Navigating the Nonsense
Church Conflict and Triangulation
Foreword by Karen A. McClintock
Imprint: Cascade Books
Navigating the Nonsense will change the way your church approaches conflict and communication. It will unlock the untapped potential that exists in your church. It is a book for clergy and lay leaders. It is for churches tired of getting a new pastor every four years. It is for pastors who are afraid conflict may derail the effectiveness of their ministry. It is for pastors who are afraid conflict with a small group of people may lead to an early departure from their pastorate. It is for church leaders who want to find ways to protect their pastors from disgruntled members. It is for leadership teams and boards that feel their ministries are frozen in place or in a permanent state of decline. It is for those who believe the church cannot focus on ministry if it is bound up by so much conflict. It is for anyone who is tired of feeling frustrated and wants their church to become more centrally focused on Jesus and his way of doing things.
Doug Bixby is a senior pastor, conference speaker, and church consultant. He is also the author of The Honest to God Church: A Pathway to God's Grace and Challenging the Church Monster: From Conflict to Community.
"The idea of 'triangulation' belongs in every leader's toolbox. Now Doug Bixby has given us the field manual we need to understand and use this concept well. Full of biblical and true-to-life contemporary stories from a pastor's life, Navigating the Nonsense will help clergy and lay leaders to do just what the title promises."
--Dan Hotchkiss, Consultant (www.danhotchkiss.com); Author of Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership
"Doug Bixby engages the pastoral tone of Peterson and the family systems of Friedman to give us a practical book that navigates the painful and often unnecessary conflicts so many pastors and congregations experience. Bixby invites us into conversations with his friends, colleagues, clients, and congregants to help us see the practical benefits of communicating directly and speaking honestly in times of conflict. Navigating the Nonsense flows out of Bixby's pastoral wisdom to live honestly and directly with the congregations he serves. This is an excellent book for novice and seasoned pastors and church leaders."
--Kyle J. A. Small, Dean of Formation for Ministry; Associate Professor for Church Leadership, Western Theological Seminary
"Navigating the Nonsense belongs on the reading list of every pastor or church leader who desires to assist in successfully navigating a congregation through the challenges of a transition. For any pastor or leader who must lead in times of transition and change, Navigating the Nonsense is a must-read!"
--D. Darrell Griffin, Oakdale Covenant Church of Chicago
"Doug Bixby has done it again. Speaking from a heart of deep pastoral wisdom and experience, he offers timely insight into the arena of conflict transformation in the local church. The call for direct communication and the ending of triangulation in communication patterns, if practiced rigorously and consistently, will change the culture of the local church, moving it towards health and greater missional endeavor. The book does not promise smooth sailing--conflict is normative--but it does give essential navigational aids for most seasons and settings of congregational life."
--David Kersten, Dean, North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago
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