Conflict Management Procedure

Coopers Plains Evangelical Church (CPE Church) wants to be a church where every member enjoys close fellowship with one another. However, we recognise that when broken sinners gather, closeness breeds conflict which is a sad reality of life together. We shouldn’t be surprised when conflict happens.

As a church, we want to foster a culture that commits to repentance, pursues reconciliation and longs for restoration wherever possible.

In Matthew 18:15-20, our Lord Jesus provides a means by which repentance, reconciliation and restoration should be pursued. This Conflict Management Procedure (Procedure) seeks to express that process in our church life.[1]

Purpose

This Procedure set out the process by which conflicts between church members can be resolved with godliness and grace. It is designed to equip every member of our church to find the most appropriate pathway to address our interpersonal grievances. As a general rule, conflicts should be resolved at the level they occur.

Once you initiate this process, you should follow it with great care and a concern to resolve the conflict quickly so that the situation does not escalate or affect others in our church family.

This Procedure does not cover leaders’ misconduct or safe ministry concerns which are addressed in our Review Policy and Safe Ministry Policy respectively. If you are alleging any criminal conduct, we strongly encourage you to report the matter to the relevant law enforcement agency. CPE Church will at all times comply with our mandatory reporting requirements under law.

Scope

This Procedure applies to all members of CPE Church.

We ask that everyone in our church use this Procedure in your own conflict situations and also encourage others to use it in their conflicts as well. This process will only be effective if it is widely known, accepted and followed by all members and becomes part of our church culture.

Principles

The following principles should guide the manner in which all members address conflicts with one another:

  1. Accept conflict: conflict itself is nothing bad or unusual; it’s a normal part of church life that arises from different expectations, values and perspectives. Our goal isn’t to eliminate conflict but to resolve it in a healthy way.
  2. Pursue reconciliation: we commit ourselves to a life of daily repentance, we pursue reconciliation as the goal, and we seek restoration wherever possible while acknowledging that our actions have this-worldly consequences.
  3. Apply grace: in every conflict, we seek to apply gospel grace in a way that does not compromise what is true, right and good, but that also extends forgiveness, mercy and love.
  4. Pray humbly: as we seek to resolve any conflict, we need the Holy Spirit’s power to heal deep wounds and mend broken relationships. We need to pray for humility for ourselves and pray for the other person in love.