Divided churches are declining churches. Equip your church for lasting unity and growth.
Easily handle conflict at your church and unite, inspire, and empower your people around a shared mission — Only in the Art of Navigating Church Conflict.
BRAND NEW and only found in the Art of Navigating Church Conflict
Ready to Use Playbooks
Step-by-step playbooks for the most awkward and uncomfortable situations — like an upset member, a guest who had a bad experience, a staff who isn’t meeting expectations, or elders who disagree with each other.
Rapid Results
Comprehensive doesn’t mean complicated or overwhelming. Each module has ready-to-use email and text templates, word-for-word scripts, hands-on tactics, and deep insights to get you the outcome you need.
Proven Strategies
Everything in the course is a behind-the-scenes look at what effective churches do to navigate conflict and unite their people around a shared vision.
BRAND NEW: The Art of Navigating Church Conflict LIVE Course
Live Workshops
Exclusive live workshops that walk you through a critical piece of the course. Each workshop has plenty of time set aside so you can ask questions and get advice you won’t find anywhere else.
Exclusive Discussions
There will be structured conversation threads that focus on the goal for each week. Even just 5-10 minutes twice a week is plenty to engage in these discussions.
On-Demand Lessons
You know how you learn best, which is why you get continued, on-demand access to ALL course
materials. Yes, that means you’ll continue to have access after the LIVE course is done, too.
Chances are, you DIDN’T get into church leadership to deal with conflict, criticism, and disagreements 24/7.
But that’s the reality that most leaders find themselves in. And if you take an honest look at your church, you realize that you aren’t really immune to it either.
…One day you’re on the phone with a member who’s upset about a song played on Sunday…
…The next you’re dealing with a staff member who’s pushing moral boundaries…
…Only to find a comment on your church’s Instagram post that’s pretty inappropriate…
…Then you have a meeting with your elders, and even they aren’t in agreement on how your church should take a stance on [insert topic here]…
IT. NEVER. ENDS.
There’s always a conflict, criticism, issue, or disagreement that you get looped into. Even when you aren’t really sure you’re the best person to be handling it.
Conflict is inevitable, but destructive conflict isn’t.
The truth? Conflict, actually… never ends.
As long as you’re leading a group of people, there’s going to be some level of conflict, disagreement, and debate.
I know because I’ve been in ministry for 25+ years, and before that, I studied and practiced law as an attorney (talk about conflict).
During my time in ministry, I’ve coached and consulted thousands of churches over the years, and here’s what I’ve noticed.
Church leaders love to paint a picture of the perfect church. When you chat with them for a few minutes, everything seems to be going well: attendance is going up, they’re reaching their community, and they have an awesome team to do ministry with.
When you pull back the curtains a bit? Yikes.
The issue is, if you’re never taught how to handle conflict, you aren’t sure when something (or someone) becomes evil or toxic, you don’t know exactly where boundaries should start and end, and you aren’t even really sure what healthy conflict should look like.
So, like most, you just scramble your way through it:
Avoiding conflict at all costs… hoping that your people can sort things out by themselves.
Dealing with things head-on… sometimes hurting feelings and tainting a few relationships along the way.
And…
Just scraping by… wondering when it’s going to stop so you can finally focus on what matters most: reaching more people in your community.
What’s the balance? Why does it take up SO much time and energy?
And… Is it really that bad?
A recent Barna Group study showed that 56% of pastors who thought about quitting ministry cited the immense stress of the job as a chief factor.
I get it. Especially in today’s culture, ministry is hard and it’s no wonder that so many church leaders have considered quitting over the last few years.
But if you’re looking to fix your problems by switching jobs, moving to a new church, or leaving ministry entirely, you’ll soon realize this:
If you’re the leader, you’re the lid.
And inevitably, you’ll just bring your issues with you everywhere you go.
Overwhelmed with the responsibility of leadership? That’ll follow you around.
Can’t focus on what you need to get done? That’ll come with you too.
And yes — you guessed it — if you can’t handle conflict in a healthy way at your current church, you won’t be able to anywhere you go… until you do something about it.
Leaders who run from their problems only ever find themselves with bigger problems. But leaders who decide to step up and do something about it? They’re the ones who truly change the trajectory of their future — all because they decided to build a skillset they didn’t have before.
Imagine if your church (and your future) was different.
What would it feel like if you could turn down the dial of heated exchanges, angry comments, passive-aggressive behavior, and criticism?
And what would it feel like if you and your staff knew exactly how to unite people around a vision — squashed the conflict, criticism, and toxicity — and started rapidly growing because of it?
To make that a reality, you have to make a choice. You can choose to stay on the current path…
🛑 Stewing over how to handle disagreements.
🛑 Wondering what’s worth addressing and what isn’t.
🛑 Losing confidence with every tricky situation that comes up.
🛑 Struggling to keep your staff and elders on the same page.
🛑 Hoping it’ll all work out.
Or, you can decide that you’re going to take a different approach.
Unite and Empower Your Church · Navigate Conflict and Criticism · Grow Your Mission
The ONLY comprehensive training to easily navigate conflict at your church and unite, inspire, and empower your people around a shared mission — it’s a proven framework to guide your people into a flourishing future.
The Art of Navigating Church Conflict covers EVERYTHING you need to know about creating a healthy culture around conflict at your church and effectively leading your staff, elders, and congregation.
Five Pillars of Conflict Resolution — that you can apply to any situation.
How to prevent church conflict from getting so inflamed — the reasons that church issues get so heated (and so personal) and the antidote to each.
In-depth insight into how power dynamics and emotional health impact conflict — and the safeguards, policies, and guidelines you can put in place to avoid abuse and failure.
How to spot toxic and evil behavior — and put an end to it before it infects your culture.
Step-by-step guides for the most complex situations — like firing a volunteer, conflict between elders, digital conflict, disruptive staff, and more.
All the exact strategies, frameworks, hands-on tactics, real-world examples, mindsets, done-for-you templates, word-for-word scripts, and breakthroughs to navigate conflict with wisdom and grace.
And, you’ll get the answers you need exactly when you need them.
You might have taken a course with 30+ minute videos that draggg on and on. Instead, the entire course is broken into bite-sized lessons, insights, and strategies that you can learn and implement right away — and are easy to revisit when you come across a situation in the future and need a refresher.
All it takes is a few hours a week to master one of the most powerful skills that effective leaders have.
Results you won’t find anywhere else.
Get instant relief from the day-to-day whirlwind of dealing with people who aren’t on the same page.
Navigate tricky situations with confidence, knowing that you have proven scripts, strategies, templates, and guidelines that simply work.
Unite your people around a shared vision and inspire people to buy into your mission at an even deeper level.
Take a look inside the course.
The new way: We reinvented church conflict training from the ground up. The course is built around complete, current, and step-by-step strategies, frameworks, and guidelines so you and your staff get real outcomes.
For example, if you want to know how to handle conflict between elders, you can jump right to the Playbook that outlines the key insights, strategies, tactics, scripts, and steps to navigate the situation and smooth things over.
And you’ll learn why it all works along the way. No other program gives you that level of specific detail.
Five Pillars of Conflict Resolution
With the Five Pillars of Conflict Resolution—which are the foundation of everything you’ll learn in this training—you’ll be equipped with a definitive framework for managing conflict in church leadership.
Transform how you navigate disputes and criticism to achieve healthier and more constructive outcomes.
Why Church Conflict Gets So Inflamed (And the Antidotes)
There’s no doubt that conflict has gotten harder to resolve, more inflamed, and far more widespread. What’s worse is that your church isn’t immune to it — conflict is normal for your staff, elders, and congregants.
In this module, you’ll understand why church conflict is inflamed and how to de-escalate it.
Before Responding to Conflict (Or Getting Involved With It)
Learn to navigate conflict with greater emotional intelligence and effectiveness, be aware of the power dynamics at play, and get guidelines for responding to conflict — it all starts with examining yourself and the people around you.
Healthy Conflict Vs. Toxic and Evil Behavior
Toxic people. It’s a bit of a buzzword these days, but then again, a lot of people are behaving, well, in a destructive way.
In this module, you’ll learn the signs of toxic behavior, how to respond to it when you see it, how to spot the subtle signs of toxicity, how to weigh your response, and what to do about digital toxicity.
Situational Advice & Bonus Lessons
Playbooks
When the Five Pillars of Conflict Resolution are your new foundation — and you have the frameworks, strategies, and tactics — you’re ready to tackle conflict from a much healthier place.
But each issue you face has some nuance to it.
That’s where our brand-new Playbooks come into play. Each Playbook is a step-by-step downloadable guide that refreshes you on the key principles of conflict resolution and gives you word-for-word scripts, questions, examples, phrases, templates, and more.
Simply put? You’ll know exactly how to handle these situations when they come up.
What makes this work?
IN-DEPTH PLAYBOOKS
That walk you through the toughest situations like firing a volunteer, generational conlflict, elder disagreements, and more.
RAPID RESULTS
No more trial and error. Get actionable tactics and strategies that work — and examples that show you why they’re so effective.
SCRIPTS AND TEMPLATES
Don’t waste time trying to figure out what to say. Get the exact wording and phrasing right at your fingertips.
