Scripture Reference: Acts 15:6-41; Galatians 2:11-14
In Gore Vidal’s Lincoln, President Lincoln’s oldest son, Bob, wanted to join the army and fight for the Union. His mother objected strenuously, and his father supported her decision. They had already lost two sons at an early age, and she could not bear the thought of losing another. Robert protested that soon General Burnside would be marching against Fredericksburg and would take Richmond by Christmas. Then the war would be over. His father replied, “Oh, no! No, boy, there will be war enough to go around.”
It is with conflict as it is with war, there is always enough to go around, even among God’s people. Just look at biblical history. Adam and Eve were scarcely settled in their new home in the suburbs of Eden when there arose conflict between their two sons and Cain killed his brother, Abel. Thereafter the pages of the Old Testament are darkened by conflict between the herdsmen of Abraham and his nephew, Lot; Jacob and his brother, Esau; Joseph and his brothers; David and Saul; and on and on.
In the New Testament the picture is no better. As Jesus moves progressively toward Jerusalem where He will eventually die on the cross, His disciples dispute among themselves as to who will be greatest in the kingdom. The New Testament church was still reeling from the effects of Pentecost when there arose a “complaint” (Acts 6:1) among the Greek widows that threatened the unity and fellowship of the church.
The enthusiasm and optimism of the church’s first great missionary effort was soon blunted by conflict over doctrine. It took the Jerusalem conference on salvation to settle the issue and send the missionaries out once again (Acts 15).
Even the first missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, had a “sharp contention” over missionary personnel and procedures, so strong, in fact, that it resulted in a split in their missionary endeavors.
Those kinds of conflict are still going on in the church world today among many large mainstream denominations. The evidence is everywhere:
In a single eighteen-month period of 1989–90, over 2,100 Southern Baptist ministers were terminated. (Results of a survey conducted by Norris Smith of the Research Department, The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention). I can only speak for my denomination. When you realize that there are approximately 39,000 Southern Baptist churches, that means that one out of every nineteen ministers was fired in a year and a half. That’s 117 a month, twenty-eight a week, four a day. And, both the number and the percentage are growing each year. 1
The reasons given run the whole spectrum in any denomination:
- There is difficulty in pleasing both the “old guard” and younger members. The pastor often finds himself in the midst of generational polarities over which he normally has little control.
- The congregation may feel the church is not growing as fast as it should, no matter how hard the pastor might be working.
- There is often poor communication between the pastor and laypersons on congregational life and goals.
- Some pastors demonstrate an excessive authoritarian approach to leadership. (Occasionally his problem is just the opposite as he has practically no authority and leadership.)
- Pastoral misconduct is discovered (different kinds of moral turpitude).
While the figures show that 117 churches became fed up with their pastors each month of the year, you could probably multiply by ten the number of pastors who got fed up with their churches. In many denominations there are often far more ordained persons out of the pastorate than in it!
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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