In times of conflict and crisis, members of a congregation are each affected in different ways. Like the ripples which emanate from a pebble dropped in the water, there will be congregants who have been fairly close to all that has transpired and the level of impact on their lives can be profound. For others, it may feel more like they are in the outer ring of the ripples, further from the issue and perhaps less aware of the details leading up to the crisis.
Regardless of where people are in this picture, each is affected in some way. In determining the unique needs of a congregation, our facilitators will conduct a thorough assessment of what transpired, who has been affected and how, and what the key perceptions of the congregation and church leaders are.
This assessment utilizes a variety of sources including conversations with key church leaders, individual or group interviews, and a review of the events leading up to the issue at hand. HCH facilitators take care to help all be heard in this process.
Once the assessment is complete, our conflict mediation facilitators meet with the church leaders and the congregation to present recommendations in the form of a Plan of Care. Each Plan of Care is unique to the congregation’s identified immediate and longer-term needs, and outlines specific steps which the congregation can take to begin the process of healing and restoration.