture calls us to follow our Lord and be faithful to his Word in order not to bring harm to Christ’s church, his body, as we bring God’s light into the world. Come, Holy Spirit, come!

We see this process as a two-step design.[2]The first step is to communally discern the Holy Spirit’s leading in a particular situation. “Communal discernment engages a group of people to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. It involves prayer, a humble surrendering of control, reflection on Scripture, and listening carefully to one another as together we seek to hear God’s voice.”[3]

The second step—if reconciliation and restoration of relationships can’t be found—is a gracious means to move forward despite the conflict. The purpose of this documentis tofocus on discernment and resolution. Should the dismissal or dissolution of a congregation be needed, the Presbytery has an approved process for dismissal.[4]

Additionally, early intervention in conflict is critical; it mitigates the escalation of problems. It is the responsibility of every session to inform the Commission on Ministry liaison, COM chairperson or Executive Presbyter regarding the discord as early as possible. The goal is to bring added resources to a congregation to manage the conflict. This is not intended to threaten or appear heavy-handed but to seek support from sisters and brothers in Christ.

I. Why communal discernment?

“Discernment seeks more than group agreement. The goal is to recognize when ‘it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us’ (Acts 15:28). Sometimes that recognition comes when God’s presence settles over the group in silence. Sometimes there is a joyous convergence of direction that brings a sense of peace and rightness. When the deepest desires of persons are aligned with God’s deepest desires, life is marked by loving more freely, becoming dedicated to a larger goodness, and experiencing healing and reconciliation with God, oneself, and one another.” [5]

Communal discernment is helpful when[6]:

  • dealing with significant matters that affect the wholebody
  • a sizable minority or range of views is present
  • more voices or ideas need to be included
  • time can be taken to explore more options and build consensus
  • a diversity of cultural backgrounds is present
  • persistent and substantial division exists

II. Shared Values. During this process, it is important to allow everyone to have a voice. This, however, involves logistical preparation. Groups larger than twenty persons will likely need to divide into subgroups of five to ten persons periodically during the process. The subgroupshould be facilitated by designated persons who are oriented to their role.[7]

To work together effectively the following values must be shared by all:

  • The entire process will be based on Scripture and immersed in prayer with a commitment to listening to the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction. “The interpretation and application of Scripture is central. Time is taken to hear many voices. Values, concerns, hopes, and fears are named more than positions. Intuition, experience, reason, tradition, and new insights are all welcome sources for reflection. Common direction is sought through cooperation and collaboration.”[8]
  • Seeking the best for the church and one another through relationships that model Christ-like character,[9] speaking the truth in love, listening openly to one another, and respecting one another’s positions demonstrates good will in the process.
  • Open, honest, and transparent communication is needed to serve truth, order and godliness. There is also a need for confidentiality between participants, the group as a whole needs to define levels of appropriate disclosure.

III.Beginning Communal Discernment:

  • After report of conflict, the COM chair and/or EP will decide if the COM’sReconciliation Team of Presbytery is needed to assist in the situation.
  • The leader of the Reconciliation Team will contact either the Pastor/Moderator of the congregation or the Clerk of Session to set an initiation gathering.
  • The Discernment Team (DT) is composed of participants from the Presbytery and the congregation.
  • The Reconciliation Team leader will determine the size and makeup of the DT, with guidance from the Pastor/Moderator orClerk of Session[10].

Step 1: Initial Contact and Dialogue of DT

  • Build initial relationships[11].
  • Share Scripture and prayer together, seeking each party’s initial hope for gathering.
  • Develop a Covenant[12] for working together in order to foster open and honest communication where people are free to share without fear.
  • Discuss and agree on process for engagement[13].
  • List issues of controversy. State issues as questions to be discerned.
  • Decide who and how this issue will be studied and prayed about prior to next meeting.
  • Set next meeting.
  • Notes of meeting should be taken and sent to participants to: to exchange names and address so participant can pray for and contact others, verify hopes and issues, and to remind people of assignments before next meeting.[14]

Step 2: Communal Discernment of Issues

  • Start again with deliberate prayer and Scripture reading.
  • Using group sharing methods[15], deal with each issue presented from before. If new issues arise, write them out and save for end of meeting or another time.
  • Use prayer and scripture during the sharing time as appropriate to create space to listen to the Holy Spirit.
  • In discernment, use the Book of Confessions and Book of Order to listen to the larger church.

Step 3: Brain Storm and Weigh Options

  • Name options that deal with the questions being discerned.
  • When weighing options use ‘Good upon Good’; ‘Advantages and Disadvantages’; or ‘Negatives First, Then Positives’[16] as techniques for sharing.
  • Build in plenty of time to listen to one another and to God’s leading.

Step 4: Choose a Direction

  • From the options weighed choose a direction. If there are various issues and options it may be appropriate to choose several directions in order to resolve the conflict.
  • Decide who will do what to accomplish the new direction.
  • Reward and encourage the participants as they carry out their part in the new direction.
  • Rest with the direction. Allow some time to pass before making the decision official.
  • Share the direction with those who need to know (i.e.Session, congregation, COM, Presbytery, etc.)

Step 5: Moving Forward

  • If new direction resolves the conflict praise God and continue!
  • If necessary, move back to previous steps and try the process again, especially if there are new issues or incorrectly identified issues from the beginning.
  • If the Reconciliation Team and DT are unable to reach a conclusion the COM will be contacted for further instructions. There may be a need to request presbytery to form an Administrative Commission for further work with the congregation.

[1] Previously called “Gracious Dismissal Draft” proposed by the Administrative Commission/COM committee.

[2] We have assumed that there is already a group of people working to seek discernment together—parties in disagreement, presbytery representatives, and other people whose voices are needed.

[3]Guidelines for Communal Discernment by Rev. Victoria G. Curtis. This 24-page document can be found online ( or through PC (USA) resources. p. 4.

[4] Available from the Presbytery Office.

[5] Curtiss, p. 4

[6]Curtiss, p. 5

[7]Part of that role is feeding input from the subgroups into a writing team or coordinating team to move the process forward. The coordinating team may take the feedback to a gathering outside of the plenary meeting to create a consolidated report to bring back to the whole assembly or they may share it in a fishbowl fashion for the plenary group to observe. Curtiss, p. 5

[8] Curtiss, p. 4

[9] Philippians 2:4-11.

[10] Determine who will be involved, what level of authority they have (i.e. task force of session vs. session as a whole; relationship to congregation or Presbytery; other appropriate considerations

[11] Curtiss p.6

[12] Curtiss p.6, 14

[13] This paper is intended to be a guideline. The parties involved may want to accept it as written, or modify as appropriate but it is critical that all agree on the general direction.

[14] This should occur at every meeting.

[15] Curtiss p. 7, 14

[16] Curtiss p.8