Chapter 24: Church Community Polarity Analysis

In academic Church community studies, the latest theory to hit the podiums is Roy Oswald's Polarity Analysis. This method claims to be a foolproof circuit breaker for factional warmongering within a congregation. The trick is to identify critical factions and thought leaders within your congregation, and harness energy wasted on destructive competition into positive cooperation focused on common interests. When kept on track, this process produces mutual benefit and community growth. If your Church community has tied itself up in factional knots, unravel them and increase goodwill with a unifying community project such as a fundraising fair, regular community Church music days hosted by Choristers who Care, or an outreach program such as organising Welcome Dinners for newly arrived immigrants. Taking this approach is putting the apostle Paul's advice into practice - my mother's favourite Bible quotation in Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (King James Bible)).