Transforming Church Conflict, by Deborah Van Deusen Hunsinger and Theresa F. Latini

Conflict can be destructive, constructive or even transformative depending on how leaders respond to it. To help leaders ap­proach conflict constructively, the authors incorporate the strategies of non­violent communication, or what they call “compassionate communication,” developed by clinical psychologist Mar­shall Rosenberg. This method helps transform criticism into opportunities for mutual understanding, keeps people in dialogue, heals pain from unresolved conflict, helps people to express themselves, develops compassion for others and for oneself, transforms anger to help others take our urgent needs to heart, mediates between individuals or groups, helping them to speak the truth in love, and builds community based on honesty and empathy.