Church organization can't guarantee effective ministry, but the wrong structure can certainly stifle it. One aspect of vision is knowing when changes are needed and how to make them. This is the account of how one pastor saw the flaws and rallied the people to a creative solution.

It didn't match the drama of the shootout at the OK Corral, but everyone certainly felt the tension in Grace Chapel's conference room the night the deacons and elders squared off.

The issue: trespassing. Each board accused the other of treading upon its administrative territory.

After the verbal volleys, we sat in stunned silence. Our church had been blessed with a history of aggressive unity. No one was used to this kind of confrontation.

Soon the meeting was adjourned with the leaders promising to "look into the matter further." Frustrated board members left for home wondering how they had reached such an impasse.

We should have seen the moment coming, but most of us hadn't. Over a number of years, the climate for ...