PROVEN STRATEGIES
From decades of research, testing, and consulting with experts — verified by real leaders and churches.
THE COMMUNITY
You’re never alone. Comment on any lesson to ask questions or get instant feedback.
A COMPLETE SYSTEM
Everything you need to navigate conflict and unite your people around a shared mission.
“When do I get access? And how long does the course take?”
As soon as you join, you get instant access to everything in the course. No waiting around — if there’s a lesson or Playbook you need to dive into right away, you can go for it.
And since the course is available on-demand, you can work through it at your own pace. Want to take it like you watch Netflix and binge the entire thing? Go for it!
Or, if you’re busy, you can take it one step at a time. It’s available seamlessly on both desktop and mobile, so even 5 minutes while you’re waiting to pick your kids up is enough to complete a lesson.
“How much help do I get? What if I get stuck?”
Under every module, you can comment to ask a question or ask for feedback. We’re here to help!
And if you want priority support and extra help, choose the option to get a membership to the Art of Leadership Academy — it comes with access to priority support, ALL of my courses, a private group with weekly conversations, live coaching calls, and more.
“What if I try it and it isn’t for me?“
I stand behind all of my courses with a 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee. No questions asked — all you have to do is email my team at [email protected] for an instant refund.
But this is important — only join if you intend to implement the material. If you consume the information but don’t act on it, it’s not going to make a difference in your leadership or church. It’s designed for you to take action, and if you do, I’m confident it will make a difference.
What happens if you DON’T change anything?
65% of Christians report that they don’t experience their church as a place of unity. Think about that for a moment — that’s staggering.
With that in mind, I want you to think about these questions for a moment. Give an honest assessment of where you’re at and where you’d like to be in 12 months.
- Do you spend too much time dealing with trivial conflict?
- Is your energy sucked away from truly pastoring and leading your people?
- How many people on your team and in your church are impacted by conflict and criticism? Is that the experience you want them to have?
- If nothing changes, can you keep doing this forever?
- Are your people truly united and inspired around the vision and mission?
I can’t motivate you to change, but I can help with this:
I can help you take your motivation and give you the exact steps, strategies, and insights to unite, inspire, and empower your church, navigate conflict with ease, and mitigate criticism.
Guide Your People Toward A Shared Mission and Grow Your Church — Only in the Art of Navigating Church Conflict.
In as little as 5 minutes a day, you can make real progress in uniting, inspiring, and empowering your church and reaching more people in your community.
All-Access Membership
$497 / year
Instant Access to the Art of Navigating Church Conflict Course
30-Day Money Back Guarantee
PLUS
Engage a Private Online Community of Church Leaders
Unlimited Access to All Courses and Resources
Monthly Live Coaching Calls
Monthly Training for Staff and Volunteers
Onboarding Call Invested in Your Success
Just the Course
$347
Instant Access to the Art of Navigating Church Conflict Course
30-Day Money Back Guarantee
Smart questions that leaders like you asked before their breakthrough.
What is the Art of Leadership Academy? How is it different than the course?
The Art of Leadership Academy is a membership that gives you instant access to all of my church leadership courses (and all future courses), monthly coaching calls, monthly staff and volunteer leadership development material, and my private online community of church leaders.
The Art of Navigating Church Conflict is included in your membership when you join the Academy.
Alternatively, you can register for the Art of Navigating Church Conflict on its own (see below), which includes access to the course content—no community, coaching, or access to other courses.
Do I have to sign up for the Art of Leadership Academy? Can I just purchase the course?
You can purchase The Art of Navigating Church Conflict on its own, which includes access only to the course content—no community, coaching, or access to other courses.
What does my commitment look like? How many hours will this take?
This program is built on ACTION. The on-demand modules and lessons will take you about 3 hours to complete, which you can work through at your own pace. Each has step-by-step instructions and guides to help you turn knowledge into results.
Bottom line: This training works if you do the work. Even just 2-3 hours per month is plenty of time to watch a lesson or two and implement the materials, but we think you’ll love it enough to invest more time than that.
Is this program right for me and my church?
This program was researched and designed to work across denominations for church plants and churches up to 2,500+ in weekly attendance.
If you’re looking for a proven strategy to navigate conflict and are willing to put in a few hours of work each week, this program is a fit for you.
The transaction declined, and my card isn’t even maxed out. What’s up with that?!
Please try calling your bank (or credit card company), as they have likely flagged the transaction. Once you let them know it was you, you’ll be on your way.
If that doesn’t do the trick, please contact us at [email protected]. We’re always happy to help!
How do I pay?
