Constructive Confrontation

Last Sabbath, my pastor gave a sermon on christian confrontation and how the bible addresses this issue. Then, this Sabbath, our Sabbath School lesson pertained to constructive confrontation and how Church Community can break down because individuals avoid confrontation because it is the easy way out. The bible clearly states in Matthew 18:15 that the burden of initiative lies with you whether you are the victim, or the one who caused the harm. Let me synthesize, merge, and summarize the two lectures that I attended about confrontation. 1. Pray about it, and ask God to guide you through the process. 2. Open with a positive statement. 3. Bring up the issue delicately. 4. Give an example. 5. Tell how it makes you feel. 6. Describe a way that you contribute to the problem, or where your weakness is. This step is of the utmost importance because in a conflict, it is never all one sided. 7. Let the other person talk and tell their views 8. Come up with a plan on how to handle the situation next time, or this will all have been in vein. Follow this model for confrontation and you can never belittle the other person, or offend them. Print out the steps, bring them with you, and follow them if you need to. Using this model will strengthen your relationship. I promise!