Leadership Summit [Peg Neuhauser]

Peg Neuhauser, president of PCN Associates, concluded day one of the Leadership Summit with a session on tribal warfare. She described “tribes” as the subcultures in an organization including a church. Each of these groups has it’s own priorities, opinions and needs for resources. There are all types of potential for conflict between tribes.

Examples of tribes in churches are elder boards, staff leadership, musicians, youth staff, etc. These are formal tribes. They show up on the org chart. There are also informal tribes. They’re more like factions. Sometimes they’re the most powerful tribes. One example is traditional versus contemporary approaches to ministry. Men versus women is another example of informal tribes.

Neuhauser then talked about five sets of skills to close the gaps between tribes and reduce conflict:

1. Apply the anatomy of a conversation.
2. Use language as a tool not a weapon.
3. ……………..

Oops. I didn’t finish the list. Sorry for the limited notes here. I had trouble staying engaged in this session. It’s hard to hit home runs on every conference session. This one wasn’t a home run for me. I really prefer the sessions with lots of stories and practical application strategies rather than sessions that are designed to explain concepts and theories. My brain starts to shut down when management theory gets thick. Same thing happens to me when people try to talk theology. My brain can’t take it. I check out. That’s why I need messages that help me apply the Truth from God’s Word to my daily life.

I’ll be back tomorrow. Have a good evening. Don’t cheat your family.