Fight? Flow? Flee?

My college pastoral ministry professor (Dr. Jerry Windsor) taught us "young preacher boys" that when faced with conflict in church we had three options - we could elect to fight, flow or flee.

I would like to explore these three options in further detail.  First, we can decide to flee.  This means that when faced with conflict or opposition we decide to run, find a new ministry or simply quit.  Before I attempt to stand in judgement of this decision, I must admit that I have chosen this option more than once in my life.  Some of these were on the micro level and other examples of this in my life were on the macro level.  Sometimes people note that fleeing is the easiest option.  I would argue that fleeing isn't the easiest option.  Often fleeing causes disruptions in our families and can destroy reputations.

Second, we can decide that we will simply flow.  When we decide to flow we are saying that the health of the organization isn't that important to us.  Additionally, when we decide to flow we are determining that our ideas can't make the organization better.  We are also deciding that our ideas aren't worth communicating within a larger battlefield of ideas.  An organization should strive to accomplish its mission in hopes of fulfilling its vision.  When important individuals in an organization decide to flow the vision of the organization may be stalled because there is a lack of competing ideas.  Those competing ideas have the potential to make the organization more effective.

Third, we can fight.  Now, when we hear the word "fight" we assume we are talking about either full-scale military operations or a slug-fest in the street.  However, I think determining to fight is something radically different that those impressions.  When we determine to fight it means that we have determined that our ideas are worth considering.  Fighting also means that we believe that a profitable exchange of ideas and advancement for the organization can come from conflict.  Conflict is not always the end.  In fact, conflict can be a means to a more effective and efficient organization. 

There are situations when each of these directions are the right choice.  There are moments when we must elect to flow because the issues simply aren't worth a fight.  In other words, we must decide if every hill is a hill worth dying upon.  Additionally, there times when fleeing is the best and most appropriate option.  There are moments when we decide the casualties of conflict are too great to fight.

Regardless of which option we choose - the most important principle is that we glorify God in the selection and execution of an these options.