Telltale Signs that Conflict Exists

By Donald E. Skinner

  • People complain about someone to a third person.
  • Resistance to change, turf wars.
  • Rampant gossip, secret meetings.
  • Calls for resignations.
  • Email and telephone cliques that exclude some people.
  • Abrupt changes in support of and participation in congregational life.
  • Committee on Ministry is ineffective.
  • High staff turnover.
  • Unexplained resignations and/or departures of members.
  • During transitions (ministerial search, etc.) seemingly unrelated complaints arise.

From Churchworks: A Well-Body Book for Congregations, by Rev. Anne Heller (Skinner House, 1999). UUA Bookstore, (800) 215-8076.

About the Author

Donald E. Skinner

Donald E. Skinner was the founding editor of the InterConnections newsletter for congregational leaders and a senior editor of UU World from 1998 until his retirement in 2014. He is a member of the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church in Lenexa, Kansas.

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