Commitment to Peacemaking & Reconciliation

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9).

Calvary Church is committed to building a culture of peace that reflects God’s peace and the power of the gospel of Christ in our lives. As we stand in the light of the cross, we realize that bitterness, unforgiveness, and broken relationships are not appropriate for the people whom God has reconciled to Himself through the sacrifice of His only Son (John 13:34-35; Ephesians 4:29-32; Colossians 3:12-14).

Therefore, we look to the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit for guidance on how we can respond to conflict in a way that will honor God, promote justice, reconcile relationships, and preserve our witness for Christ. As God gives us His wisdom and grace, we are committed to actively teaching and encouraging one another to live out the following principles of peacemaking and reconciliation:

Personal Peacemaking

• Whenever we are faced with conflict, our primary goal will be to glorify God with our thoughts, words, and actions (1 Corinthians 10:31).

• We will try to get the “log” out of our own eyes before focusing on what others may have done wrong (Matthew 7:3-5).

• We will seek to overlook minor offenses (Proverbs 19:11).

• We will seek to refrain from all gossip, backbiting, and slander (Ephesians 4:29-32). If we have a problem with others, we intend to talk to them, not about them.

• We will endeavor to make charitable judgments toward one another by believing the best about each other until we have facts that prove otherwise (1 Corinthians 13:7).

• If an offense is too serious to overlook, or if we think someone may have something against us, we will go promptly to seek reconciliation (Matthew 5:23-24; 18:15).

• When we offer a word of correction to others, we will do so graciously and gently, with the goal of serving and restoring them, rather than beating them down (Provebs 12:18; Ephesians 4:29; Galatians 6:1).

• When someone tries to correct us, we will ask God to help us resist prideful defensiveness and to welcome correction with humility (Psalm 141:5; Proverbs 15:32).

• As we seek to resolve differences with others, we will look out for their concerns and interests as well as our own (Philippians 2:3-4).

• When others repent, we will ask God to give us grace to forgive them as He has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32).  

Those seeking to resolve their differences biblically may benefit from the assistance of the Restoration Council when personal efforts at peacemaking are not progressing or have failed. 

Assisted Peacemaking

• When two of us cannot resolve a conflict privately, we will seek the mediation of wise people in our church and listen humbly to their counsel (Matthew 18:16; Philippians 4:2-3). If our dispute is with a church leader, we will look to other leaders for assistance. 

• When informal mediation does not resolve a dispute, we will seek formal assistance from our church leaders or people they appoint, and we will submit to their counsel and correction (Matthew 18:17-20).¹

• When we have a business or legal dispute with another Christian, we will make every reasonable effort to resolve the conflict within the body of Christ through biblical mediation or arbitration, rather than going to civil court (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). If the other party attends another church, our leaders will offer to cooperate with the leaders of that church to resolve the matter.

• If a person coming to our church has an unresolved conflict with someone in his former church, we will require and assist him to make every reasonable effort to be reconciled to the other person before joining our church (Matthew 5:23-24; Romans 12:18).

• When a conflict involves matters of doctrine or church discipline, we will submit to the procedures set forth in the Commitment to Accountability and Church Discipline section of this document.

• If we have a legal dispute with or within our church and cannot resolve it internally through the steps given above, we will make every effort to resolve our differences through biblical mediation or arbitration before we resort to other processes.²

Above all, we pray that our ministry of peacemaking will bring praise to our Lord Jesus Christ and that through the peacemaking process, lives would be changed forever by the gospel.

Preserving Marriages →