A Study on the Relational Communication Curriculum for Conflict Management in the Church

Abstract

The church couldn’t be free from the inner conflict in church history. That is why the heterogeneity of church members from various backgrounds has revealed differences in major areas related to theology, ministry, mission, education and so on. Conflict within the church is not just a matter for the church. That's because church members are connected to society. Conflicts in the church may be overcome or resolved by the church, but in some cases, they may be known outside the church. If conflicts in the church are known outside the church, it is highly likely that the reason, content, and degree of the conflict are not common or difficult to understand from a social perspective. In this case, society may look at the church negatively while questioning the nature of the church or may be skeptical about the church's social role and responsibility. These results can cause the church to eventually shrink the inner or outer functions of the church. The primary purpose of this study is to provide a curriculum for conflict management that can be performed in the church. So, when church members who have learned this curriculum based on relational communication face various conflicts in the church, they have the ability to ease and resolve the conflicts. Furthermore, through this, the ultimate purpose is to faithfully perform not only the inner function of the church but also the social responsibility. To this end, I will explore interdisciplinary capabilities by analyzing various types of conflicts within the church, their causes, and attempts to resolve them through domestic and foreign literature. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the church's relationship between church members was estranged as non-face-to-face worship was established by quarantine guidelines such as prohibition of gatherings and social distancing. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the church will face various demands. For example, it may be a re-joining of church members who have left due to prohibition of gathering and social distancing, restoring spirituality, re-operating various church programs, restoring passive and disconnected relationships, and opportunities for lost communication. These demands are likely to demand a more strengthened communication environment as a reward for the situation that has been suppressed. The relational communication curriculum provided in this study will contribute to managing the conflict that the demands for more strengthened communication can cause.