Beyond the Ordinary

How Do Congregations Handle Conflict?

By Deborah Bruce

In the last post, we looked at the extent and causes of congregational conflict. What have we learned from our research about how congregations deal with conflict?

Handling minor conflict is no big deal. The most common way congregations deal with minor conflict is through their usual approach to decision making (reported in 52% of congregations experiencing minor conflict). One-quarter held a congregational meeting to deal with minor conflict.

However major conflict calls for major tactics. Far fewer congregations experiencing major conflict relied on their normal procedures (21%). One-third used each of two other methods to address the situation: meeting with a denominational committee or official (36%) and calling a congregational meeting (34%). Major conflict more often than minor conflict results in use of a conflict resolution program or resources (18%) or a specialized consultant who helps congregations in conflict (11%). Though not common, only congregations in the midst of major conflict report that worshipers left (9%).

What matters? The good news is that major conflict is relatively uncommon. If your congregation should be in that situation, know that you can draw on many conflict-resolution resources and employ a variety of ways to deal with conflict.

Resources for dealing with conflict:

Moving Your Church Through Conflict

Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict into Collaboration

How to Prevent and Resolve Conflict

 

 

Congregational Conflict: Common or Uncommon?

By Deborah Bruce

Has your church ever experienced conflict? Perhaps people disagreed about budget priorities, a speaker for a special event, a change in worship schedules, or even the color of the carpet! If so, you’re not alone. Was it so severe that people—or even the pastor—left? That’s relatively rare.

Church conflict is common. Eight in ten pastors (79%) report that their congregation faced conflict in the past two years. In most cases the conflict didn’t escalate beyond minor (56% of pastors report minor conflict). Yet one-quarter of pastors serve congregations where the discord grew and was termed “major”—sometimes so severe that a church leader or worshipers left. This pattern remains about the same regardless of church size or faith group.

Leadership and finances top the list of conflict topics. Pastors indicated which of 13 possible sources of conflict described the situation in their church. Pastoral leadership style and finances emerged as the most common issues. About three in ten pastors report conflict in each area.

The sources of major and minor conflict differ. What caused the disagreement varied dramatically, though, based on whether it was described as major or minor conflict. Where the conflict was minor, pastors mentioned finances, building and renovation issues, and pastoral leadership style most often (each by more than 20% of pastors in churches experiencing conflict). Yet pastoral leadership style contributed to the conflict in one-half of churches experiencing major conflict.

Building issues and changes in music styles lead to more minor than major conflict. Leadership issues such as pastoral leadership style, lay leadership style, conflict between staff and/or clergy, and women in leadership positions in the congregation more often contribute to major conflict.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post on how congregations handle conflict.

Other looks at congregational conflict:

Faith Communities Today

National Congregations Study

 

Weighty Issues

By Joelle Kopacz

Last year Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, introduced a holistic health plan for his congregation called “The Daniel Plan.”  This health plan came on the heels of Pastor Warren’s realization that many people in his congregation were overweight—including him.  Unfortunately, Rick Warren has not been the only pastor to struggle with weight issues.  Cynthia Woolever revealed that most senior/solo pastors from a random sample of congregations across the country are overweight or obese; in step with or exceeding the risk for health problems that average Americans face.  Even though associate pastors have different ministry roles and responsibilities than senior/solo leaders, are they equally weighty?  To answer this question, we’ll look at the health of associate pastors in this same random sample of congregations. 

Most male and female associate pastors are overweight.  One indicator of general health is maintaining a body weight in appropriate proportion to height.  Male associate pastors weigh a median of 200 pounds, and have a median height of 5’10”.  Their median body mass index (BMI) score is 28.7.*  A BMI score of 25 or higher indicates that individuals are overweight for their height.  Thus, the majority of male associate pastors are overweight.  Female associate pastors weigh a median of 168 pounds, and have a median height of 5’6”.  Their median body mass index (BMI) score is 27.3.  While most female associate pastors are also overweight, they are slightly less so than the typical male associate leader.

More male associate pastors are overweight or obese, compared to the general U.S. male population.  The figure below compares the distribution of male and female associate pastors based on their BMI scores with the distribution for the U.S. population in four categories: underweight (BMI scores of less than 19), normal weight (BMI scores between 19 and 24.9), overweight (BMI scores between 25 and 29.9), and obese (BMI scores of 30 or higher).  While only 72% of American males are overweight or obese, 85% of male associate pastors fall into this category.  Fully 41% of male associate pastors are obese according to their BMI scores (compared to 32% of the male general population).

Two-thirds of female associate pastors and women in the general U.S. population are overweight or obese.  Female associate pastors are about as likely to be at a normal weight as the typical American female (33% vs. 37% for the general population).  They are less likely to be obese (26% are) than women in the general population (36% of American women).  However, female associates are more likely to fall in the BMI overweight category than American women in general (41% compared to 28%).

It is important for everyone, not just religious professionals, to strive for excellent physical health.  If you are having trouble building exercise and a healthy diet into your daily life, take a look at these tips. 

*The body mass index (BMI) score is calculated as: BMI = weight (lb) / [height (in)]² x 703.  (BMI Source)

 

Pastor Compensation

By Joelle Kopacz

In 2009, internal conflict placed New York City’s historic Riverside Church in the national spotlight.  This conflict partly related to the new pastor’s reported annual salary and benefits package (worth $600,000).  Although the actual pastoral compensation package was lower ($457,000), this story sparked debate about how much clergy should be paid.  In addition to an annual salary, compensation for pastors often includes housing assistance, in the form of a manse or parsonage and/or a housing allowance.  In congregations across the country from a variety of faith traditions, how much do senior/solo pastors and associate pastors typically earn?  Let’s look at two factors that might influence pastors’ compensation—faith group and congregational size.

Congregational size matters for mainline and conservative Protestant senior/solo pastors’ compensation.  Figure 1 displays the compensation levels for senior and solo pastors.  The salary structure for Catholic priests is a flat one—compensation does not vary much by the size of the parish.  However, clergy compensation is more closely tied to congregational size among Protestant groups.  On average, mainline Protestant senior/solo clergy earn more than their conservative Protestant colleagues.   

Total compensation for conservative Protestant associate leaders varies by congregational size.  In Catholic parishes and mainline Protestant churches, the amount of compensation for associate pastors is not related to the congregation’s size (see Figure 2).  In fact, no associate leaders were serving in Catholic parishes with fewer than 100 worshipers.  However, in conservative Protestant churches the congregation’s size made a difference in associate pastors’ compensation.  In general, the larger the congregation, the higher the compensation for the associate leader.  Overall, mainline Protestant associate leaders earn more, on average, than conservative Protestant associate leaders.

Clergy compensation is a complex issue.  Many factors should inform clergy compensation, including what similar congregations in the area are paying their pastors, cost of living, and inflation.  Remember to treat your pastor fairly and respectfully when calculating her or his compensation.