Leadership Journal

Someone has said, "Without conflict, there would be no New Testament." Out of controversy arose revelation from God.

And without conflict, where would most denominations be?

Take the Southern Baptist Convention, whose resolution last year to boycott Disney was their most recent cause of conflict.

A Southern Baptist, Jim Henry, pastor of First Baptist Church of Orlando, was put in a particular dilemma by the resolution: his church is a five-minute ride from Walt Disney World. A recent past president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Henry explains, "Hundreds of people in our church are employed there, so the whole Orlando community was watching me." The Sunday after the resolution passed, Henry had to address the issue from the pulpit.

From racism in the sixties to boycotts in the nineties, Jim Henry has gone through conflict and emerged still passionate about church ministry. Leadership editors David Goetz and Ed Rowell called on Henry to find out how conflict has forged his character.

Recently you were in the center of conflict over the decision to boycott Disney. How did you respond?

Jim Henry: I couldn't come home from the Convention and act like it didn't happen—though I wish I could have taken a sabbatical. (Laughter) I knew I was going to come to loggerheads with a lot of my brothers and sisters.
I prayed about it. When I addressed the issue the Sunday after the resolution passed, I gathered all of the reasons of both sides and tried to present them fairly, because people were asking, "What do we do? How do we respond?" I presented the biblical perspective, as I saw it, and said, "Here's where I'm standing. But you're going to have to decide for yourselves."

What motivates you to take a stand in a potentially explosive situation?

I always engage conflict when the health of the church is threatened. As a pastor, I must protect the sheep.
I've done that a few times in public, as I did following the Disney resolution. My wife calls them my "white papers"—I write what I feel the issues are and then bring my thoughts to the people: "Folks, this morning I'm going to talk to you before I preach to you. This issue has come up, and here's the way I see it."

Why do you choose "white papers" rather than some other approach to the conflict?

I have to take time to think through the issue, then walk people step by step through how I came to my point of view.
Earlier in my ministry, people were better listeners. Today, people are used to sound bites, condensed versions, rapid-fire images. Few people are trained in critical thinking or know how to think through the issue in its context. People feel an emotion and boom!—they form an opinion.
The white papers slow things down and make sure that positions are thought through. Plus, when I present my white papers, what I actually said is captured in print and then on tape.

When did you first encounter conflict in ministry?

Around the time James Meredith integrated ...