BOOK REVIEW: When human beings are involved in any endeavor, conflict is inevitable. But the best fight is the one a church never has to have because its members have been intentionally cultivating practices that lead to peace and preserve unity. Whether dealing with conflict right now or hoping to prevent it later, you will find that the proactive approach to peacemaking outlined in this book will equip you with the knowledge and practices you need to instill in your church leadership and membership.MY REVIEW: So, this book is geared towards pastors and church leaders, but I got a lot out of it simply as a church member and as a Christian. I found it to be written honestly and to the point, with no mincing of words or avoiding hard subjects. A quote from the end of the book sums it up quite nicely: "And let us continually do nothing less that our very best to preserve the extraordinary gift of unity for God's Glory, our joy, and the Church's mission."
The book is divided into three main sections: Embracing the Priorities that Preserve Unity in Jesus' Church, Avoiding the Pitfalls that Threaten Unity in Jesus' Church, and Mastering the Practices that Foster Unity in Jesus' Church. Each section has 2-3 chapters about different subjects directly applicable to that section. He goes over different things that threaten unity, such as anger, taking fellow Christians to court, judging and condemning, not realizing how your words/actions appear to others, and more. Paul is the main example used to show us the way to unity, and we can hardly find a better one.
One chapter I really appreciated in this book was the one on welcoming and accepting. Curtis says: "The gist of welcoming is an ongoing determination to embrace others in spite of differences over morally neutral matters." He goes on to specify that when the difference is in a matter of conscience, conviction, etc, it is handled differently. But when the difference is simply an opinion, etc, we dare not let it steal our unity.
Curtis Heffelfinger is the lead pastor at Orlando Grace Church in Florida. More can be found about him at curtheffelfinger.com.
I received a copy of this book from BAKER PUBLISHING, and was not required to write a positive review.
