Because Healthy Leadership Makes a Real Difference. Clarity Is Kindness Imagine a basketball team where no one knows their position. Chaos, right? The same happens when church councils and pastors are not clear on roles. Training helps define who does what—and why. Councils govern; pastors shepherd. When those lanes are clear, everyone breathes easier. “In my first call, my church council thought I was ... [...]
Fifty-four days ago (but who is counting?) I began my new role as service coordinator of LCMC. It is an honor to be selected for this position by the Board of Trustees and I look forward to the work we will do together in the future. But before we look ahead, we thought we’d take a quick look back on 2025 so far. In January, the Board of Trustees opened up the application process for a new service coordinator. Mike Bradley ... [...]
When a new pastor comes to a congregation, there is a honeymoon period that can last as long as two years, or as little as two weeks! Those first months of a new call are critical to both the pastor and congregation to form healthy habits and dialog to arrive safely at a longer-term ministry. LCMC is offering a New Call Orientation workshop this fall to help pastors and congregations to get off on the right foot. There will ... [...]
This fall there will be two online Zoom trainings for developing tools for conflict resolution: Conflict Coaches Training is to train up coaches who can assist congregations and pastors in conflict resolution in their respective areas of the country. Congregational Conflict Team Training is for congregations to develop their very own conflict teams to help their congregation develop good processes for conflict ... [...]
Conflict is a normal part of our everyday lives. We experience conflict in our relationships at home, places of work, community, and yes, even in our churches. As many as 40% of our congregations will experience conflict to the point of disrupting mission! During the past year, Perry Fruhling, Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry for LCMC, has been conducting Conflict Resolution Workshops around the country. The desire ... [...]
Has your congregation experienced conflict recently? Are you prepared for a conflict that might arise during the upcoming months or years? We invite all LCMC pastors, congregational leaders, and interested congregation members to a new online Zoom “Congregational Conflict Team” training on Saturday, October 9 or Saturday, October 23, from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. CDT. We encourage congregations across the ... [...]
LCMC Conflict Coaches Training has been taking place in August and September. LCMC Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry Perry Fruhling, continues to work with potential coaches who are preparing to be available to congregations throughout the association. The training has consisted of understanding conflict from a systems perspective, learning to identify sources of anxiety in congregational conflict, and developing skills in the ... [...]
Congregations who are interested in viewing the LCMC conflict resolution workshop video recorded by LCMC Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry Perry Fruhling, may email Perry (perry@lcmc.net) for a link to the video along with the workshop workbook. Congregational councils, small groups, or newly forming conflict resolution teams may have interest in forming a study around the video presentations. The video was recorded at ... [...]
The LCMC Conflict Coaches Training event has been rescheduled as an online workshop set to take place August 19 - 20 and August 31 - September 1 from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. To register, contact Perry Fruhling at perry@lcmc.net. [...]
The LCMC Ministry Board is announcing in place of a leadership conference, conflict resolution workshops will be held regionally throughout the United States. Workshops will be led by LCMC Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry Perry Fruhling, a trained facilitator for Peter Steinke’s Healthy Congregations and has a variety of training in conflict resolution and family systems. As we continue to grow as an ... [...]
Conflict occurs wherever humans gather because our needs differ. The church is no exception. In one church I served, tension arose over whether to build a rose garden as a memorial to the many members who served the church or to invest in a program for youth to draw new families into the church. In one church, tension escalated in a worship committee meeting when members were deciding whether it w [...]