Leanna K. Fuller serves as the Joan Marshall Associate Professor of Pastoral Care at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She holds a PhD in religion, psychology, and culture from Vanderbilt University. Her primary research interest is conflict in faith communities. Fuller is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and has professional experience in both chaplaincy and parish ministry.
Description
IntroductionThe introduction orients readers to the problem of conflict within faith communities. It describes the prevalence of serious conflict in congregations in the United States as well as the cultural conditions that make the issue of church conflict timely and important in the current landscape. The introduction further proposes a framework grounded in the reconciling function of pastoral care and embodied through specific communal practices. This framework offers a potential way to help faith communities move forward after conflict. Chapter 1: The Shape of ReconciliationThis chapter discusses the concept of reconciliation within the Christian tradition and offers a sketch of what reconciliation might look like within conflicted faith communities. The chapter presents reconciliation as the elements of forgiveness, accountability, healing, and honoring human dignity and difference. This vision of reconciliation also describes reconciliation as a process rather than a fixed outcome. It recognizes that, ultimately, God is the primary agent of reconciliation. The chapter ends with a summary of specific practices that will be explored in the rest of the book: truth-telling, grieving and lamenting, confessing and repenting, and blessing and releasing. Chapter 2: Truth-TellingThis chapter describes the importance of truth-telling within reconciliation. It argues that relationships cannot fully heal without honest efforts to work toward mutual understanding. The chapter draws an important distinction between truth-telling that leads to healing and repetition of painful stories that potentially can traumatize or re-traumatize. Further, this chapter explains that congregations in pursuit of healing need to tell the truth about what happened as well as the broader truth about differences in their midst. The chapter also outlines theological and practical arguments for the importance of embracing difference in the context of Christian community. Chapter 3: Grieving and LamentingThis chapter introduces practices of grieving and lamenting as key parts of the reconciling process. These practices provide ways to tell the truth about how a situation or event has affected a particular community. Practices of grieving involve articulating what has been lost and naming the feelings that arise in response. Practices of lamenting involve crying out to God in the midst of suffering and imploring God to act. This chapter notes that communities often try to skip the steps of grieving and lamenting but that both are necessary for reconciling relationships. Chapter 4: Confessing and RepentingGrieving and lamenting the brokenness of relationships and communities often leads to a sense of being called to do something to contribute to the world's healing. This chapter explores this call to action through the practices of confessing and repenting. Confessing and repenting involve naming how we may have contributed to relational rupture and turning away from our tendencies to perpetrate harm, both as individuals and as faith communities. This chapter also explores the roles of justice and repair in the broader process of reconciliation. Chapter 5: Blessing and ReleasingThis chapter explores practices of blessing and releasing as two possible avenues for healing communal relationships. Blessing is an expansive practice offered in the context of a community faced with stepping into a place of uncertainty. Practices of blessing include two important dimensions: moving toward what is next and being honest about suffering without letting it have the last word. In situations where relationships simply cannot be reconciled, practices of releasing allow all parties to discern together where God is calling them--even if that means parting ways. ConclusionThe conclusion explores how faith communities might implement the book's practices in their specific contexts. It notes that each context is unique, so a one-size-fits-all approach will likely not be effective. Instead, the conclusion encourages congregations to engage in processes of communal discernment to help them decide how best to practice reconciliation with one another. AppendicesAppendix 1 offers a liturgy of preparation for faith communities who are beginning their journey toward reconciliation following a time of conflict.Appendix 2 provides a framework for thinking about levels of practice with regard to reconciling work in congregations. This framework will help leaders to differentiate between reconciling practices that they can facilitate themselves, those that might require them to pursue additional training, and those that will need to involve professional consultation.