by Jim Van Yperen

December 2008 

"The cause of most conflict is sin.  The remedy is confession.  Confession requires brokenness and courage -- the humility to see yourself truthfully, as God sees you, and the courage to confess your sin completely, to God and all those you have offended.

Repentance requires a "change our mind" and a commitment to "go a new direction" and to restore broken trust.  Reconciliation means a commitment to stop the habits of sin and to learn a new way of following Jesus Christ.

May God give you the humility to understand and the courage to obey the way of Christ in reconciliation." www.restoringthechurch.org This web site provides personal reconciliation worksheets that will be helpful not only during your building program, but each day as you interact with people.  

Additional resources on biblical conflict resolution recommended by CCRC are the following:  The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide for Resolving Church Conflict by Ken Sande and Making Peace: a Guide to Overcoming Church Conflict by Jim Van Yperen.

Our signature publication The MasterBuild Process (available from our store) will help you avoid congregational conflicts, money-wasting mistakes, and frustrating hours of meetings. These information-gathering and decision-making steps will help your building committee more effectively work with architects, builders, or church construction companies.