Action and creator of the. Free ebook download as PDF File. An outdoor scene shows doctors of the church. They were also the primary antagonists of.

Pastor, that was the worst sermon I have ever heard you preach.” Have you ever experienced this kind of dis­couraging comment or something similar? Because individuals who operate under an “antagonistic” flag seem to exist in the majority of church groups, pastors who are anxious to learn ways to handle these awkward situations, induced by persons with strong opinions, will need assistance. Author Kenneth C.

Haugk defines antagonists as “individuals who on the basis of nonsubstantive evidence, go out of their way to make insatiable demands, usually attacking the per­son or performance of others.” 1 Any pastor who has served for several years in pastoral ministry understands the trauma of living in the atmosphere of these kinds of contenders. Most pastors would not ordinarily ask for more of these antagonists in their congregations, although these members may, sur­prisingly, have good intentions. Medison Sonoace X8 Manual Meat. I was told, in a pastoral administration class, to create conflicts once in a while because when the dust eventu­ally settles, there will be greater peace in the congregation. This should not be confused with destructive conflicts often generated by different shades of antagonists. I believe strongly that such works as Kenneth C. Haugk’s classic Antagonists in the Church: How to Identify and Deal With Destructive Conflict and G.

Lloyd Rediger’s Clergy Killers: Guidance for Pastors and Congregations Under Attack will assist pastors and other church leaders who are challenged with this bitter, but unavoidable, pill in pastoral ministry. These materials are recommended for those who want to understand the underpinnings of antagonists, how these individuals could be understood and dealt with, and the incidences reduced to a minimum. My interactions with a few of these “suspected” antagonists, in my more than 15 years in pastoral ministry, have taught me some endur­ing and endearing lessons. Beyond the occasional relational bumps and brushes with them, there are some religious values to be gained. In this article, I will focus primarily on my interactions with some of these antagonists, the lessons learned from their activities, and how pastors have dealt with problems especially from the African perspective.

Origin of antagonists The first antagonist can be identi­fied as the devil prior to his fall. He exhibited one of the qualities mentioned by Haugk when he went out of his way to make insatiable demands and then attacked the per­son and the person’s performance. In this case, the person was God. Ellen White portrays how Jesus had to plead with Lucifer to drop his agenda of trying to torpedo the congregation of heaven. But, like many antagonists, all the overtures of Christ did not stop Lucifer. Author Al Maxey confirmed this when he posited that “most psychologists will readily acknowledge that the majority of aggressive antagonists are so obsessed with their cause that attempts to reason with them generally prove futile.

They are right, and you are wrong... Period.” 2 For the hard-core antagonists, 3 which I believe Lucifer was, Haugk believes that they “cannot be reasoned with because they lack the emotional stability to understand.” 4 Maxey suggests that these antagonists are “Satan’s most effective workers!” 5 Description of antagonists Twenty “red flags” that identify a potential antagonist are listed in Haugk’s book.

Missed Programs On Itv Live more. Those that have played out clearly in my ministry are the following: nameless other flag, predecessor downer flag, church hopper flag, note taker flag, and the flashing money flag. The nameless other flag refers to a situation where a potential antago­nist expresses an ill opinion about a pastor, tells the leader that “some other” (unnamed) people also have the same opinion about him or her but will not give you their names. Enemy Front Proper Cracker. The predecessor downer flag refers to those individuals who will come to you as the new pastor who has just moved into a congregation and begin a litany of the predeces­sor’s shortcomings, whitewashing you with praises that you are not like your predecessor.