Managing Polarities in Congregations

Roy M. Oswald; Barry Johnson

doi:10.5771/9781566995818

Managing Polarities in Congregations

Eight Keys for Thriving Faith Communities

Published 2009

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doi.org/10.5771/9781566995818
ISBN print: 978-1-56699-390-6
ISBN online: 978-1-56699-581-8
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham

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Zusammenfassung

Congregations often find themselves in power struggles over two opposing views. People on both sides believe strongly that they are right. They also assume that if they are right, their opposition must be wrong--classic 'either/or' thinking. A polarity is a pair of truths that need each other over time. When an argument is about two poles of a polarity, both sides are right and need each other to experience the whole truth. This phenomenon has been recognized and written about for centuries in philosophy and religion. It is at the heart of Taoism, where we find the familiar polarity of yin and yang energy. In the past fifty years, business leaders have come to appreciate the phenomenon, often called dilemma or paradox. No matter what it is called, the research is clear: leaders and organizations that manage polarities well outperform those who don't.

Schlagworte

Alban Books

Chapter Expand | CollapsePage
Preface
1–20 Chapter 1 Why Managing Polarities Is Important to Congregational Health 1–20
21–50 Chapter 2 Tradition AND Innovation 21–50
51–74 Chapter 3 Spiritual Health AND Institutional Health 51–74
75–88 Chapter 4 Management AND Leadership 75–88
89–112 Chapter 5 Strong Clergy Leadership AND Strong Lay Leadership 89–112
113–142 Chapter 6 Inreach AND Outreach 113–142
143–168 Chapter 7 Nurture AND Transformation 143–168
169–188 Chapter 8 Making Disciples: Easy Process AND Challenging Process 169–188
189–214 Chapter 9 Call AND Duty 189–214
215–230 Appendix A Polarities in Small Groups 215–230
231–238 Appendix B Methods for Working with Polarities in Groups 231–238
239–242 Appendix C Polarity Principles 239–242
243–246 Appendix D References on the Importance of Polarities 243–246
247–250 Notes 247–250
251–252 About the Authors 251–252

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