You might not be able to imagine it, but that member you have regular conflict with has a good side.
He loves God. He desires things that bring him glory.
On the other side of the coin, your strong leaders who have served so faithfully have the potential to stumble egregiously. Not temptation has seized us except what is common to man.
I’ve known pastors who have committed adultery and I’ve known hard-hearted people who have been changed by the power of the gospel. Sometimes even the worst curmudgeon stops complaining!
We need to shepherd our church knowing that anything can happen at any time, while praying for the good surprises and praying against the bad.
The goal: View everyone as a character.
The best stories are filled with characters. Characters play integral roles in the story. Characters develop and grow through the conflict they face.
All characters have propensity for good and bad, though they certainly lean harder in one of those directions than the other.
But we all, as a default position, view ourselves as the main character of our story. This is why pastoral ministry exists!
We need to point to the true main character, Jesus. Our job is to pray and preach toward the end that everyone who comes into our church receives him, no matter how central—or not—they may seem at first glance.
