Roy Oswald and Barry Johnson, Managing Polarities in Congregations: Eight Keys for Thriving Faith Communities. Alban Institute, 2009.
Referenced in: Church Conflict, Navigating Ongoing Unsolvable Tensions – Polarity Management
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Roy Oswald, a popular author published by Alban Institute, teamed up with Barry Johnson, author of the business classic, Polarity Management to discuss specifically how polarities play out in congregations. Polarity Management is a very helpful perspective for moving congregations beyond a limited either/or posture about the options that are available on issues that have two strongly opposing camps that each have merit. It also affirms that some problems are polarities that cannot be solved but must be managed, because both ends of the polarities are needed in balanced proportions over time.
The authors discuss eight polarities that commonly manifest themselves in churches. The “AND” between each pair is important, as polarity management argues we must live in a healthy “AND” of upholding the contributive value of each polarity. The eight polarities highlighted in the text are: tradition and innovation, spiritual health and institutional health, management and leadership, strong clergy leadership and strong lay leadership, inreach and outreach, nurture and transformation, easy process and challenging process in making disciples, and call and duty.
Even if you have different issues than any of the eight they discuss, reading through their suggestions will provide valuable insight on how to apply the principles of polarity management using the polarity map. The appendices are excellent as well, discussing polarities in small groups, methods for working with polarities in groups, polarity principles, and references on the importance of polarities.
From the Publisher
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.
About the Authors
Roy M. Oswald is executive director of the Center for Emotional Intelligence and Human Relations Skills. An ordained Lutheran pastor serving in a congregation and a Lutheran synod, Roy has consulted in the area of leadership development for over three decades. He is the author of sixteen books, including Discerning Your Congregation’s Future, The Inviting Church, and Personality Type and Religious Leadership.
Barry Johnson is president of Polarity Management Associates, an international training and consulting firm. The founder of Polarity Management® and the Polarity Map, he is the author of Polarity Management, Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems. Barry holds a Ph.D. in organizational development from International College and has more than thirty years of experience as an organizational development consultant.
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