Click one of the buttons on this page to proceed to checkout. Once you’re there, you can enter the required information and pay with credit card.
What is the refund policy?
It means a lot to me that this material makes a difference in your ministry and in your leadership. With all my resources, I offer a no-questions-asked 30-day guarantee.
Just email us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help.
Lead with the answers and clarity that fuel your church for growth. Starting TODAY.
In the Art of Leadership Academy, you’ll engage a private online community of leaders committed to leading healthy, growing churches.
Through comprehensive online courses, guided discussions, live coaching calls, and a forum to ask any leadership question you have, you’ll discover new strategies, build practical day-to-day skills, and get immediate feedback from people who have led through the exact same challenges and opportunities you’re facing.
Comprehensive Courses
Broken down into bite-sized modules that have workbooks, templates, cheatsheets, checklists, scripts and more for instant application.
Live Coaching Calls (Monthly)
Connect with me, my team, and top leaders on Live Coaching Calls, held monthly, where we discuss today’s most pressing leadership topics.
Life-Giving Community
Through guided discussions and a forum to start your own, you’ll go from “nobody knows I’m here” to frequent engagement with top leaders.
There’s comfort in knowing you can watch (or re-watch) a lesson, use a practical tool or template, send a DM, or simply post a question, and you’ll be moving forward in minutes.
Jasmyn Denton
I learn something new every time I open the app—whether it’s hearing what other leaders are learning and doing, problem-solving with fellow members, or working through the courses, this is a rich, deep well.
The interactions in the comments are always generous, insightful, and not self-inflated. In one of the comment sections, Carey simply said, “There’s so much wisdom in this group. What do people think?” I could have cried for joy.
To have someone point to us and say, “Ask them…” meant more than I can say.
Paul Webster
I’ve created margin in my life and leadership, and I love it. We have a weekly time planned for our family just to be us and play games and have fun together. Having young kids (who are growing up way too fast!), this is my biggest win!
I’ve also reclaimed wasted time at work, where I’m using my green zone to improve my preaching, work on ministry strategy, and create digital content for our church.
Jeremy Cole
There ARE other people out there asking the same questions and going through the same things I am. This makes me feel normal.
What I love the most is the clarity it brings to the complex problems we are all facing as pastors.
And that I don’t have to come up with my own content to invest in my team. I can just use what’s provided here and in the monthly team training content.
Nowhere else do you find such quality content for pastors.
Sarah Starrenburg
I have received so much wisdom, encouragement, and thought-provoking input from an amazing network of people I otherwise would never have met. The Academy is truly a gift.
Dave Allman
Our church has grown spiritually, numerically, and financially. We identified that we were understaffed, and our payroll was far below the standard budget.
Since joining, our church attendance has nearly doubled in size; we hired two more full-time and one more part-time staff. We have raised over two million dollars and will be debt-free on our property at the end of this year.
The feeling of being overwhelmed is lifting from my shoulders as we have expanded our team.
Brody Tubaugh
I took the course on generosity inside the Art of Leadership Academy, and we actually have a plan now. I’m so excited.
I’ve never been excited about money [at church], and now there’s light at the end of the tunnel instead of just barely scraping by.
Josiah Petermann
This has been a breath of fresh air. I was overworked and overwhelmed, and our staff was stuck maintaining the mission hung on the wall.
Since joining and using the programs, we’ve heard so many encouraging insights that have helped us move our mission forward and invite people to join us.
Chris Hallbach
After working through the Art of Preaching, I was compelled to preach noteless for the first time ever, and it went incredibly well. My bottom line was clear and thoughtful.
I even had multiple people come up to tell me how engaging and dynamic my message was. I can’t wait to keep getting better.
Mike Willis
I am absolutely thrilled and overflowing with gratitude for this incredible community that has been an invaluable guide in equipping me to lead my church through a replant!
The unwavering support and expert advice have been a game-changer for me as a pastor.
I’m confidently charting a course toward a bright and successful future for my church!
Don’t Let Conflict Hold Your Mission Back. Lead a More United Church — Starting Today.
In as little as 5 minutes a day, you can make real progress in uniting, inspiring, and empowering your church, navigating conflict, and mitigating criticism.
All-Access Membership
$497 / year
Instant Access to the Art of Navigating Church Conflict Course
30-Day Money Back Guarantee
PLUS
Engage a Private Online Community of Church Leaders
Unlimited Access to All Courses and Resources
Monthly Live Coaching Calls
Monthly Training for Staff and Volunteers
Onboarding Call Invested in Your Success
Just the Course
$347
Instant Access to the Art of Navigating Church Conflict Course
30-Day Money Back Guarantee