Conflict in the Pastor’s Life

“The decision to serve as a spiritual leader signs one up for conflict,” says Reggie McNeal in his A Work of the Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders. But, McNeal claims, conflict plays an important role. First, “the presence of conflict does not necessarily signal the displeasure of God with the leader.” And second, “Spiritual leaders must welcome conflict as a heart-shaping tool of God.” Here are McNeal’s strategies for leaders dealing with conflict: