Conflict? Ask Ken: Servant Leadership, Church Conflict, and the Hermeneutical Circle

The Problem All Church Leaders Face
A universally understood phenomenon in organizations is that information gets filtered out on the way up the chain of command.  This is especially true of bad news.  In congregations, leaders know less about member's thinking than they realize.  What they do know is overly optimistic.  The downside of this is that because legitimate issues are not addressed in a timely fashion, they become a source of unhappiness for those involved.  And this problem increases as the church grows.  The larger the church, the more its members live in the monologue of its leaders.  Annual or even quarterly meetings are not sufficient return paths of feedback.  There are too many people and not enough time.  In reality, the only ones to whom members can fully express themselves are each other.  In the absence of clear-cut avenues for communicating and processing concerns, members either live in silent frustration, leave the church, or complain to friends causing problems to metastasize.

The Hermeneutical Circle
The hermeneutical circle, a principle of interpretation, states that in order to accurately understand a passage, the interpreter must alternate between examining the most minute detail of the text and the global context in which it exists.  It is a concept that relates to the interplay between the whole and the parts.  A sentence, for example, makes no sense unless the reader knows the meaning of the words.  Yet, the meaning of individual words can only be understood by the context in which they are found.  Murray provides a helpful illustration. Consider the word “line.”

“Get to the back of the line, buddy.

The Bears' defensive line needs a lot of help this year.

And that line drive is going to be caught!

He has always bought into the party line. (Political party)

Thank God they don't have party lines anymore.' (Several households sharing the same phone line.)

The telephone lines are down.

I couldn't draw a straight line if you paid me.

The line of communication between Jordan and Israel has been established.

Would you line up those glasses for me?”

Each sentence makes sense only by knowing the particular use and meaning of the word “line.”  At the same time, the meaning of the word “line” is determined by its larger context. Hence, we see the “circular” relationship between the whole and the part.  That is, it is only an understanding of the whole that gives meaning to the parts and it is only an understanding of the parts that gives meaning to the whole. 

Servant Leadership, Church Conflict, and the Hermeneutical Circle
The concept of the hermeneutical circle nicely dovetails with the Biblical concept of Servant Leadership, that is, with the concept that church leaders both serve (Mark 10:42-45, John 13:12-15) and direct (Acts 20:17, 28-30, I Peter 5:1-4).

Leaders fulfill their mission when they proactively address the  interpersonal concerns and conflicts of the people they serve. Rather than being seen as an aggravation that is best ignored, systematically attending to the squeaky wheels informs the chain of command where adjustments in top-down policies and current practices need to be made.  Such responsiveness is critical to a successful ministry. 

Moses (Exodus 18) and the disciples (Acts 6) each made policy decisions to better meet the needs of those under their care only after existing practices proved to be counter-productive.  Their improved ministries resulted from problems at the bottom reaching the top and then “circling” back down again in the form of new guidelines.

For churches, there is no better way to create a servant leadership "circle" than by formally setting up a problem and conflict resolution system - with feedback to leadership. Leaders can then craft policies to better serve members.  If it is true that without a vision people cast off restraint and create havoc, it is also true that resolving the organizational-related frustrations of the people supports the attainment of the vision.

Discussion
How effective has the leadership of churches you are or were part of been in pro-actively seeking to address the needs of frustrated members?  What was done right for those of you whose experience has been positive?  What was done wrong or failed to occur for those of you whose experience was less than positive?

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  © 2005 Kenneth C. Newberger
Ken Newberger, an experienced church conflict resolution specialist, earned his Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, has ten years senior pastoral experience, and is in the dissertation phase for his Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University, one of only two accredited doctoral programs of its kind in the United States. If your church needs help resolving conflict, if you need individual coaching, or if you would like to introduce a proactive conflict management system into your church, please visit Ken's website at www.ResolveChurchConflict.com  or call 301-253-8877.

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