Keeping It Together When An Organization or Congregation Disagrees

By Brenda Waugh

Community organizations provide important functions in our communities, whether they are clubs designed to help young people excel in their interests, make our community beautiful, provide art and culture, or provide emergency services. Churches are also meaningful organizations within our communities, joining those with shared beliefs to work towards common goals.

Any group of people working together may eventually find disagreement among the members. The disagreement may be among leaders, such as board members or the vestry. Other times it is between staff members and board members. Some conflicts are between members of the organizations. When a conflict or disagreement arises, it may not seem to be destructive. Members may ignore it or hope it goes away. Some of the conflicts fade away in time, but other times they do not. They may threaten the organization’s or congregation’s vitality and health when some members decide to quit, or oth- ers suspend participation. They also threaten the well-being when the organization’s mission becomes secondary to addressing the conflict.

In previous articles, I’ve discussed how mediation can help resolve civil disputes before they are filed in court. I’ve also discussed how mediation can help families and workplaces resolve disputes to avoid litigation and improve the health of the workplace and the family. Mediation is also a viable option for community organizations and church congregations experiencing a conflict when they cannot independently create a win-win resolution. Many organizations and church congregations have resolved these conflicts and retained their members as healthy organizations by using mediation and facilitation to work through the conflict.

In these situations, a member of the organization may reach out to the mediator to engage their services to resolve the issues. Usually, the next step would be meeting with leaders or critical persons in the conflict within the organization. During that meeting, the mediator gathers information about the conflict and considers potential mediation strategies. This stage often involves considering the organization’s history, members, and mission. When the mediation involves many people, some mediators will suggest adding a co-mediator to expedite the process and provide a greater ability to identify the interests and needs of all members.

After the mediator or mediators have met with some members of the organization, they will evaluate the matter to recommend a process to create an environment for the members to understand one another. This could be in the form of several small meetings with members, a large meeting in a structured setting, or even a large meeting with a process such as a restorative justice circle. Usually, the mediator will also meet with most participants before a large meeting to help everyone be sufficiently prepared.

In some situations, a conflict may be addressed with one meeting, and the members could reach a workable agreement. In other situations, it might take weeks or even months of meetings with the mediator and organization members to find an acceptable resolution. While the time and cost expended might seem high, it is often viewed as a superior outcome. Even if members decide to reform and leave the organization or congregation, they may have gained more insight and moved into new positions with a more enlightened viewpoint.

Mediation can help preserve relationships, promote understanding and forgiveness, and uphold the organization’s or congregation’s shared values. Many organizations, including churches, encourage mediation to resolve conflicts between members. For example, the Episcopal Church has a canon that encourages churches to create a trained mediation team within the congregation to facilitate communication and resolve conflicts. The United Methodist Church has also developed a process to retain a team of trained mediators to work with churches to develop plans for resolving disputes. Mennonites have a formal process that employs trained mediators to work within guidelines to resolve disputes.

When a nonprofit community group or congregation is experiencing disagreement, a neutral mediator may be the best way to retain group members and avoid litigation. Like other disagreements, if the disagreement involves legal duties and obligations, groups risk losing members and wasting resources in protracted legal cases. Recall that mediation is usually voluntary among all participants and does not replace pastoral care. Instead, it can be a way to work to increase the capacity and resolve of the group to find ways to improve outcomes from conflict.

Brenda Waugh is a lawyer/ mediator with Waugh Law & Mediation, serving clients in the Blue Ridge region of Virginia and Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia