Running head: APPLE VALLEY CHURCH

Apple Valley Church

Place Name Here
August 23, 2015
Grantham University

APPLE VALLEY CHURCH

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This report was commissioned to examine the culture of conflict at the Apple
Valley Church. The large church, with a congregation of approximately 750 people, is in
a transitional period and a new leader is in place. Merriam Sheppard has assumed the
role of the church council president. Merriam had previously served on the church
council, however she did not set out to be on the council. Merriams interest was being
active in fundraising and church-sponsored activities. She was not interested in assuming
the role of council member, and especially not council president, however she took the
job when it was clear other options would not have the necessary support to be elected.
Merriam feared that if she did not take the job the church to fall into further turmoil.
Upon assuming the council presidency, Merriam felt intimidated by the severity
of issues the church was facing. There were spiritual issues within the congregation as
well as fiscal issues in the back office. The church was in debt due to new construction.
One person in particular, Gary Madison, was openly vocal and critical of how the council
managed the churchs money. Gary claimed to be an expert on financial matters,
however he could not offer suggestions to fix the churchs financial woes. Gary was
somewhat disruptive at the church council meetings and council vice president Harold
Carson urged Merriam to do something about Gary.
Another issue the church was dealing with was that of having gay and lesbian
pastors. The church served a diverse population in Apple Valley and as society began to
further accept gays and lesbians, many members of the church expected the same from
the clergy. There was another contingent of the congregation that did not approve of gay
and lesbian pastors and made it clear that they would leave the church if a motion were

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approved to allow homosexual pastors. Greg Hoover was a church member at the heart
of this issue. He claimed to have been gay, but was reformed by religion. He wanted
the church to adopt his stance on the issue and put efforts into reforming gays and
lesbians. The church was truly divided and was at risk of losing a large part of its
congregation. The churchs pastor told Merriam that she had to do something about
Gregs push to divide the congregation.
Additionally, the church faces the issue of abortion. The church does not have an
official stance on abortion and has tried to remain neutral on the issue. The insurance
company they use to purchase benefits for the church workers allows for abortions under
their plans. The vice president of the church council, Harold Carson, is pushing the
council to drop that insurance plan and go with a plan that does not cover abortions. The
alternative plans are more expensive than the plan the church has been using. Given the
difficult financial position of the church, Merriam has a tough decision to make.
Finally, the church recently had a turn over in the youth director position. The
previous youth director was a young female. She managed the youth program well,
however, she recently married and left town with her husband. The new youth director is
the polar opposite of his predecessor. Russ Rivers was a tattooed, 40 something,
recovered drug addict. As a result, some of the parishioners shared private concerns
about leaving their young children in Russ care.
Merriam has several issues to work through as the president of the church council.
She will need to navigate through the many conflicts that will arise as she works though
each issue.

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CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM:
-Separating commonalities from differences:
Merriam was not seeking the presidency, however she was identified as the best
person for the job. During the process, Merriam beat out the vice president, Harold
Carson for the job. In fact, Harold withheld his endorsement for Merriam during the
election process. During the council meetings in which Gary Madison critically voiced
his disapproval of the way the church finances were handled, Harold urged Merriam to
do something about Gary. Perhaps the council president has the overall responsibility
regarding council business, but the entire council should be a supportive group. Harold
should work with Merriam to identify their commonalities and differences. This will,
understandably, be difficult for Harold as Merriam beat him out for the position he
wanted. However, if Harold would collaborate with Merriam instead of telling her to
deal with issues without his support they would get more accomplished. Harold and
Merriam were both very active in the church and likely share much more in common than
they think. By identifying commonalities they take steps to become a cohesive team
instead of opponents.
-Separate people from problems
Gary Madison has been a vocal critic of the councils management of the churchs
finances. Although Merriam has not reached the point of shutting him down just yet, the
council has. Gary has become angry with the council and the relationship is
counterproductive. According to the bank ledger, Gary has some valid concerns. Gary
may be better served using some other tactic to get his message across, however he has a
valid message. It is frustrating when people do not feel validated. The council has

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coupled the financial issue and Garys criticism together and they have essentially
stopped listening. Merriam should separate the financial issue from Gary himself. It
seems the problem is short-term as the treasurers report indicates the budget will balance
within two months. A collaborative solution to this problem would be to invite Gary to
be a member of the council overseeing the finances. Merriam should set financial goals
for the church and empower Gary to make recommendations to keep the budget in check.
-Separate problems from solutions
The issue of homosexuality is dividing the church. The actual problem may lie
well outside the purview of the church. Issues like these are usually deeply rooted in
family values and can only be resolved by those affected. The church may have a stance
on homosexuality based upon interpretation of religious teachings; nonetheless, in this
scenario it has potential to divide the congregation. Greg Hoover is pointed out as the
problem by the churchs pastor. However, Greg is not at the heart of this issue. He has
become an easy scapegoat, but even if Greg were not in the picture, the problem would
remain. Merriam should focus on a solution to the problem, not the scapegoat. In
addition, it should be recognized that the pastor is the churchs spiritual leader and thusly
he should be the person addressing this issue. In the end these types of deep-rooted issues
do cause churches to divide. That is an acceptable solution if the pastor cannot shape the
scripture and teachings to support a stance that is accepted by all in the congregation.
-Separate criteria from selection
Clear criteria are necessary when resolving conflicts. Merriam faces a dilemma.
The churchs insurance provider pays for abortions, something the council vice president
Harold Carson wants to avoid since the church is neutral on the issue of abortion.

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However, the current insurance plan offers far more benefits at a lower cost than any of
the other plans. A decision is necessary based on what criteria are most important. Is it
more important that the church use an insurance company that mirrors its values or would
it be more prudent to reduce benefits for church workers? Deciding what is important to
everyone will also provide a metric to evaluate the outcome. Setting that criteria in
collaboration with all of the church council should lead Merriam to an easy decision and
settle the conflict with Harold.
-Separating positions from interests
When the youth director job was turned over to someone that was completely
opposite of his predecessor, many of the parishioners had reservations. They wanted
someone like the previous youth director who was a 20s something woman. They did not
want some 40 year old, tattooed, former drug addict as their youth director. This was
their position. Merriam should drill down deeper to address the conflict by exploring the
congregations interests. Specifically, the congregation had reservations about leaving
their teenage daughters with the new youth director. This interest could be addressed by
providing live video of the youth room, or appointing an assistant youth director, or in
other creative ways. This may be contradictory in a church setting where the foundation
is based on trust and love for one another, however addressing that specific interest
should be the goal. Addressing why the congregation has reservations about the new
youth director will specifically address that conflict.
DECISION CRITERIA AND ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS
Although Merriam reluctantly accepted the position of council president, she is
now expected to uphold that positions responsibilities. There has been some political

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jockeying within the church council which has led to additional conflicts. It is unclear if
there are ulterior motives at work or if this is just a result of the transitional stage the
church is currently experiencing. Either way, conflict resolution is required of any leader.
By breaking down the conflicts to identify key issues, Merriam will successfully execute
her position and build a cohesive team among the council members.

References:
Cloke, K., & Goldsmith, J. 2011. Resolving conflicts at work: Ten strategies for

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everyone on the job (Third ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Peters, D. 2015. The world of communication. Week 1: Conflict Assessment Example.
Retrieved on August 23, 2015 from: http://deloracomm.blogspot.com/2015/02/
week-1-conflict-assessment-example.html