Ways to Handle Conflict with a Staff Member or Church Member

1. Admit to the offended person that there is a problem.
2. Always focus on the problem…not the person.
3. Admit to being part of the problem. You could say, “I realize that you have a problem with me. Can we talk about it?”
4. Don’t assume that you are innocent in the problem.
5. Point out the goodness and value in the offended person.
6. Try to resolve problem by seeing the offended person’s point of view.
7. Ask the offended person’s forgiveness for your part in the problem.
8. Divide the problem into areas where you both agree.
9. Satan’s tactic is to escalate a problem. If the offended person says something to aggravate the problem, keep a calm and relaxed voice and good eye contact. Don’t retaliate with your words. You could say, “Would you give me time to think about this and process it in my mind?”
10. Don’t be so full of pride that you that you can’t learn anything from the offended person.