Responding to Ministry Conflict: Careless Words

Ministry, like marriage, is filled with opportunities for conflict. Arguments over doctrine can be impassioned, and we must work hard to communicate the truth in a manner that builds up and edifies. This is not a plea to ignore doctrine, far from it. Rather, this is a challenge to be careful and wise in how we argue our position. Our goal should be to give our hearers every opportunity to hear and practice the truth. Therefore, love demands that we must hope for and believe the best. We must seek to accurately comprehend another’s position, and then patiently and clearly instruct them in the truth. We must be bold but never belligerent, direct but not derogatory, and always helpful without being hostile. Why must we be so careful to guard our words? So that the grace of God will be clearly on display! Our desire should be to make peace with our enemies, pleading with them to see the truth, patiently overlooking their weaknesses and faults, and then living out the truth in a way that invites them to follow.