From Conflict to Unity and a New Way Forward
We’re honored that Pillar Church asked TCF president Michael Gulker to present on Conflict as Opportunity: Learning to Fight Like Jesus, as part of their Christ in the City series in Holland, Michigan. Christ in the City is focusing on how Christians can make peace with duality in the world. Topics covered include creation, gender, politics, the church body, and human sexuality.
Pillar was the site of a denominational split in the 1850s. Like many tough conflicts, tensions were high, both sides entrenched in the truth as they believed it, and answers simply pointed to the growing divide. It came to a head when some members of Pillar Church locked other members out, went on to start a new church, which soon led to a new denomination.
It’s a familiar story of conflict and separation, even over 150 years later. Pillar’s history is defined by division and conflict, and today they are the first church that is dually affiliated with the denominations involved in the split. It’s not an easy path, but a remarkable one that truly shows that “all things hold together in Christ” (Colossians 1:17).
In our watchful, divided, and polarized world, we’re thrilled to be partners with churches like Pillar who engage in deep discipleship and are proof of what it looks like when you turn conflict into opportunity.
Here’s the audio of Michael Gulker’s presentation on learning to fight like Jesus.
Curious how we’re helping make a more beautiful church?
Our mission here at The Colossian Forum is to equip leaders to transform cultural conflicts into opportunities for spiritual growth and witness. We want to see a more beautiful church, one that acts Christian, especially in the face of conflict.
Check out our series of three short videos that introduces The Colossian Way. The first covers wicked problems.
The second tackles Christian virtues:
And the third outlines how we see conflict as opportunity here at TCF.
We have a short video discussion guide that accompanies this video series. To access it, email us at info@colossianforum.org. Simply mention videos in the subject line. When you email us, we’ll also send you our Top Ten Frequently Asked Questions to help guide your discipleship journey.
One Last Thing
The Colossian Forum shot a video at Pillar Church a few years ago that highlights our foundation in faith, science, and culture, and how that important conversation is a stepping stone to deeper discipleship and Christian witness. Enjoy!
